Advertisers Copy Success of Reality Television With Reality Advertising

Like lemmings plodding along to their death, advertisers have glommed onto the successful reality television trend by copying the idea and using it in their advertising strategy. Levis is doing it by soliciting "real people" to appear in their ads. Yahoo did it by crafting a campaign surrounding the selection of the best IM conversation with the losers getting voted of Survivor-style. And the New York Department of Health and the American Legacy Foundation did it in a campaign that followed a guy around as he tried to quit smoking.

Not that this trend is all that new but if done well, it is refreshingly different and a more honest, perhaps, approach to reach consumers who are intensely marketing savvy. It still boils down to a simple reality though, In advertising that uses "real people" or is created by "real people," they're still getting paid to say what they say in the ad. Is there such a thing as un-biased reality advertising? Is it more honest than "regular advertising? What are your thoughts?