The Death of Brand Guidelines - Swipe Files for Company AI Usage

AI output tends to suffer from one of two problems:

• It’s too generic
• It takes so long to hone that it barely saves any time.

It doesn’t need to be though. The tasks that marketers tend to focus on have a certain degree of variance (think personas, products, and outputs). But they also tend to focus on the same general types of inputs.

So what if we could make sure that AI always had the exact right supporting inputs? Something that would give:

1. Granular control over which inputs are used when
2. Very clear ownership over the initial inputs
3. Scalability to make sure the broader organization could take advantage

It’s not so hard. Here’s how I manage and use company knowledge better with AI. And I’ll pick on brand guidelines as a way to show how much better it can get.

The Problem With Brand Guidelines (AKA Why PDFs Need to Die)

Stroll with me down Problem Lane for a second.

It’s 11 PM. You’re trying to write an on-brand email, and, in the best case, are diving through a (beautiful!) 47-page PDF from 2021 with the wrong logo, your Google+ brand guidelines, and some pearls buried deep, deep beneath the surface. More likely, you completely ignore it.

Fun fact: Most brand guidelines are outdated the moment they’re exported to the 86MB PDF file.

Funner fact: No one actually uses them. 🙃

Enter: Swipe Files (The Hero We Didn’t Know We Needed)

Think of swipe files as brand guidelines - or anything else - that actually work with AI.

Here’s the cool part (warning: incoming geek-out):

• They’re structured for AI consumption (using simple XML-style tags)
• They’re modular (mix and match based on what you need)
• They’re always current (update once, changes reflect everywhere)
• They’re actually usable (unlike that brand PDF you’ve never opened)
• They help unify your company’s knowledge
• They empower individual contributors to sound like they’re part of the company’s brain

Example, por favor

Here’s a real example that’ll make this click. You have a last minute feature email to push out to customers. It’s still 11PM for internal post consistency.

This time, though, instead of rage-scrolling through that PDF from 2021, you grab three tiny swipe files - brand voice, product features, and customer personas, from your desktop, drop them into ChatGPT, and BOOM.

It instantly gets that you want to sound smart but not pretentious, knows your killer features (like that real-time processing thingie everyone loves), and understands exactly what keeps your prospects up at night.

Let’s get into how you make it happen.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Swipe File

Think of swipe files like Lego pieces for your company’s brain. Here’s a real example:

Yes, it looks like programming.

That’s because it’s written for AI, not you. And no, you don’t need to be a developer. If you can use HTML bold tags, you can handle this.

Creating this is incredibly easy. I’d suggest:

• Finding the core documents that you already have.
• Dropping it into ChatGPT with the prompt below (and, ideally, with the sample above to help give it a little help)
• Iterating on it (please do not skip this!)
• Sharing it with your broader team

Using the attached document, create a concise and informative summary that captures core information, details, and other raw information (especially numbers, quotes and unique facts). Convert it into a summary that leverages a very organized structure. It is critical that you not make anything up. 

A short example of a potential output is below:
<example>
<DOCUMENT_METADATA>
Last Updated: January 15, 2024
Owner: Marketing Team
Purpose: Core company positioning and voice
</DOCUMENT_METADATA>

<COMPANY_IDENTITY>
- Industry: B2B SaaS (Freight Booking Platform)
- Target Market: Freight forwarders, carriers, importers
- Key Differentiator: Only vendor-neutral booking platform
</COMPANY_IDENTITY>

<BRAND_VOICE>
- Tone: Confident but not arrogant
- Personality: The experienced friend who gets straight to the point
- Writing Style:
  * Use concrete numbers when possible
  * Write in short, clear sentences
  * Avoid industry jargon
- Forbidden Words: utilize, leverage, synergy
</BRAND_VOICE>

<KEY_METRICS>
- Platform Users: 10,000+
- Transaction Volume: $800M annually
- Customer Base: 19 of top 20 freight forwarders
</KEY_METRICS>
</example>

The Swipe File Starter Pack

Here are the must-have files I recommend marketers start with:

1. Core Company DNA 🧬

• Company overview
• Brand voice
• Product suite
• Key metrics

2. Marketing Arsenal 🎯

• Content frameworks
• Audience personas
• Success stories
• Research report summaries with data
• Asset tones (LinkedIn posts, etc)

3. Sales Ammunition 💪

• Competitor battle cards
• Objection handlers
• Win patterns
• Products and features
• Key customers

(Pro tip: Start with just these. You can always add “Implementation Guide” and “Technical Specs” files when you’re done binge-watching Severance.)

Why This Is Actually a Big Deal

Remember knowledge management?

That thing IT keeps trying to make happen? (It’s not going to happen, Scott.) Well, guess what – we accidentally solved it while trying to make AI suck less.

These swipe files are becoming more valuable than traditional brand guidelines because:

• They’re actually used (unlike that 47-page PDF)
• They’re easier to update
• They scale across every AI interaction
• They force consistency without being painful
• They can be shared!

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is going to be shared better, built around AI, and far, far more flexible.

This change is actually coming. The companies that figure this out first are going to have a massive advantage in the AI-powered world.