Why Every Ad Feels Like a TikTok, and Why That's a Problem
There’s a particular kind of ad doing the rounds in 2025 — let’s call it the Gen-Z-as-a-Service video. Shaky camera, off-the-cuff voiceover, ironic voice filters, and maybe someone spilling almond milk on their slippers. Every second brand seems to be knocking on the same creative door.
Here’s the thing. The first few were charming. Authentic, even. You felt like someone smuggled a phone into a brainstorm and emerged with a marketing moment. But now, every campaign is a theatre piece pretending not to be a theatre piece, and the audience is getting wise. We can spot a scripted ‘raw moment’ from three scrolls away.
It’s not just that advertisers are copying each other. It's that they're copying the platform, not the people. TikTok worked because it invited spontaneity, not because it had a particular style. Marketers have confused the medium with the magic. It’s like watching grown-ups crash a high school party and try to blend in with backward caps and slang from 2023.
There’s gold in authenticity, yes. But we need ideas that are honest without being formulaic. Why not let a swimwear brand tell a bold, poetic story using lo-fi animation? Or let a toothpaste company commission a five-minute paranoid thriller? The audience is more receptive than we think. They’re craving something real — and real doesn’t always mean raw footage from a phone in someone's flat.
Here’s the thing. The first few were charming. Authentic, even. You felt like someone smuggled a phone into a brainstorm and emerged with a marketing moment. But now, every campaign is a theatre piece pretending not to be a theatre piece, and the audience is getting wise. We can spot a scripted ‘raw moment’ from three scrolls away.
It’s not just that advertisers are copying each other. It's that they're copying the platform, not the people. TikTok worked because it invited spontaneity, not because it had a particular style. Marketers have confused the medium with the magic. It’s like watching grown-ups crash a high school party and try to blend in with backward caps and slang from 2023.
There’s gold in authenticity, yes. But we need ideas that are honest without being formulaic. Why not let a swimwear brand tell a bold, poetic story using lo-fi animation? Or let a toothpaste company commission a five-minute paranoid thriller? The audience is more receptive than we think. They’re craving something real — and real doesn’t always mean raw footage from a phone in someone's flat.