By ELM Team
In an era saturated with AI-generated glitz and viral “cheapfakes,” human-made content is undergoing a kind of renaissance—not driven by novelty, but by trust, connection, and authenticity. For marketers and advertisers, this shift carries bottom-line consequences: what feels authentic sells. What feels synthetic, increasingly, doesn’t.
1. Trust in AI Content Is Plummeting
Even as AI tools proliferate, audiences are growing skeptical. A recent study by Raptive surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults and found that content labeled as AI-generated undermines credibility—trust falls by nearly 50%, and ad effectiveness drops about 14% for brands associated with such content (Raptive via PPC Land).
For marketers, that’s not a rounding error—it’s a credibility crisis. If your campaign feels algorithmically generated, your audience will sense it, and disengage.
2. AI Influencers May Be Cheap—But They’re Costly in Trust
AI-generated influencers can cost half as much to “produce” as hiring a real person. But the savings vanish when trust evaporates. More than 50% of Gen Z say they’re dissatisfied with AI influencers, and when people discover a “person” isn’t real, brands face backlash (Reuters).
In Australia and New Zealand, the problem is stark: 79% of consumers now say traditional ads feel more authentic than influencer content, while 82% distrust social media messaging altogether (The Australian).
The message? People are craving human experiences they can believe in.
3. The Internet Feels Less Human—And Audiences Know It
A 2025 poll of 2,000 U.S. adults revealed that the average American believes only 41% of online content is accurate and human-generated. Three-quarters said they trust the internet less than ever, and 31% said it’s harder than ever to tell AI from human content (New York Post).
For advertisers, this means campaigns that prove their humanity—whether through real employee stories, authentic customer experiences, or documentary-style branded films often produced by a local video production company—stand out like a lighthouse in a fog of synthetic content.
4. AI Fatigue Is Setting In: Human Voices Cut Through
Even search engines and platforms are responding. Wired recently reported that AI spam is flooding SEO, prompting a backlash and renewed emphasis on authentic, human-curated voices (Wired).
For brands, this is a chance to differentiate by leaning into content that feels lived-in, imperfect, and true. In a marketplace where AI can churn out flawless but hollow campaigns, brands that capture the human experience—in all its messy, authentic, unscripted truth—will be the ones that rise above the noise.
This is the same ethos behind much of today’s most compelling branded and documentary film production: the story works because it’s real.
5. AI Isn’t the Villain—It’s About Balance
AI has value as a tool—for subtitles, metadata, and rough cuts—but it cannot replace the narrative, tone, and soul of a message. Gen Z in particular values transparency when AI is used.
The lesson for marketers? Use AI for efficiency, but keep humans in the lead role. Transparency about your process builds trust; disguising automation as authenticity destroys it.
Takeaway for Marketers and Advertisers
In the fight for audience attention, human creativity and storytelling has moved from baseline to premium.
Campaigns that put real people, real stories, and real emotions front and center don’t just feel different. They are different. They earn trust. They build loyalty. And in a world where audiences are increasingly skeptical of everything synthetic, they cut through.
For brands ready to rethink their strategy, investing in corporate storytelling through video production partners can be the clearest path to differentiation. Even something as simple as a behind-the-scenes film about your team can shift how audiences perceive your authenticity.
Whether it’s a testimonial, a commercial, branded content, it’s all about telling the story of your people and your impact on people—the opportunity is the same: anchor your brand in humanity.
Let us know if you’re interested in kicking around some ideas. We’re local to the Baltimore and Washington DC area, but we have teams ready to go all over the world.
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