Social media, sophisticated customers, and lack of control of the conversation are all pointing to the same direction – brands can’t afford to be faceless. But now they also need a soul, a spirit and a person that people can relate to.
If in the past, brands could use anonymous models, with shiny teeth and great curves, to lure eyeballs, if in the past brands could use celebrity presenters as a pillar of emotional attachment, now things are different.
You see, when brands are involved in social media tools, they are exposing themselves. They can’t afford not to be there, but their involvement makes them more accessible. Their involvement in Twitter and such has one more effect – as people using Twitter in order to communicate with friends, when a brand is getting into their personal space they expect the brands to be, well, real.
But what’s real?
People are real. Individuals in the companies that are representing the values and position of the organization, But they can’t be just a front.
It's definitely getting to the point that "saying so yourself" isn't good enough. You can't put the model that obviously isn't a mother in a commercial with a kid that obviously isn't her son and convince people that they should buy your detergent because it works for this "family". You have to find actual testimonials, which is what people are giving these days through Twitter, Face book, etc
