Pokemon, Adverts & Intent Data

Hello, and welcome to Gin with Gwynne! I’m Oliver Gwynne, your guide to the unfiltered intersection of marketing, data, and philosophy. This week’s ramble covers Pokémon, advertising, and intent data. Now, I know it and, you know it, you probably clicked for the Pokémon, but stick around for the data musings, you might just find it interesting.

The Algorithm & Ads

Let’s start with a confession: I’m a weirdo when it comes to ads. Most people curse the internet gods for every pop-up, autoplay video, or relentless retargeting banner. Not me. As someone with a lengthy marketing background, I find ads fascinating. I’m always dissecting them, analysing the algorithm behind them, trying to decipher why this product is being peddled to me. It’s like reverse-engineering a magic trick, except the magician is an algorithm and the rabbit is a pair of socks I didn’t know I needed.

Most of the time, though, these ads miss the mark. I’ll get served products so irrelevant to my life that I’m convinced the algorithm’s logic is akin to throwing darts at a board. Maybe it’s basing its decisions on my neighbour’s searches? Maybe it’s pulling from some obscure corner of the internet where I accidentally clicked “accept cookies”? Either way, the experience is often hilariously off-base.

But every once in a while, the advertising stars align. Recently, that happened in the unlikeliest of ways: Pokémon.

Let me paint the scene. My god-kid had gotten into Pokémon, and wanted to play with me, and so, I started searching for Pokémon packs online, hoping to find the most cards possible for the least amount of money. That’s when the ads started to get interesting. Suddenly, every banner, sponsored post, and sidebar ad was Pokémon-related. Booster packs, themed decks, card sleeves, playmats—they flooded my feed. For once, I felt like the algorithm got me. These were products I was genuinely interested in.

The ads weren’t just accurate—they were also nuanced. They seemed to recognise that I wasn’t an 11-year-old building a collection on pocket money but an adult with disposable income. The Pokémon-themed merchandise I was shown skewed higher-end, catering to someone willing to splurge on a hobby.

The Folly Of Intent Data

This got me thinking about intent data. Last year it seemed as if every SaaS tool had suddenly stumbled upon intent Data as a way to get sales, and this was something I was very vocally against. I believe that human behaviour is difficult to understand, especially for any "one-size-fits-all" algorithms and so believed that these providers were promising something they could never deliver. And, i seem to have been correct as they all went pretty quiet on the subject!

The idea of intent data seems simple: by analysing someone’s online behavior, you can predict their purchasing intent and target them with relevant ads. Intent data often fails because it oversimplifies human behavior. Purchasing patterns are erratic. One day I’m researching billboard advertising for a client; the next, I’m googling the nutritional value of nachos (don’t judge). From an outsider’s perspective, my digital footprint must look like a jumble of random clicks and contradictory interests. And guess what? That’s true for most people. Life isn’t a neatly categorised sales funnel.

Where you have first-party data related to your website, app etc- you normally have solid intent data at the bottom of your funnel. But sadly this doesn't relate to third-party advertising platforms. They sell intent data as if it’s a crystal ball. “We know what your customers want before they do!” they claim. But in reality, the data they’re working with is usually incomplete, inconsistent, or both. So how can they optimise their algorithm better?

My second 'Gin With Gwynne' was all about Category data trumping product. I think the answer here is the same. As an example I was on facebook one lunchtime, and clicked on an advert for digital billboards. This was relevant to some research for a client, but not something I personally would buy. I'm then hit with several similar businesses for days afterwards. That one click triggered a cascade of irrelevant ads, leading to wasted impressions and frustrated advertisers. The smarter approach would be to look for repeated patterns—multiple clicks in a specific category, longer site visits, or even conversions. Repeated interest at category level would help to optimise ads.

Now, you might be thinking that advertisers don't really care, they will work with whatever data they have, serve those ads with low thresholds. Charge the client regardless of results. There's only 4 marketing channels so you'll have to them anyway sooner or later. But the truth is that an increasing number of people have ad blockers. Every single marketers I speak to is fed up of price hokes on search words and there are plenty of other much cheaper ways to get your brand out there. So, advertisers be warned, improve that algorithm or start worrying about your irrelevancy.

A Small Rant About Pokemon

Let’s circle back to Pokémon for a moment.

When I decided to buy some Pokémon cards, I quickly realised I didn’t recognise any of the creatures anymore. This was a franchise I grew up with, and now? It feels like I don’t know it at all.

Take Klefki, for example. It’s literally a floating set of keys. Can you imagine playing Pokémon and suddenly declaring, “Oh no, I’m under attack by... a pair of keys”? It’s absurd,easily one of the laziest designs I’ve ever seen.

And then there’s another one—I can’t even recall its name—but it’s some kind of wolf-knight hybrid carrying a sword in its mouth. Seriously, how is that supposed to work? It’s not like the thing can stand up and swing the sword; it just holds it in its teeth. Imagine the neck strain!

Honestly, it feels like the creativity behind Pokémon designs has taken a nosedive. Don’t get me wrong—when I was a kid, we had some bizarre creatures too. Gastly? Literally a ball of gas. Voltorb? A glorified Pokéball with eyes. Exeggcute? Just a bunch of eggs with faces. Come on, Pokémon designers—you’re getting paid for this! Where’s the spark?

It's funny sometimes how things we like as children manifest themselves as we grow up. My childhood favourite was Eevee. As an adult, I see a bit of Eevee in my own pet rabbit, Coco, who has the same adorable, wide-eyed energy.

We all know that linkedin is a very serious platform for very serious business matters and so, here’s my parting question: What’s your favourite Pokémon?