9 Figure Media Explains Why Brands Must Get Real in 2025
Brands are having a tough time right now. People are just... tired of being sold to. They can spot fake stuff from a mile away. And honestly? They're calling it out.
9 Figure Media has been watching this happen for months. Their data shows something pretty clear. Brands that drop the act and get real aren't just doing better. They're crushing it.
"Everything that worked two years ago is basically broken now," their creative director told me. "Those super polished campaigns? They're actually making things worse."
This isn't just about Instagram posts or TikTok videos. It's bigger than that. Companies need to rethink how they talk to people. Period.
And yeah, some brands are freaking out about it.
Nobody Wants to Be Sold To Anymore
Here's what's really happening. A publicist today has to deal with stuff that didn't exist before. What a publicist does has completely changed because people have changed.
Old school PR was all about control. Press releases, media kits, carefully written statements. But now? People want to see how the sausage is made.
What does a publicist do when their client's biggest strength is admitting they screwed up? It's weird, right? You're basically paid to make mistakes look intentional.
The numbers don't lie. Brands that share their failures get 40% more engagement. That's from 9 Figure Media's research. Here's the thing though. You can't fake being real. Either you are or you aren't.
Perfect Brands Are Boring
Think about the last brand that made you actually care. I bet it wasn't because everything looked perfect.
• Real stories beat stock photos every single timeÂ
• People want to see actual humans behind the brandÂ
• When you mess up and own it, people trust you moreÂ
• Behind-the-scenes stuff performs better than ads
A publicist working with big brands sees this shift immediately. What a publicist does now is finding those real moments and making them bigger without ruining them.
It's actually harder than old school PR. Anyone can write a press release. Finding genuine stories? That takes work.
"The best campaigns we ran this year all felt like conversations," 9 Figure Media's strategy person said. "Not ads."
The New Way to Talk
Forget everything you learned about corporate messaging. It doesn't work anymore. What does a publicist do when their client wants to sound human? They throw out all the corporate speak.
No more "leveraging synergies" or "driving growth through innovation." Real people don't talk like that. So why should brands?
The campaigns that work now sound like your friend texting you. That's not an accident. Here's what actually works:
• Saying "I don't know" when you don't knowÂ
• Showing the messy parts of your journeyÂ
• Taking criticism without making excusesÂ
• Letting your team be real people, not corporate robots
A publicist today spends more time teaching executives how to sound human than writing press releases. What a publicist does has expanded way beyond just media stuff.
The Weird Thing About Being Real
Here's where it gets tricky. The harder brands try to be authentic, the faker they seem. It's like trying to be spontaneous on a schedule. What does a publicist do when authenticity becomes just another marketing trick? They help brands avoid that trap.
The answer isn't more authenticity campaigns. It's building real practices into how you actually run your business. Some brands get it right. They share their supply chain problems. They talk about when employees are struggling. They admit when products don't work.
Others completely miss the point. They hire agencies to create "authentic" content that feels fake from the start. People can tell the difference. And it's costing brands serious money.
What Smart Brands Actually Do
9 Figure Media's best clients aren't following some playbooks. They're making their own rules.
A publicist working with these brands focuses on being consistent over being perfect. What a publicist does becomes less about fixing problems and more about amplifying real stuff.
These brands:
• Show how they make decisionsÂ
• Admit when they change their mindsÂ
• Talk about their values through what they do, not mission statementsÂ
• Let employees speak for themselves
What does a publicist do when their client's biggest asset is being vulnerable? They help turn that into a competitive advantage.
Here's What This Means for 2025
Being real isn't going anywhere. It's not a trend. It's the new normal.
A publicist today needs totally different skills than five years ago. What a publicist does now involves understanding people as much as understanding the media.
The brands that figure this out first will have a huge advantage. The ones that don't will keep wondering why their perfect campaigns fall flat.
What does a publicist do when the old rules are dead? They help brands write new ones. This shift isn't just changing marketing. It's changing how businesses work entirely. And that's probably good.
People are smarter than we think. They know when brands are being real and when they're just acting. The choice is simple: get real or get left behind.
A publicist's job in 2025 is helping brands make that choice. What a publicist does matters more now because the stakes are higher. The brands that embrace this won't just survive. They'll win. The ones that fight it will become examples of what not to do.
The future belongs to the real ones. Are you ready?














