Anything can be faked and people know it. That’s why the best marketing is no longer about how nice something looks, or its level of “quality.” Instead, it has to be about things that only YOU can have — it’s your story, and how well you understand your customer. Why are you compelling, and why do you understand customers better than anyone else? What’s their vibe? Their needs? Their pain points? Their desired outcomes? What and who do they care about? When you communicate these things, you don’t need to fake your way through a photo shoot. Your value is clear — and unfakeable. If this post was helpful, please share it and follow Jason Feifer for more. 🚀 Every week, I share one way you can improve your work — and build a career or company you love: jasonfeifer.com/newsletter
Good point!
Always find this so mesmerizing... love the behind the scenes
Jason Feifer — This isn’t news and I’m not bothered by it. It’s akin to showing pictures of people you know with and without clothes or makeup or a really good haircut. The rest of your post, about not needing to be “fake” in our own personal stories makes sense. Except that sometimes reality isn’t pretty. Unless those folks actually want to improve, they will continue to lie.
Funny thing is we all know this is fake too. In my personal experience witH StratifyPro, the best approach taps into what's truly unique – your brand story and deep customer understanding. Why are you compelling? How do you stand out in understanding customer needs, desires, and frustrations? Communicate this genuine empathy, and the value you offer becomes clear and impossible to replicate. Build trust with transparency, showcase real people behind the brand, and foster a customer community. This authenticity is the key to forging lasting connections that resonate far beyond a staged photoshoot.
Jason Feifer genuine connections and deep customer understanding are the new cornerstones of compelling marketing—authenticity is your greatest asset. That is how people know me... 100% Authentic 100% of the time :)
The pursuit of "fake perfection" in marketing—using filters, posing with private jets, or chasing likes—creates unrealistic expectations and undermines authenticity. This facade can lead to feelings of inadequacy among audiences and erode trust in brands. Genuine stories and real experiences resonate more and foster lasting relationships.
John Knotts
1w
It's not that they're "faking" the food. They need to take several shots under hot lights, and food needs to look like it's fresh. It's just a photography and marketing thing. Ever see when they pour out just the right amount of medication from a bottle on television? Basically, they stuff the bottle with cotton and put only the right amount of pills in the bottle. That way the right amount miraculously fall out in your hand, but the pills don't rattle in the bottle. It's for the picture...
I was shooting a TV commercial for a food chain a few years ago - one of the food props was a plate of roast chicken legs - the food stylist had used powders, food dyes, glycerine and other unspeakable things to make the chicken look freshly cooked and delicious. At the end of the shoot the account exec appeared and grabbed one of the chicken legs as the plate was being cleared away. I can still hear the retching sound as he bit into raw chicken that had been under the studio lights all day. 🙃 It's a cruel world.
Sweta Regmi
1w
love this so much which showcases examples of fakery with shiny fake things to lure buyers in. Let's translate this into LinkedIn branding, fakers are faking it by paying to be on the top list or magazine to fool people. Active pods are boosting engagement and fake followers with automated bots and comments to build the brand and touting how they went viral and built the brand. I can't believe that the people I looked up to were in this together. I feel embarrassed and duped. they were my inspiration.
Brand Therapist | Author | Marketing Consultant | Consumer Insights | Business Book Coach
1wYes, having been in the food industry, I knew of many tricks to get the hero shot of the product. If you look closely at tv ads, you'll also notice the over-simplified labels on product packaging. Much clearer than the on-shelf product and unencumbered by legal requirements.