Authenticity in Marketing Strategies

The increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing raises critical questions about the authenticity of AI-generated campaigns compared to those created by humans. Grounded in the theory of authenticity, this study investigates the perceptions of authenticity, emotional resonance, trust, and loyalty in marketing campaigns produced by human marketers versus those generated by AI. The research employed an experimental design with two groups of participants—undergraduate and master's students—who were exposed to either an original Airbnb campaign or an AI-generated version created using Pictory and ChatGPT. A structured questionnaire was used to assess participants' responses to the campaigns. Results reveal that authenticity significantly influences trust in both campaign types, with a stronger effect in AI-generated campaigns. Emotional resonance played a critical role in shaping authenticity perceptions, particularly in human-created campaigns. However, trust did not directly correlate with loyalty in either group.