In the modern media world, brands face a key challenge: how to strike a balance between authentic communication and artificial perfection. Consumers are torn between their desire for genuine, unvarnished insights and their fascination with technologically optimised, flawless representations. Welcome to the contradiction of authentic vs. artificial – one of the defining areas of tension in the ‘era of contradictions’.
The fascination of the artificial: why ‘artificial’ works
Artificially created content, whether retouched campaign images, AI-generated advertising clips or computer-generated influencers, can attract just as much attention as ‘real’ content. Automated content often offers major advantages (at least at first glance) – it saves costs for complex productions, travel and set construction and enables rapid adaptation to market trends.
- 92% of social media teams use AI tools for text and image generation.
- Marketing & sales, with a usage rate of 35%, is the most common area of application for generative AI in companies.
- Text (47%) and image creation (31%) are among the most common applications of generative AI among employees.
Artificial intelligence allows brands to generate hyper-realistic content that is perfectly staged. But that is precisely where the challenge lies: the more flawless a presentation, the greater the scepticism of consumers, and perfect staging using artificial intelligence is often not as cheap as one might think.
The countertrend: the desire for authenticity
Parallel to the increasing use of artificial intelligence, the demand for authentic, genuine content is growing. Consumers want to look behind the scenes, see honest brand messages and be able to identify with real people.
- 80% of social media teams confirm that authentic content is crucial to success.
- 86% of consumers consider authenticity to be an important factor when choosing brands.
- 60% prefer authentic content to perfect/polished content.
- The hashtag #nofilter has over 6 million mentions on TikTok – a sign of the desire for authenticity.
Gen Z and millennials in particular value honest communication and demand real stories from brands instead of artificial perfection.
The balancing act for brands: how to strike the right balance?
For brands, the question is: does it have to be one or the other? The answer lies in a clever combination of both approaches. Successful companies rely on a hybrid style that skilfully combines gloss and authenticity.
- Nike: Continues to use elaborately produced advertising films, but combines them with real stories from the community and unfiltered behind-the-scenes insights.
- Dove: The ‘Real Beauty’ campaign focuses on unretouched photos and real stories – with proven high credibility.
- TikTok as a stage for authenticity: Brands that perform on TikTok are increasingly focusing on spontaneous, genuine content rather than perfectionism.
The challenge for brands is to find a middle ground between artificiality and authenticity that fits their own brand identity.
Conclusion: The future is hybrid
The tension between authenticity and artificiality will continue to intensify in the coming years. While technological advances offer new creative possibilities, authenticity remains a crucial factor in building trust.
Brands that manage to complement flawless images with real stories build the strongest emotional connection with their consumers. Because in a world full of staging, the real often remains the unique.
In the next post in the blog series, we will look at mistrust vs. belief in technology – another crucial contradiction in our digital society.
