Why Connection, Not Content, Will be the New King
Marketing is in its Bullsh*t Era right now
You’ve probably seen it by now, the AI-generated social media influencer who rocked up to Wimbledon, posted perfectly posed photos, and gained thousands of followers overnight. She’s not real. But the followers are. The brand deals? Also real. And that is the damn problem (at least, in my eyes).
We’ve rapidly moved into an era where fake influencers are cashing in, and AI-generated personas are starting to dominate feeds once filled with real humans.
Let’s just pause for a second and remember why social media was created in the first place “to help humans connect when they weren’t physically together”. It was supposed to be a place to build relationships, share experiences, and bridge distances. But now? It’s turned into a monetised playground of illusion. Bullsh*t. A cash cow. We’ve traded connection for clicks, truth for trends, and authenticity for algorithm manipulation. Somewhere along the way, the "social" in social media got lost. These fake influencers… they don’t need sleep, they don’t have opinions, and they definitely don’t charge by the hour. Brands are throwing money at these polished fabrications, hoping to chase relevance and reach without the unpredictability of real people.
But here’s the controversial truth: I don’t believe fakery in branding has legs. Yep, there, I said it, you can come back to me on this in 5 or 10 years and we can discuss.
Sure, it might trend. It might look good for a moment. But people aren’t stupid (hopefully). They might engage out of curiosity, but they won’t stay loyal. Why? Because fakery doesn’t create connection. It doesn’t build trust. It doesn’t stir something deep inside us that makes us say, “I feel seen.”
And connection, real, human, gut-level connection is what great marketing has ALWAYS been built on.
Look, I’ll lay my hat on the table - it is clever, but is it good? No.
My entire career has been built in this industry for over 20 years. I was hesitant about AI when it exploded onto the scene. It felt cold. Dangerous even. I wrote an article last year about its impact on humanity, predominantly around its impact on the human psyche and mental health (read it here) and I still stand by this. It’s like giving the keys to creativity to a machine with no soul and giving up everything that releases humans’ happy hormones. But… I’ve since embraced it, albeit very bloody cautiously. I now use AI to educate myself on industries I don’t know inside out, to give me a head start on topics I need to explore quickly. But I never rely solely on its output.
For two reasons!
Because AI doesn’t feel.
And feelings are everything in marketing.
AI can’t recall the way it felt to open your first shopfront. It doesn’t know what it’s like to be up at 2am wondering if your business will make it through the month. It can’t replicate the nerves before a launch or the goosebumps you get when a client tells you, “You changed my life.”
That’s what real copywriting brings. Not just words, but emotion. A perspective. The ability to meet your audience not just with a message, but meaning.
2. Because quite often, it’s bloody wrong!
I test it, often. Because I know what the answer. And, I’ll be honest, I’ve caught it out numerous times. It confidently spits out information that’s completely wrong, outdated, or just plain made up. Maybe it’s my experience, maybe it’s my ADHD, but I know when something doesn’t add up and I correct it, over and over. I’ll tell it what the answer should’ve been. I push back. I question. I refine. and quite often I get “apologies, you are correct”…
But not everyone can/does. And that is the danger for so many business owners.
AI is only as smart as the human behind the keyboard. If you don’t know what you’re looking for or worse, you assume it’s always right, you’re handing your brand over to a machine that doesn’t know your truth and will damage your business because let’s face it, you should know!
So here’s my advice: test it. Challenge it. Use it as a tool, not a truth.
The Generation Gap in Connection
My generation has lost the art of connection. Somewhere between Friends Reunited and Facebook, we stopped looking each other in the eye. We became expert curators of perfectly filtered lives, always "on" but never really present.
But Gen Z? Gen Alpha? They crave the very thing they never had: real human connection. They can smell fakery a mile away. Raised on content saturation, they are becoming the most sceptical generation we’ve ever seen. And in that scepticism lies an incredible opportunity.
Brands that are human, honest, and willing to show their messy side will win. Brands that use their platforms to do good, not just look good. Brands that invite customers in, not just talk at them.
What This Means for the Future of Marketing
We’re moving into an era where:
Trust is the new metric. Not likes, not reach, not followers.
Experiential marketing will thrive as a way to build face-to-face connections in an overly digital world.
Storytelling will need to be grounded in truth, not trends.
AI should become the co-pilot, but never the driver.
Real people will matter more than perfect personas.
Marketers, it’s time to remember why we got into this game. To connect. To communicate. To create something that moves people. And while AI can give you the content, only humans can give you the context.
Don’t chase fake influence. Don’t let your brand become a hollow echo of what’s trending.
Stand for something real.
Because in the next era of marketing, real is the only thing that will cut through. At least, this is what I believe.
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I'm a marketer who still believes in humans. Real people. Real brands. Real connection. If this hit something in you, let’s talk. Let's build something that actually matters.