For those who were born and raised under the wing of the Italian stereotype of the “Mulino Bianco family,” media content-especially commercial content-has always had a glossy look: bright colors, cinematic editing, emotional music, and an impeccable tone of voice. For as long as we can remember, advertising communication has been all about quality and perfection, filling our eyes with idyllic visions. We have been sold the archetype of a bright and prosperous future, yet creating an increasingly stark disconnect from everyday reality. All this has generated expectations in a public that, then clashing with the difficulties in obtaining them, has often ended up betraying itself in order to feel part of the “bandwagon of winners.”.
The rule in recent years has been singular: everyone is present and everyone is beautiful.
This rule is based on two trivialities:
Trivia number one: Today it is difficult for a brand to emerge in an already saturated ocean of competition.
Trivia number two: Today it is so easy to look good and clean in the eyes of one's audience.
However, an increasingly exposed audience inevitably becomes more critical, intelligent, and above all, demanding. The oversaturation of content, combined with the constant narrative of unattainable excellence, has begun to ring false to those paying attention. The margin for error has become minimal: with every slip, public opinion on social is ready to sink a brand.
The return to authenticity: no promises, just face value.
To tackle the problem head-on, many creators, brands, and companies have stepped back from the pedestal to look the audience in the eye. No promises, just face-value. I will no longer tell you about my perfection, but about my reality. I will not sell you dreams of eternal youth, I will show you my wrinkles. I will show you the colors of everyday life so that you can empathize with me and accept that we are not on different planes. My testimonial will no longer have to be the supermodel, but the college girl, the out-of-towner. It is a process that started quietly in the last decade, but is now finally seeing a concrete light: the canons of beauty and aesthetics have changed, becoming less exclusive. Big brands have realized they can rely on small creators for a more “ordinary” narrative. The country has thrown itself into the arms of artists like Lucio Corsi, who tell their own flaws, while hyper-improvised productions (such as the latest seasons of Stranger Things) have risked alienating their historical audience.
Thus, a new paradigm has emerged forcefully in the marketing landscape: The return to authenticity. “Dirty” editing, real colors: spontaneity returns to the center. Genuineness finally overcomes artificial perfection. This transformation affects not only digital marketing, but is reflected in all forms of cultural expression: from fashion to music to the way brands choose to tell their stories.
Beyond philosophical or sociological readings-which could be debated to no end-there are two main factors that have allowed this revolution of spontaneity to finally blossom.
The first factor: the advent of TikTok.
Already told, extolled (and demonized) in all sauces, TikTok has given space to a huge amount of content created by non-professional users. Audiences have thus become accustomed to a “normalization” of video quality, appreciating its authenticity, immediacy, and the realism that glossy productions often lack. Its explosion has reset traditional aesthetic standards, allowing the average user to empathize with media products closer to his or her experience. Users feel reassured if they perceive that they are talking to a business owner, a social media manager of their age, or a spontaneous creator, rather than a cold multinational or an unattainable super-influencer. The result? People have begun to trust more what appears real, close, even if less “nice.”.
The second factor: the crisis of confidence in traditional influencer marketing.
Amid various “Pandoro-gate” and similar scandals, opaque collaborations, lack of clarity on conflicts of interest, and overly constructed communications, distrust of “jumbled” content has grown. Consumers have developed a growing need to distinguish the authentic from the contrived. The public now knows the mechanics of sponsorship and is mature enough to distinguish a sincere review from a work of persuasion (not always, but we are learning).
Demeter cue: what does it mean for brands?
We are not talking about a passing fad, but about a shift in perspective that requires brands to deeply rethink the way they communicate. We are facing a broad and multifaceted market segmentation: we cannot expect to speak to everyone while striving to preside over all useful platforms.
Mark Twain said, “If you don't tell the truth, you have to remember a lot of things.” Reinterpreting the concept: the more spontaneous you pose yourself, the more the audience will be inclined to empathize and trust you, making even a mistake or crisis more manageable.
Being face-value is the new dogma: competence, concreteness and transparency perform better than any flashy packaging. People want to understand who you are, not just what you sell. Creating content that resonates with real experiences allows you to connect with the user, putting yourself on their level and allowing them to recognize themselves. An effective brand today does not speak from the top, but stands as an equal to its audience relying on “raw,” direct and sincere content, coming across as more credible than overly polished productions.
Imperfection becomes a value, not a flaw.
