By Alex Marks, Head of Marketing, Posterscope
As human beings we tend to romanticize the past. A harkening back to times when the world was less complicated. If you’re my age or thereabouts it was chatting in the corner shop, jumpers for goalposts, crafting a mixtape, and constantly anticipating nuclear war.
But it’s not just about missing the past but of taking comfort in it. We’re seeing this play out with social media idealisation in younger generations longing for a life they never lived. Retro Gaming, Social Media throwbacks, nostalgic filters, and our cultural heritage being revisited in digital archives. Maybe an uncertain future is driving trust in the past because it comes from a time when CGI, AI, and the bombardment of content didn’t exist?
So, let’s talk about authenticity. Gen Z and now Gen Alpha have always consumed their content on-tap and down a pipe. It’s no surprise that the resurgent interest in vinyl, DVDs, and shopping in person is being driven by the under 25’s. But despite the rapid advances in technology over the last 20 years, human beings haven’t changed a lot in over 40,000 yrs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is as relevant as it’s always been, and yet for most in the West those most basic needs are met so we are left with the needs for connection, recognition, and personal growth.
And how are we achieving them? Followers on Facebook, Likes on Instagram, Views on TikTok give us the quick dopamine hit but they have become a replacement for what we really crave. Authentic social connection to actual physical people, experiences outside, novelty and wonder. It’s no wonder the practice of ‘grounding’, a practice of physically connecting with the earth, is seeing a revival.
We’re also seeing the need for physical authenticity in media. Kantar’s Media Reactions study in 2024 found that the top five channels preferred by consumers were all ones you need to experience in person. You know, events, cinema, POS and OOH. Just as it was the year before.
Brands often talk about the importance of being ‘culturally relevant’ but if those cultural ‘moments’ are being increasingly driven by an algorithm, served up and presented as ‘new’ then what is real exactly? Add AI into the mix and the ability to identify and trust what we are seeing or being served comes into greater question. Research from Kantar shows that 40% of consumers don’t trust AI generated content, particularly if it isn’t labelled.
So, authenticity in advertising then has arguably never been more important. We know it builds trust, creates differentiation, and has a direct impact on purchase decisions. But in a downpour of digital drizzle that can cloud our judgement what else should brands be looking for?
The answer is physical media. Consumers prefer it. You can see it, touch it, sometimes hear it and smell it, experience it in the flesh. And because it’s physically real it can be flawed, imperfect and vulnerable, just like humans are. We mustn’t let technology erase that.
When ads appear in physical media spaces authenticity, trust and credibility are enhanced; traditional media outlets, out of home, cinema, TV, radio, news and magazine media were all ranked ahead of digital media as the most trusted media channels in the Advertising Association’s Credos Trust Tracker in 2024. And while younger generations tend to trust digital media, trust in traditional media was especially strong among these younger audiences too, with 18–34-year-olds showing a 16-point increase in trust since 2022.
So, where does this leave us? Digital media is clearly dominant and here to stay, but the ground is shifting in terms of trust and authenticity. Marketers understandably appreciate the targeting and reporting elements that digital media offers, but the issue of brand safety remains a big one. Despite this, digital investment increases disproportionately to traditional channels.
But it shouldn’t be a choice between digital or traditional. As traditional channels evolve, their interoperability with digital becomes ever stronger, so maybe it’s time to look at media strategy in the round rather than see broadcast simply at the top of the funnel. Because in today’s world authenticity is becoming a premium and in a sea of digital noise, it’s ever more important.
Sometimes the old ways are the best.
