Your Marketing needs real faces, and real stories
Your Marketing needs real faces, and real stories
Why Real Faces and Human Stories Still Win in the Age of AI Content
Why Real Faces and Human Stories Still Win in the Age of AI Content
In the rapidly expanding world of AI content and robots, a big question is lingering: Will we still need humans on camera, or even in marketing departments, in the near future? While it's tempting for organizations to become faceless, especially as AI-generated content becomes easier, the answer for effective video marketing is clear:
humans are still going to be important.
What you might not know is that having a person with a real face in your video generates a 38% lift in performance versus logo-only or faceless videos. This measurable bump in performance happens because we are, at our core, a tribal species who likes connecting with other people and sharing experiences. This connection is a fundamental aspect of our humanity and should be a big part of your brand building.
The Danger of Depersonalization
When mid-sized and larger organizations focus solely on systems and standardization, they risk depersonalization. At some point, you can lose the face of your brand and the real human stories. Finding that connection again is the way to develop content that drives your message home and increases sales.
The simplest way to cut through the noise and the fears around telling raw, authentic human stories is to get right to the ground level to find a human thread.
The Problem: The people making high-level decisions are often far removed—in boardrooms or executive offices—from the people on the ground who are experiencing the impact of the organization's work.
The Solution: Marketing teams need a connection to the ground floor, to the real people interacting with customers, clients, or guests, to truly and authentically know what that experience is like. This is a "cheat code for script writing," as amazing human moments can inspire content for your next high-level campaign. It’s also just good leadership to be connected with your frontline staff.
"one thing that's helpful to add for marketing teams is a way to have a connection to the ground floor, to the real people interacting with your customer base, with your clients, your guests, whatever they are, and knowing what that experience is like, truly and authentically."
How to Find Your Human Story
You need a thread that connects your content efforts to the very real human things happening as a result of your business.
It's as simple as asking around—asking your install guys, customer service team, or community partners what they have seen and if they have any cool stories. This is why campaigns focusing on the real impact in the community are so effective. Real stories hit much harder than flashy, high-budget product ads that everyone can replicate.
To find and gather these stories:
Find your connection: Identify a "spy on the front lines" who can give you insights into the real stories that have happened.
Build trust: You must build trust with the people who can give you these stories (like cashiers or concierge staff) so they know your aim is to highlight the good, true, and beautiful things they're experiencing.
Use customer language: Cut through the fluff of executive, legal, and compliance talk to speak like your customers and talk to them in a language that they can understand. Use a brand guideline that is built on listening to customers to know what language works and what destroys trust.
Story First, Brand Second
Once you have an inspiring idea, you must keep the story first. The greatest temptation is to revert to content that's so safe and cold that it appeals to nobody.
Prioritize the Storyteller: The story and the person in the story take the lead. The way it connects to the brand should be natural and seamless—you are not trying to force the brand into a story.
The Risk is Worth It: We shouldn't shy away from good storytelling just to be safe. Taking a risk toward the good, the true, the beautiful, and the human is always one that pays off if you execute well.
Emotions vs. Data: In tech-heavy organizations, it's tempting to let the numbers carry the weight. We are not purely logical beings; our emotions are often in the driver's seat. The data is the bookends; it surrounds the emotional core that underpins our stories. If the emotional core is right and authentic, and you have the data to back it up, you have a winning recipe.
"The data is the bookends. The techie stuff. It surrounds the emotional core that underpins our stories."
Actionable Steps for a Video Campaign
We are not marketing for "the people"—that faceless average that's no longer a viable target. We are marketing for individual people who have a common need that we are serving.
Find an Inspiring Story: Look for a customer who's had a life-changing success story or an employee who had an amazing experience that goes deeper than a simple -star review.
Ask Permission to Feature: Approach that person and sincerely say, "Your experience to us is so important. We would love to feature you in our marketing campaign."
Tell the Story: Once you have their permission, tell that story. You could tell stories like this multiple times a year and never run out of content.
Align Production to the Goal: Your video team's camera decisions, lighting decisions, and the overall framing must be in line with the goal of telling that real story.
"That's it. Find an inspiring story. Get permission to tell them. Then every decision behind the camera and with the video production aids that story. The frame of the whole thing is also aiding telling that story."
If you want to do what works, just tell personal stories.
