Nobody Famous in Private!

Have you ever found yourself bonding with a stranger over a movie or TV show you both loved? Chances are, it was something that was widely advertised and not just tailored to your individual preferences.

In today's world of personalized advertising, brands are focusing more and more on ultra-hyper-super-targeted campaigns to reach their desired audience. But, is this approach ignoring something pretty crucial about human nature?

Let's face it, the need for universal shared experiences has always been a part of our lives. Back in the day (Yes, I'm an older millennial), we all more-or-less watched the same movies, listened to the same music, watched the same TV shows, and we're exposed to the same advertisements. These universal experiences gave us something to talk about, exposed us to new ideas, and allowed us to discover new things. This is how some of the biggest brands in the world were built, like Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, and... heck, it could be your brand too!

Do you know what's really important to understand when it comes to advertising? The difference between society and a network:

• A society is made up of diverse people and content created for it is designed for someone, but also everyone.
• A network, on the other hand, is made up of like-minded people, and content created for it is designed only for you to see.

Brands can't grow if they don't advertise to society and only target their network.

But, the trend in digital advertising is to focus on reducing waste and only showing ads to people who are most likely to make a purchase. And that's all fine and dandy, but this approach can lead to a brand becoming invisible to the rest of society. If a brand wants to grow and become the next big thing, it needs to embrace some level of "waste" and invest in their potential future consumers. Percuma 'terkenal' kalau cuma di kalangan tertentu doang!

Just take the Super Bowl or Ramadhan for example, where brands pay billions to advertise during the game and maghrib time. Even though they know not everyone who watches will be interested in their products and become "non-target audience" waste, but the exposure to a wide audience and the universal shared experience is what makes it worth it. Just leave it to chance that those non-target audience will think about their brands FIRST by the time they ready to join as the consumers of the category.

So, here's the deal. Personalized advertising can be a valuable tool, but it shouldn't be the sole focus of a brand's advertising strategy. Brands should strive to reach a wider audience and create universal shared experiences that allow them to connect with people on a deeper level and build a stronger brand identity.

Hence, next time you see a widely advertised movie, TV show, or brand, just remember that it's the universal shared experience that has the power to build a successful brand.?

And if all else fails, at least you'll have something to bond over with strangers! ??