Fake authenticity is the worst. There is no content less valuable than paid actors pretending to be real people, pretending to have real opinions, and pretending to give a shit about your brand.

The guilty parties using this strategy are some of the most well known brands in the world, like Amazon and Chevy. Take Facebook’s most recent Portal ad, for example. The ad features a series of FAKE families doing an unboxing of the Portal. Why are these people fake? Facebook has 1.8 Billion monthly users. That’s 1.8 Billion people who would absolutely love to do a real unboxing, give their honest feedback, and create real content around the launch of their new product. The process of using real people for real authenticity would drive engagement far beyond the reach of the fakest ads ever created.

The craziest part? These fake authentic pieces of content cost 100x more than what a real authentic piece of content would cost. Ad agencies continue to convince brands that they must spend absurd amounts of money on content that is viewed for less than 24 hours. Plus, that content isn’t even real.

At Cinebody we can make a hundred pieces of content with the budget an agency spends on taking a client out to dinner. The best agencies are finally changing their approach. They are starting to understand the value of collaboration with consumers. They are starting to understand that 100 pieces of authentic content is far better than one fake commercial. They are starting to finally understand social.

Hopefully, Facebook can start to understand the value of creators on their own platform.