The Rise of Raw Content: Authenticity and AI in Modern B2B Marketing

Perhaps you've seen the TikTok or the Instagram reel.

A scruffy critter is plunged snout-long in a teal bucket against a brick wall. All 10 of his hind toes cling to the metal rim as he scrabbles his front legs up the container’s interior wall until he’s fully upright, all four paws balanced atop the opening. He takes a beat to stretch, sniff the sky. So utterly sated is he after his triumphant water break.

This wily fellow is Bucket, an opossum who’s laid claim to the yard of marketer Melissa Kulesz and become her unlikely business mascot, amassing thousands of impressions across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok over the past few months.

“My gosh, he does some funny, hilarious things,” says Kulesz, founder of the marketing and messaging firm Make It Memorable. And she, in turn, uses that comedy gold to imbue her clients — primarily small business owners — with sage marketing wisdom.  

What is raw content in B2B marketing?

Bucket’s internet fame reflects twin trends that are arcing through today’s marketing skies: authenticity and a return to analog.

“Raw content in general is just resonating,” says Kulesz, describing promotional material that feels organic and unproduced rather than slick and polished. “It’s like, let’s just get back out to nature, breathe some air, get rid of the phones. I think it’s all interconnected.”

Why AI-generated content can weaken brand trust

Indeed, a recent spate of marketing reports shows a growing aversion to the artificial — even when it’s only perceived as such. In a study of 3,000 U.S. adults, nearly 50% found suspected AI content less trustworthy — even when the material was actually written by humans. Additionally, ads placed alongside AI-esque content saw a 14% drop in purchase consideration and willingness to pay a premium. Recent research from Forrester, Collabstr and Tracksuit backs up this finding that GenAI can make or break brand trust.

The need to fix what’s broken is especially urgent in B2B, where “buyers are sifting through an avalanche of AI-generated content that looks good on the surface but often misses the mark in substance,” writes Allyson Havener, CMO at buyer intelligence platform TrustRadius. “It’s overly polished, it lacks context, and it rarely reflects real-world use.”

How can marketers make raw content feel credible?

“Raw” content is just the latest incarnation of authenticity, a quality customers have prized since sponsored influencer posts replaced “glossy ads in a magazine and on billboards,” says Katie Fernands, a consultant in financial services and fintech marketing and former leader at Prudential Financial and U.S. Bank.

So instead of spending lots of time trying to conjure the aesthetic-du-jour, she suggests focusing on the more enduring buyer needs that underpin it: “Does our product make people happy? Does it do what it says? And do we stand behind it as a company and people?”

Kulesz echoes the call to go back to basics. Once you’re crystal clear on the problem you solve (and for whom), all the individual components of your content strategy can coalesce around this core, she explains. 

What content formats do B2B buyers trust most?

When it comes to the content formats that B2B buyers find most credible, Havener’s research points to third-party reviews from verified users, case studies spotlighting real customer outcomes and peer recommendations in communities they already frequent. 

Content can still be “corporate and polished,” Fernands says, and in a regulation-rich field like finance or surgery, she argues it should be. But it should also nod to the humans at the heart by, for example, giving a sneak peek behind the scenes of a big launch, filming (on a phone) a tour of the factory where your product is made, or having sales and recruiting staff post pictures of themselves at the conferences they attend.

“Create that reminder that there are people creating the content,” she advises.

When should marketers use AI in customer-facing content?

Also, ensure you’re choosing the right use cases — namely, ones that cultivate, rather than erode, trust. For example, an AI chatbot might be a great addition to your website if your customers are among the growing ranks of B2B buyers who don’t want to speak to a sales rep until they’re ready to write a check. In contrast, an ad with the hallmarks of GenAI could sour your reputation if you’re known for differentiated creative services, Fernands says. “Consumers don’t care if you use it, but what they do care about is the effort you put into what you’re doing.”

Aside from eroding trust, misguided use of AI can incur steep legal and financial penalties. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s 2024 rule, AI-generated reviews and testimonials are subject to fines of up to $51,744 per violation. Certain industries boast even stricter rules; financial services regulations, for example, dictate the need for human oversight when using GenAI in client-facing communications.

What AI content guardrails should marketing teams use?

“We want to move fast,” Fernands says. “But how do we do it responsibly so that people keep their jobs?”

Guardrails can help. She points to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s AI Transparency and Disclosure Framework. Released in January, this first-of-its-kind industry standard calls for companies to disclose their AI use when it could mislead consumers about authenticity, identity or representation.

How brand guidelines can keep AI content on message

In addition to external touchstones, internal tools like brand guidelines, policies and messaging frameworks can help “people know what good looks like,” and how to reach that bar, Fernands says. Rather than using GenAI content as-is, her team replaces generated images with paid versions from the company’s library. This step not only ensures the final product is distinctive and on-brand, but also that it doesn’t inadvertently violate IP rights. “You don’t want to be in that camp of getting sued,” she explains.

Consider documenting how images are chosen (and ideally paid for) and where they’re procured so there’s an audit trail, she advises. Someone should also be tasked with training team members on how to use AI tools “in a way that doesn’t get people in trouble.”

How AI governance helps scale better marketing content

Aside from keeping you on the right side of the law, implementing intentional infrastructure and guidance can also help scale AI adoption — and value — by radiating the knowledge of a domain or product expert to the wider organization. “I could basically create a scaffolding for everybody else to know everything I knew without talking to me because it was within the AI tool in context,” Fernands explains. “They could use it and generate content that was on message.”

But it’s important to note humans are still making that final call. “What I’ve found is, AI will guess if it doesn’t know,” Fernands says. “There needs to be a human in the loop to discern and curate and make a decision.”

It’s not about being anti-AI, says Kulesz, but about honoring “what cannot be replaced that’s human.”