Erika Leone knows when a brand is faking it. As EVP of Integrated Marketing at Raptive, she’s spent years helping companies tell visual stories that actually connect. In this conversation, she breaks down what authenticity really looks like in marketing today — and why the most impactful content isn’t over-curated, over-filtered, or trying too hard.

We also asked her to curate a collection of licensable images from The Luupe’s marketplace that capture the honesty, imperfection, and emotional punch that real brand storytelling needs right now. Check it out →

Cover photo by Jena Cumbo • License it on The Luupe

The Luupe: “Authenticity” is everywhere right now. What does it actually mean to you?
Erika Leone: Honestly, I’ve been thinking about how authenticity gets thrown around a lot—but at its core, it’s about being intentional. You can feel when something is coming from a true place. It doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be honest.

The Luupe: What feels most real to you lately — in your own work, or what you're seeing from brands?
Leone: The most real thing I see right now is brands showing the messy middle—the work-in-progress, the imperfection, the behind-the-scenes. It’s something I always encourage and celebrate because it brings your fans and community closer. There’s a vulnerability in showing up that way, and it builds the kind of trust brands can’t fake.

The Luupe: How do you know when something is authentic enough — and when it's trying too hard?
Leone: You can feel it. If a campaign over-explains or over-stylizes “relatability,” it probably misses the mark. True authenticity has restraint—it doesn’t yell “Look how real we are!” It lets the work speak. Many times, the most “authentic” moments are the quiet ones: someone in their element, a photo that feels lived-in, a detail that only someone who’s been there would include.

The Luupe: AI can generate a decent image in seconds. Why should brands still hire human photographers?
Leone: Because decent isn’t the goal. Impact is. Human photographers bring context, emotion, and lived experience—things you can’t replicate with an algorithm. The best creators know how to find the shot between the shots—the ones that make you stop scrolling, the ones that feel like memory. That kind of creative instinct can’t be automated.

The Luupe: What’s one piece of advice about “being authentic” that you think totally misses the mark?
Leone: “Just be yourself”—it sounds great until you realize it often ignores power, context, and audience. Authenticity doesn’t mean oversharing or being unfiltered for the sake of it. It’s about showing up with clarity and purpose. The best brands—know how to be true to themselves and intentional about how they show up.

The Luupe: We’ve all seen those tired, overused stock images. What’s your gut reaction when you spot them?
Leone: My gut reaction is: missed opportunity. There’s so much incredible, diverse creator talent out there and relying on generic stock feels like a cop-out. People are craving specificity, not sameness. If your visuals don’t reflect the nuance of your message or your audience, why are you using them?

The Luupe: Gen Z can spot fake authenticity from a mile away. How are smart brands adapting?
Leone: Smart brands are co-creating with real people, not just targeting them. They’re moving from “talking at” to “building with.” Gen Z doesn’t want perfection—they want alignment. They care if your values match your visuals. They are more skeptical than older generations. The brands that win their trust are the ones that listen more than they broadcast.

The Luupe: What’s a visual content mistake even the most polished brands still make?
Leone: Over-curating. There's this instinct to make everything too clean, too color-corrected, too on-brand (I know that may sound strange coming from me!)—and in doing so, they scrub out all the character. Sophisticated doesn’t have to mean sterile. Some of the most effective visual storytelling comes from knowing when to leave the edges in.

The Luupe: Will AI ever replace the need for human creativity in marketing?
Leone: Not even close. AI will—and already does—enhance how we all work, but it will never replace why we create. The heart of marketing is connection, and that comes from human insight, emotion, and culture. Tools will change, but the value of human perspective—especially from diverse, independent creators—is only going up.