Remember when TikTok was banned in the U.S. for 12 hours? Yeah, that was weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
But what was even stranger was the trend that came ahead of it. Fueled by the fear of losing the platform, influencers toppled authenticity by spilling their deepest secrets. And surely, once authenticity is gone, trust is destroyed, and a creator\u2019s followers will turn off.<\/p>\n\n
Except, that may not be the case any more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Annalie Coia from Brainlabs explains the shift in audience desires, what this means for brands, and how authenticity has evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The days leading up to the TikTok ban were chaotic, to say the least. A trend emerged using a Family Guy audio,<\/a> where creators confessed their secrets, and it snowballed. The audio was used in over 84,000 videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n And while some were harmless, others left users in shock. From Carter Kench admitting his Squishmallow hunts were staged<\/a> to Lexi Hidalgo revealing she doesn\u2019t even drink the coffee in her \u2018coffee talk\u2019 videos<\/a>, the fourth wall wasn\u2019t just broken, it was demolished. Fitness influencers who skip their own workouts, beauty influencers faking techniques – every niche showed up for a final farewell. <\/p>\n\n But then the platform came back\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n So, when the dust settled, what happened? In short, nothing. People alluded to the shattering of authenticity, but the outrage was fleeting. And the comment section quickly filled with sarcasm, shrugs, and a collective, \u2018Yeah, we figured.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n At Brainlabs, we used our Sentiment Analysis Tool to find that these influencers\u2019 engagement barely wobbled. In fact, according to our data, the average engagement rate of the five videos before Carter Kench\u2019s confession was 15.58%. The five after? 21.94%. Most of these influencers bounced back as if nothing happened and some even got more engagement. So, what\u2019s the deal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Audiences aren\u2019t as naive as brands sometimes assume. They know social media is curated with filters and edits. It\u2019s not real life so it doesn\u2019t always need to feel 100% real. What matters isn\u2019t a rigid definition of authenticity, which is now more of a vibe than a virtue, it\u2019s entertainment.<\/p>\n\n Annalie says, \u2018These creator\u2019s sentiments are still really strong, and their views haven’t dropped. When brands advertise to people, they disclose it – people know they’re being advertised to. For the most part, audiences don’t actually care – as long as we\u2019re advertising in the right way.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Audiences love content that feels aspirational, outrageous, and satisfying. It\u2019s why campaigns like our DREAMIES\u2122 ad with Chris Hall achieved 401,000 views, 13,916 likes and a 3.56% ER on organic Instagram results. People know it\u2019s an ad, but they engage because it\u2019s fun and on-brand. The same goes for influencers. Audiences can accept their promotions for what they are so long as they are entertained in return and not blatantly deceived by the promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n No. But now is the time to rethink what it means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Audiences still value honesty, but they value entertainment more. That means brands shouldn\u2019t be afraid to take creative risks.<\/p>\n\n Annalie says, \u2018It’s like the veil’s been lifted, but the appetite is there more than ever. And there’s a unique opportunity to keep building on that way of talking to the audience.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Authenticity doesn\u2019t have to mean influencers documenting their lives exactly as they happen. It means finding influencers who authentically align with a brand. <\/em>Does their content match the brand\u2019s values? Is their audience the right fit for their product? Do they deliver their content with the credibility their followers expect?And at Brainlabs, we can help find the right influencers and take the risk on for you. With our Bytesights tool, we analyze sentiment, audience fit, and influencer credibility to get a comprehensive view of engagement. Talk to us today.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThen platform came back\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
More of a vibe than a virtue, it\u2019s entertainment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
Annalie says, like veil’s lifted,<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n