July 2025
Written by
Abbie Mason
E-commerce
Marketing strategy
Product launch
Tech
What Is Low-Fi Content and How Are Brands Embracing It?
Once upon a time, every social media asset needed to be glossy, graded, and edited to within an inch of its life. But in 2025? A shaky iPhone video with dodgy lighting might just outperform your polished £10k shoot.
Welcome to the age of low-fi content — scrappy, off-the-cuff, unfiltered posts that feel real because they are real.
If high-production content is theatre, low-fi is reality TV. And audiences are hooked.
So… what is low-fi content?
Low-fi (or lo-fi) stands for low-fidelity content — creative that’s intentionally unpolished, imperfect, and quickly produced, often using just a smartphone. Think front-facing camera monologues, behind-the-scenes snaps, or meme-style posts that feel like they came straight out of a group chat.
Unlike traditional brand assets, low-fi content isn’t about perfection. It’s about personality, relatability, and speed. It feels native to the platform, mirrors user behaviour, and — crucially — doesn’t scream “ad”.
It’s not about bad quality. It’s about believability.
This isn’t a return to bad lighting for the sake of it. It’s about strategic imperfection. Gen Z and younger Millennials are particularly attuned to overly staged or salesy content — and research backs this up. A 2023 Nielsen report found that content that feels authentic is more likely to drive trust and engagement, especially among younger audiences.
And according to Hootsuite’s 2024 Social Media Trends, brands embracing raw, in-the-moment content are outperforming those relying solely on studio shoots.
Why is low-fi content trending now?
Here’s what’s driving the shift:
Platform culture has changed: TikTok, BeReal, and even Instagram Reels have normalised spontaneous content. What used to be a blooper is now the main event.
People trust people more than brands: According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing Report, 92% of consumers trust influencer or peer content more than branded messages.
It’s agile: You don’t need a studio setup. When a trend hits, you can respond in hours, not weeks.
It performs better in ads: Meta data shows that native, lo-fi-style creative often outperforms polished ads in terms of click-through rate and ROAS.
Examples of low-fi content that worked
Duolingo on TikTok: The brand’s chaotic mascot-led TikToks are pure low-fi brilliance — filmed on a phone, edited with free tools, and loved by millions.
Ryanair: With over 2M followers, Ryanair’s lo-fi TikTok strategy has made it one of the most recognisable brand accounts on the platform.
Gymshark: Their changing room–style UGC-driven ads frequently outperform polished brand campaigns in engagement and relatability.
When should you use low-fi content?
Low-fi isn’t a replacement for polished campaigns — it’s a complement. At La La, we use a dual-track strategy: glossy content builds brand; low-fi content builds connection.
You should go low-fi when:
You want to jump on a trend fast
You’re showing behind-the-scenes or real people
You want to test a new message or product before scaling
You’re targeting a Gen Z audience
You’re running ads that need to blend in with UGC
Our take: low-fi is the new high-performance
In 2025, scrappy is smart. Brands that wait for perfect production are missing moments. If it’s authentic, clear, and on-brand — it’s good enough. Probably better. At La La, we help clients build multi-format content strategies that mix polished visuals with lo-fi moments that actually land. If you’re not already building a low-fi layer into your content plans, you’re leaving reach — and relevance — on the table. Want help building a low-fi content strategy that doesn’t compromise your brand? Let’s talk. We’ll bring the camera — or just a phone.