As AI tools enable marketers to produce more content, engagement is dropping for overly polished materials. Marketers are seeing better results with authentic, "lo-fi" content like screenshot testimonials and "day-in-the-life" videos that feel more human and trustworthy, even in formal B2B industries.

Snapchat's data shows that authentic, unedited, user-generated content (UGC) made natively in its camera performs significantly better than polished, professionally edited, or AI-generated content. This highlights a user preference for originality and connection over production value, especially for content consumption on social media.

The current sweet spot for ad creative is not raw UGC or highly polished ads. Instead, use micro-influencers (1k-20k followers) who are skilled content creators. Provide them with strong scripts and key phrases, but let them add their own authentic spin.

Even when an influencer genuinely loves a product, the "paid partnership" disclosure creates consumer skepticism. This trend diminishes the power of traditional influencers, making authentic user-generated content and genuine testimonials a more trusted source for marketing.

Peter Rahal, founder of RXBAR and David Protein, observes that influencer marketing is far less effective today than in its early days. He notes that a post from a major celebrity like Kim Kardashian no longer creates an immediate, visible sales lift, indicating that consumer skepticism and channel saturation have eroded direct ROI.

Brands find smaller, specialized creators outperform macro-influencers because consumers now prioritize relatability over fame. This shift makes micro-influencers a more authentic, engaging, and cost-effective marketing channel for driving conversions and awareness.

Overly polished video content in B2B can signal "advertisement" to users, causing them to disengage. Lower-fidelity, more authentic content often performs better because it feels more organic and native to social media feeds, focusing on the message rather than slick production.

Polished, high-budget B2B videos can be counterproductive by appearing as ads, which audiences ignore. Heike Young argues that lower-fidelity, authentic content often performs better because it feels organic and trustworthy within a social feed, breaking through the noise of overly produced corporate messaging.

Build a system that incentivizes customers to create short-form video content about their experiences. Then, identify the top-performing organic videos and run them as paid ads. This creates an authentic, decentralized, and highly scalable pipeline for ad creative.