You need 12 of everything

Something is desperately wrong in America - and it isn't just the white-wing whack jobs.

One of the problems is what I call Stupid Marketing. As the automation and data collection on information on consumer purchases has expanded, the system of marketing has gotten dumber.

Case in point. I am a woodworking hobbyist. So, I am likely to purchase specialized tools your average Harry Homeowner has no use for, and quite possibly has never heard of. The number of guys who have woodworking shops at home is fairly small (and shrinking due to the rapidly rising cost of materials) - sort of like the number of guys who make knives and swords on that TV show.

I made the mistake of buying a band saw a few years ago online. Something a well-equipped woodworker is going to probably have on his list of very useful tools to buy...about every 20-30 years or so. I have a 1950's vintage DeWalt radial arm saw I inherited that still works fine, I love.

Immediately after the purchase I was deluged for the next 6 months with ads to buy and saws. Now, I don't know of anyone who has ever decided to equip their home shop with 2 of those tools. So, they are trying to sell me something I have already bought. And probably won't but again for the life of the tool (see 20-30 years).

This heinous overselling continues across products. Sort of like deciding to shop another company for auto insurance will trigger 16,000 telemarketer calls. Some nefarious.

The collection of data in the cloud was supposed to make for smarter marketing...How did id dumb it down so far?