The design review meeting at Creative Agency X was about to explode. For three hours, the team had been trying to get AI to generate the right style of headlines for their new luxury watch campaign.
"It keeps giving us generic luxury clichés," groaned James, the lead copywriter. "Every output sounds like it could be for any high-end product."
"We've tried everything," added Nina, the creative director. "We've described the brand voice, explained the target audience, specified the tone..."
David, the intern who'd been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "Can I try something?"
The senior team exchanged glances. What could an intern do that they hadn't tried?
David sat down and typed:
"I need headlines for a luxury watch brand. Here are examples of the exact style we want:
Example 1: 'Time doesn't wait. Neither should you.' Example 2: 'Worn by those who make seconds count.' Example 3: 'Tomorrow's heirloom, today's edge.'
Notice the pattern: - Two short, punchy sentences or phrases - Contrast between time concepts - Implies action and legacy - No mention of luxury, precision, or craftsmanship - Modern language, not traditional luxury speak
Now create 10 new headlines following this exact pattern."
The room went silent as AI produced:
"Moments matter. Make them." "Yesterday's dream, today's wrist." "Time flies. You pilot." "Built for now, loved forever." "History starts with a tick."
Each headline perfectly captured the brand's voice—modern, active, meaningful. Not because David described it better, but because he showed exactly what success looked like.
"How did you know to do that?" Nina asked.
"Simple," David replied. "AI is like a brilliant student who learns best from examples. Why tell when you can show?"