Lo-Fi Content Isn’t Lazy. It’s Strategy. Just Ask Armor All.

Let’s be honest: there was a time when social media content looked like a catalog. Shiny cars. Perfect smiles. Staged product placement. Every bottle label facing the camera. And for a while, that worked. Polished, commercial-style photography helped Armor All maintain consistency and deliver a premium look across platforms like Instagram and Facebook. But with a new content strategist (hi, it's me, Elise!) heading into 2023, we knew something had to change. Social media was shifting, and audiences were craving more authenticity. They wanted actual, relatable, messy, UGC-style, lo-fi content.

So we changed.

As Armor All’s longtime social media partner, we’ve always understood the heart of their brand: make car care easy, make it satisfying, and don’t take it too seriously. That ethos is what powers their tagline Less Work. More Clean. and it’s what pushed us to evolve our entire content strategy to match.

Spoiler alert: it worked.

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From staged to social

Before the shift, Armor All’s feed was filled with crisp, clean, e-comm-style visuals. Think: hero shots with product front and center, washing pristine cars in curated driveways, and smiling actors enjoying every second of their car care day. And while that served a purpose (especially for retailer sites and brand consistency), it wasn’t the kind of content that stopped thumbs or earned engagement.

Enter the new content era. We started asking a new question: what if Armor All’s content looked like something a car lover might actually post themselves?

We pivoted to a more lo-fi, social approach. That meant less emphasis on talent and faces, more focus on the satisfying process of cleaning. Less wide shots with perfectly placed products, more wacky-angled shots of messy sprays and dirty tires. We leaned into quick cuts, foamy close-ups, dirty tires, action sprays, and messy wipes.

The result? Content that felt more relatable and engaging, while still staying true to the Armor All voice and brand.

Lo-fi does not mean low effort

Let’s clear something up: going lo-fi doesn’t mean we stopped caring about quality. It just means we started defining quality differently.

Instead of staging a full set with lights, gear, and a crew, we stayed lean on set. We gravitated toward simplicity using the (incredibly well-made) iPhone camera to capture social-friendly Reels, while still pulling out the DSLR and lights when it made sense. We also got scrappy with things like a waterproof phone case for car wash shots, a tiny mic for ASMR, and a creative mindset that let us move fast without sacrificing intention. Essentially shifting to a full lo-fi content strategy at the production level.

We prioritized:

• Agility: We could pivot with the platform, not against it. That meant faster shoot days, less overthinking, and content ready to ride the trends.

• Authenticity: We avoided over-polished scenes in favor of footage that felt user-generated

• Approachability: Instead of full-body talent, we showed real hands using real products, in real settings.

Even the imperfections, like dropping a hose or greasy hands, made content feel more believable, in the best way.

Less faces, more places

One of the more surprising changes? We started showing fewer people.

It turns out, faceless content (think hands applying Tire Foam or diving into a sudsy bucket) is more universal. It invites the viewer to imagine themselves in the moment. It also happens to convert better.

People didn’t need to see someone smiling at the camera while applying glass cleaner. They wanted to see that the product actually worked.

But there’s more room for the imagination here, too. A faceless video of Tire Shine being applied? It could be your average 50-year-old dad, scrubbing down the driveway on a Saturday. Or it could be Armor All’s R&D expert, giving you the step-by-step on application techniques.

That ambiguity lets us tell multiple stories at once. Less about who’s in the frame. More about what the product can do, and how easy it is to use.

Refining strategy

Our content shift didn’t stop at the visual style. We also refined our social strategy, making sure Armor All stayed relevant and responsive.

We kept things appealing and approachable:

• Reels: Fast cuts, impressive before and afters, trending audio, and fun trends.

• Seasonal relevance + car culture tie-ins: From summer road trips to back-to-school cleanup, holiday gifting, and mandatory content capture at SEMA every year for "car guy" content.

• Dynamic static content: Even in photo posts, we added more action and mess, so a carousel never just sits there.

• Two-way engagement: We don’t just post and ghost, we reply. Quickly. Thoughtfully. Whether it’s a rave review or a frustrated comment, we’re in the mix. Just like our content became more approachable and human, so did our voice.

Because we manage it all from strategy and production to posting and community management, we’re able to pivot quickly and try new things.

What the data (and the comments) told us

You can’t build a social strategy on vibes alone. Luckily, our lo-fi pivot came with a growth in performance too:

• Reels saw stronger reach and engagement, particularly when featuring ASMR moments or dramatic before-and-afters.

• Posts with minimal or no talent outperformed highly staged imagery in saves and shares

• Social listening revealed stronger positive sentiment toward the voice coming from social - with negative commenters even appreciating that fact that we listened and responded.

Want lo-fi content that feels effortless but works overtime?

Lo-fi doesn’t mean lazy. And going “real” doesn’t mean winging it. For us, this shift was about meeting people where they scroll. We ditched the overly polished aesthetic in favor of content that feels native to social media: Relatable, process-driven, and focused on the kind of satisfying payoff that makes even car care fun to watch.

Our partnership with Armor All proves that you don’t have to choose between quality and authenticity. With the right strategy and the right team behind the camera, you can absolutely have both. Because here’s the truth: social media has changed. What worked six months ago? Already outdated. Posting without intention? That’s a one-way ticket to unfollows.

This is where we shine. We don’t just make social content, we build the system behind it. One that turns likes into loyalty, foam into follows, and Reel views into actual results.

If you’re ready to make content that feels real and works hard, let’s talk. Before the algorithm changes its mind again (but either way, we'll be ready).

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Wondering if lo-fi is just right for your brand? Let's talk. Lure Digital is an award-winning video marketing agency in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles dedicated to creatively connecting people to your brand.