People Tell the Story, AI Helps Sell the Story: Why Authentic Content Drives New Customers

Advertisers are constantly jockeying for every single second of our waking attention. It's estimated that the average person is exposed to as many as 5,000 paid advertisements every day—and in the social media era, that number is likely even higher. From the targeted ads that know what you left in your shopping cart to the hidden product placements, we are swimming in corporate advertising noise.

So, when it comes to breaking through this endless content, think about the types of recommendations you actually follow. They are most likely the ones that come directly from friends, family, or coworkers.

This same concept applies to your restaurant business. With loyal customers advocating for your business, the opportunity to attract new consumers is endless. Recent polling even shows that 84% of consumers say UGC is more likely to influence purchase¹. By using authentic, short-form video built from real moments, Scale Social is helping franchises and owner-operators grow without losing their local feel. It’s marketing that doesn’t just promote. It connects. 

The Problem: AI Content Can’t Taste Authenticity

Early on, we at Scale Social thought a simple idea could work: using AI to generate marketing content. We quickly realized that AI content, no matter how sophisticated, simply wouldn't cut it. Authentic experiences cannot be replicated.

Food is a connecting factor that brings people and communities together. It’s not about the product alone; it's about the moment. When founder Runbin Dong was working to deliver dumplings for his small business, he started receiving texts from customers saying things like, "Hey, we just got a new steamer," or, "Oh my gosh, our dumplings stuck to the pot. What did we do wrong?" These seemingly small, authentic moments—the questions, the struggles, the victories—were the most compelling content that later drove our growth.

When People Shine, Content Resonates

• People Want to See People: Over time, our team learned that the best-performing videos consistently showcased people, not products. Products are secondary. This was our "Aha!" moment: As human beings, we want to see other human beings having a great time. When they see a real customer enjoying themselves, it no longer seems like an ad. It’s more like, “Oh wow, they’re having a great time. I should be there.”

The Solution: Digital Word-of-Mouth, Scaled for Growth

Scale Social is the engine that spreads authentic, customer-generated content (CGC) into your advertising campaigns, driving real foot traffic and local growth. We empower your customers to be your best storytellers.

• Unpaid Means More Honesty: Real video and photo content shows actual customers enjoying themselves, unlike professional influencers with a script. Customer-created posts generate 8.5x more engagement than branded content.
• Accessible to Small Businesses: Who can afford to hire celebrities with thousands of followers? Not the local restaurants and franchisees we know. Instead of searching for an expensive regional influencer, turn your existing customers' delight and joy into viral videos that actually work.
• Simple, Immediate Incentives: Scale Social creates a seamless experience that encourages sharing. We focus on a simple offer: If you share your authentic experience with the brand, you get something in return right away. Imagine scanning a QR code, sharing a short video, and immediately receiving a free dessert. There's no catch. We want to maintain the integrity of that experience and make it frictionless.
• Authenticity, Automated: What does this look like? Customers upload their content, and our system filters for quality, good lighting, and authentic moments. Scale Social will splice together videos and add branded elements, transitions, and promo codes depending on the franchise’s needs. The result? Real people in real moments that consistently outperform highly produced ads.
• The Community Connection: Successful local businesses become an ingrained part of their community. Their customers identify with the brand, they recognize the hyperlocalization, and this transcends the mere transaction of buying a sandwich or a coffee. “Our guests see their friends in our Reels. They feel like it's their restaurant. We're a part of the community here.” This connection, once established, is hard to break.
  
  

Scale Social AI empowers your most loyal fans (who make up about 10-30% of your customer base) to create and upload their own content. We don't generate AI content. None of this is; it's their content, generated.

Ditch high-production ad campaigns, avoid costly, inauthentic influencers, and speak straight to the people.

Let's talk about how our AI-powered CGC marketing engine can push more repeat foot traffic into your restaurants.