Audiences Are Increasingly Preferring Authentic And Relatable Models
The typical scenario for promotional projects, e.g., lifestyle photo shoots, with various types of brands requiring a family setting more often than not means that every member of the said setup would be a model that has been cast through individual casting calls, and actually has no relation to one another. Thus, these models are strangers to one another and have to put on a professional performance for a seeming family dynamic, which may be a tougher task for an aspiring kid model, as well as sometimes even adults. The artificial emotions of model “families” throughout advertising campaigns are not always delivering the results the particular brand hopes to achieve.
At the same time, general audiences are increasingly building scepticism towards the traditional ways of advertising. Instead, consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, are trying to make genuine connections with promotional materials, searching for authentic and relatable impressions for them. While it still has a place and time in various campaigns, it is undeniable that the highly artificial image of a family that has been used ever since the beginning of the 20th century just does not capture the audience as before.
By casting not only the kid model but also their parents and possibly other relatives, brands can work to create more believable content with a true chemistry between the models that brings their audiences just the right amount of genuine connection.
Real Families As Models Eases The Job For Casting Directors And Production Staff
The approach of bringing in a kid model’s whole family for the project is not only potentially appealing to the audience but also eases the production process. The micro-modeling specifics are the fact that especially children won’t be as experienced at interacting with strangers. It means that a considerable amount of the time will be spent for them to be able to convey authentic emotions when, for example, hugging the adult model who is a complete stranger to them at the time.
When the adult models involved in the production process are the child's parents or siblings, their natural chemistry is already set from day one. This means the production team can nearly forgo the phases of building the seeming family bond between the models and immediately move on further in the process.
It also allows casting directors to hit all marks on the social realities of families, as the kids' backgrounds may be as diverse as they come in 2026. As the related models are comfortable and realistic, it once again plays into what the audiences are searching for as well.
Social Media Has Played A Large Role In Influencing The Emergence Of This Trend
As there is more content available than ever, the audiences who have grown up immersed in the digital era have become very precise at flagging what they consider inauthentic content.
An overly polished, seemingly perfect family from a campaign is unlikely to truly appeal to the people who use TikTok or Instagram daily, as they will look for extra authentication, like, for example, behind-the-scenes information, that the respective campaign aligns with their values and interests beyond the primary message.
The ability for the audience to discover that the people in the ad are actually a real family may end up being the reason they decide on a purchase or other thing that the campaign prompts them to do. Statistics are relentless on this - nearly three-fourths of purchases made by Gen Z, and two-thirds for Millennials, are based on the product or marketing campaign’s ability to address their own personal value scale.
