One Boundary in Brand Content Creation: When Content Stops Feeling Real

By The Olivia
Independent Content Strategist for the China Market
This post is part of the “Content Strategy” series. Click here to view the series introduction and why it was created.

Recently, I came across a series of posts from a Chinese brand on Rednote.
The content used the brand’s mascot to play on jokes, written in a way that closely resembled real user posts. There were also other “real accounts” using mascots from different brands to join the interaction, and the comment sections were filled with replies like “this is so funny” and “such a good joke.”

From the content itself, these posts and interactions were difficult to read as something that came naturally from real users. They also made me feel a strong sense of discomfort.

Because they crossed a boundary I consider very clear:
brands should not create content by assuming consumers are less perceptive than they are.

One very noticeable difference is that real users tend to express themselves in a loose, unpolished way. Content that has gone through multiple rounds of review and revision by different people rarely retains that quality.

The discomfort caused by this type of brand content comes from a clearer realization while reading it: the content isn’t talking to me — it’s deciding my reaction for me.

When brands try to make something look like it was said by others, but the tone, timing, and interaction still feel carefully arranged, the problem becomes obvious.
People start to feel handled rather than engaged. And once that feeling appears, trust begins to wear down — quietly, but consistently.

That’s why, in brand content creation, assuming that audiences can’t tell what’s staged and what’s real crosses a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

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