I see your point, but from a
marketing perspective (gotta put my degree to use) - they're not trying to appeal to people who are already in the movement and ready to put in hard work. They're appealing to people who have never heard of permiculture, who need a prospect of 'paradise' to even get them
considering stepping off the beaten path, for a moment.
A dreamy, utopia-like homestead run by two individuals who breeze over the hard work and spend all day cuddling animals- that's a very effective first touch to say "Hey, check out this amazing, wonderful thing. Look how lovely it is. Look how happy these people are" - It is a simple and effective first-touch message.
Your first-touch message HAS to be simple, to reach the largest amount of people.
It's why companies have slogans: "Have it your way." "Red Robin: Yum." "Finger-Lickin' good" "Eat Fresh"
They don't even describe what kind of food they
sell - only that it's food, and it's good, so come check it out. You can learn about the exact contents & the price to pay /later/.
Many people will never look beyond that dreamy first video they see, because even that sort of 'paradise' that is outside the city/suburbs is still too much of a step for them.
But with a broad and simple message,
more people are likely to pause for a moment and think 'That sounds nice' and actually shift their momentum away from everyday routines and into exploring a new option - into imagining something different. Just like flowing
water, the hardest part of changing someone's mind is to move their momentum away from the rut that they already accepted as 'the way things are and will ALWAYS BE'.
If you can, for a moment, get them to imagine that there is an actual possible life outside their current reality, and get them to /believe/ for a moment, that it's real and possible.... that's literally the hardest part of making any sale.
Getting them to buy into it, seeing the pros and cons and hard work- evaluating their worth ethic and finances - that all comes much later.
That's the realm of 'Proving' it works, which can only happen when people are already engaged enough to stop and ask questions and listen to answers. Other videos can do that - and other youtubers ARE doing that.
But the mass majority of people living their lives will walk past 'proof' videos without a glance. Hard work and mucking around, no thanks. Benefits don't matter when the 'cons' are stacked up-front. When you're not already invested in the end product, any extra hard work or extra cost is a turn-off.
To get them to even consider changing their lifestyle as an option, you first need to get them to pause. To pique curiosity. To build a story and get them
hoping it's real - Before that sliver of hope exists, they aren't even a 'potential customer'. They're just passerby who don't give a shit.
Dreamy videos like this, while not educational to someone who has already invested themselves into following a permiculture way of life, is extremely valuable for the movement as a whole, because it's very appealing to get many people who have never heard of permiculture or restorative agriculture, or intentional communities or
sustainable water &
land management to /pause/, just for a moment, and wonder 'Can I do this, too?'
With high-value items, you put your cost at the bottom of the ad, or you don't include it at all - let them fall in love with the idea it - let them dream of having that ideal in their life. Let THEM ask for the cost , already hoping its within their means.
In our case, the 'cost' is a LOT of physical and mental work, blood, sweat and tears, and accepting that you're going to view the entire world
differently than many of your peers. It's a big ask. A very big 'cost'.
We don't want to scare them away right off the bat
--
Plus, we're not necessarily trying to make everyone /Homestead/ - we just want them to learn about permiculture, and apply it in their own life. Hopefully shift toward global sustainability. None of that requires making 100% of your life-supporting income... or ANY of it, off of permiculture precepts. I know I don't make a dang cent off of the work I do on the land. It just brings me joy, and the satisfaction of bettering my
local environment.
Convincing people that the joy of seeing positive change is enough, without worrying about earning money off the land - that's also a big success,
imo. That's work put in, without '
profit' expected. No worry of the person saying 'Well I cant live off this, so Ill abandon it completely and go back to traditional ag.'
It's making an emotional/psychological impact - not just a profit-motive.