level, so faking it definitely won't work, or
at least it won't work for long.
Nicole Jones, from Market Me Marketing
said not only are our lives played out on
social media, making it hard to maintain
a lie, it's easy to "Google' someone to
find out what's really going on. “A large
percent of the population has grown up
with blatant advertising and have learned
the tricks of the trade used to coerce us
into buying something, so we are a lot
savvier than before,” she said.
“However, the human brain still makes
decisions the way it has for generations, by
'gut instinct'. Using our memory and basing
decisions on emotive reasons, which is why
people can get 'sucked in' by fake personal
brands such as Belle Gibson.
“People connect
with authenticity.
When you present
as a ‘real’ person,
it makes people feel
comfortable."
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Women’s Network Magazine
“Belle appeared to be
totally open and honest,
sharing her cancer story
with the world, opening
up and being vulnerable.
Then sharing her
nutritional solution, which
had thousands following
her, soaking up her advice.
Until they discovered she
had created the entire
story.”
Yet, Nicole believes there
is a need to be human,
to be real, to be honest,
“Especially with our
personal brand, but the
fact remains, the brain
also cannot take its eyes off a train smash.
The natural attraction to gossip and drama
is what continues to sell magazines and
newspapers and it’s the same with social
media,” she said.
“Real-life, open and honest stories of
your struggles will get more clicks, more
interaction, more eyeballs. But if you are
faking that too, is it just click bait. It's not a
case of do you share the good with the bad,
more a question of balance and being real.”
For Nicole, the ultimate questions are
“are you projecting the reality of your
brand? How much is make