Would ChatGPT Recommend your Tasting Room?

It’s virtually impossible to scroll through your newsfeed without seeing a new headline about ChatGPT, the latest, most robust version of the Artificial Intelligence Chatbot from OpenAI. For example:

Why the ChatGPT AI Chatbot is blowing everyone’s mind
New York City schools ban AI chatbot that writes essays and answers prompts
Massachusetts lawmaker asked ChatGPT to write his floor speech
ChatGPT passes exams from law and business schools
ChatGPT writes code, but won’t replace developers

Just to level set, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is the latest attempt at optimizing large language models (LLMs) for dialogue. From OpenAI: “We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

How does it differ from Google search, one might ask? At the most basic level, Google is constantly scouring the web for content in response to a simple query, with results tailored more or less to the user’s Internet behavior (sites visited, products purchased, preferences set, etc.). Released in November, 2022, ChatGPT is having a moment due to its ability to answer questions as if you were talking to a human (aka having a dialogue). As a machine learning model, it was “trained” on writing samples that are now two years old, yet it understands and responds to text-based inquiries in real-time. Oh, and it’s capable of writing Mint Mobile ads for Ryan Reynolds, so there’s that.

We’ve talked at length about making your business more discoverable in a “tasting room near me” mobile query. Your business may be one of dozens or even hundreds of search results. So, what value would ChatGPT or other AI tools offer consumers in a similar search scenario? The answer seems to be a faster pathway to “Yes,” filtering large datasets into smaller, more focused responses in an engaging, interactive way. Imagine a complex question like, “businesses near me that serve beverages in a family-friendly environment with a private event space,” returning 10 results versus 1,063. Who wouldn’t welcome more personalized results delivered conversationally?

For all the upsides, it’s important to understand the current limitations as well. The AI tools are trained using online data, so the potential is there to reflect bias and spread misinformation (fact-checking is a must). Being a large language model, AI tools may not have access to the same breadth and depth of information as traditional search engines. And while chatbots respond in a near-human voice, they are still trained in years-old content which makes more timely or topical queries impossible.

We believe work done now to craft your unique brand story will position you for the eventuality that Artificial Intelligence will help new drinkers find your tasting room. Don’t believe us? How about Google’s proprietary testing of their own AI Chatbot, codename Bard, in response to the viral success of ChatGPT? Or the billions Microsoft has invested in to support OpenAI’s development efforts? What about a version of ChatGPT being integrated into Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine and Edge Web Browser? It’s already happening.

To help demystify Artificial Intelligence tools and the implications for craft beverage marketers, we set up an account with ChatGPT and asked a series of questions relevant to a hypothetical local tasting room. Each of the questions were generally entered into ChatGPT in the format: 

“What tasting rooms near Denver, Colorado, <meet some criteria>?”

Here’s an example of the question-response pairs as displayed in ChatGPT:

The below table simplifies the question-response pairs into a single criterion that must be met and the named tasting rooms that result. The conversational response from the chatbot is stripped only for space purposes, but we’ll share some of our favorites 😉

breweries near Denver, Colorado

We highlighted a number of breweries that stood out to us: not because they were particularly special, but because they occurred so infrequently in the results. If we could uncover the source of data used to inform ChatGPT responses which included these breweries, we might be able to recommend ways to design your web and other online content for better discovery in the future. Let’s take a look at some question-response pairs and do a little fact-checking of our own: 

	What is a must-see brewery near Denver, Colorado: TRVE Brewing Company is mentioned on at least 1,230 pages with the words “must see.” When you’re a destination brewery with a cult-like following, you get written up on a lot of entertainment and Best Of lists. Action: in addition to fostering a rabid following, enter competitions and send out press releases on a regular basis to get journalists talking about you first, then drinkers.
	Which brewery is near a biking or hiking path in Denver, Colorado: the space at Comrade Brewing was designed by a company called Path21 Architecture and customers describe them as “off the beaten path.” Action: while the brewery is located near a number of different trail heads, the website doesn’t describe biking and hiking paths as amenities.
	Which brewery is family-friendly near Denver, Colorado: Factotum Brewhouse hosts “family-friendly” events listed on a number of calendar services, but no references could be found on their website. Action: the brewery has been permanently closed since 2021, perhaps after the most recent ChatGPT language training update.
	What is the best brewery in Denver, Colorado, to watch a football game: Bull & Bush consistently gets favorable reviews on sites like Trip Advisor, Yelp and Reddit, most of which include comments about watching sports. In addition, Bull & Bush has appeared in the local Denver news as a hot spot for entertainment. Action: encourage guests to review your brewery, both online and via table tents and other promotional items. A calendar of press releases will generate newsworthy buzz with local journalists.
	What brewery near Denver, Colorado, is popular with homebrewers: Brewability Lab is a local brewery and pizzeria that employs adults with disabilities. Founded by a previous special education teacher, Brewability Lab regularly hosts homebrew club meetings; is recognized for giving back to the Denver community; and has produced a number of award-winning, commercial brewers. Action: journalists love sharing a heartwarming tale about giving back to the community. But Brewability Lab also leans into supporting the homebrewing community with events, collaborations and brew day events that helps make the hobby more approachable to everyone.

Here’s an example of a conversational response to the question, “What brewery in Denver, Colorado, will my girlfriend like?”

It’s too early to predict where ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence tools will provide the most value. We can be sure, however, that Microsoft, Google and other A-list tech companies will continue exploring ways to integrate AI into their offerings: first for free as they collect data and fine-tune the services, and then in a monetized way for advertisers and subscribers. We’re already seeing a ChatGPT Plus subscription option for faster, prioritized service. To better position your craft beverage business for future advancements in AI, we recommend a thoughtful, strategic approach to storytelling in this new environment:

• Build authority using owned media
• Define a clear and concise brand story
• Design web pages highlighting on-site amenities
• Update the basics: hours of operation, family- and kid-friendly
• Leverage Google My Business tools and integrations
• Build engagement via social channels
• Encourage reviews on third party sites
• Support the DIY/Maker community
• Offer to host tours, classes or club meetings at your facility
• Celebrate your space with photo and video tours
• Build buzz through press and competitions
• Send out press releases, noting any awards in the boilerplate
• Keep a full calendar of events
• Outline all available food options
• Host trade-only events to showcase facility

ChatGPT Chat Sessions:
Colorado breweries
Kentucky distilleries
Oregon wineries

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