“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
That line says so much about integrity in marketing. Maybe it’s just me, but have you ever been turned off after seeing the same actors playing different roles in different commercials? I don’t mean commercials that are supposed to be humorous or intentionally fictional—actors are ideal for those roles. I’m talking about commercials, both local and national, that purport to show real customers enjoying real-life benefits from a product or service.
One minute, you’re admiring the young entrepreneur who used XYZ service to start his own dog-grooming business, and then two commercial breaks into your show he’s singing the praises of ABC shipping and how it helps him run his manufacturing company. So much for truth in advertising.
I once had a (former) creative director tell me that real people could never portray the essence of a brand on camera like actors. Really? The people who actually experience the brand, benefit from the brand and pay money to engage with the brand can’t express the essence of the brand better than someone reading a script?
The truth is, using actors is the easy out when it comes to producing a commercial. Real people come with real flaws and real life schedules you have to work around. Real people don’t always feel comfortable in front of the camera or microphone. Real people just don’t know how to act.
Therein lies the real advantage of using real people in your marketing—the only thing they know how to portray is the truth. And in marketing, as in life, the truth shall set you free.