The audience doesn't actually want the honest version

The audience doesn't actually want the honest version

Hot take: the brutal truth nobody says out loud — most users would click your 'misleading' angle and bounce off the 'compliant' one every single time. The polished honest creative dies in the auction. The audience votes with their thumb, and they vote for the hook.

We pretend deception is something done to consumers. Often it's something they reward. The clean ad that respects their intelligence gets ignored; the punchy overpromise gets the click.

You're not corrupting an innocent market. You're answering its demand.

Agree? Fight me in the comments.