I finally learned why audience targeting matters after a cringe-worthy flyer handout

Was promoting a new eco-friendly apartment complex at a farmers market. Handed out flyers to everyone passing by, no filter. Gave one to a guy who loudly declared he hated cities and lived in a van. Total silence from the crowd around us. Felt my face get hot. Now I segment my outreach based on lifestyle and interests first. Anyone else have a targeting fail that changed their approach?

5 comments

5 Comments

thomaspatel2h ago

Honestly, that farmer's market story is a perfect microcosm of how lazy marketing backfires. So many companies just spray and pray with their messaging, ignoring basic demographics like urban vs rural lifestyles. It creates unnecessary friction and wastes resources that could be used for actual engagement. We're drowning in generic ads because nobody bothers to segment anymore, and it's why people tune out almost everything.

karenmorgan1h ago

Yesterday, I saw a billboard for winter coats in Phoenix where it's 90 degrees. Tbh, that's the pinnacle of spray and pray marketing genius. It's like companies are competing to see who can waste the most money on irrelevant ads. Ngl, when they do manage to target me, it's usually for something I just bought, which feels equally pointless. The whole thing is a circus where the clowns are in charge of the budget. We're not just tuning out, we're actively annoyed into ignoring everything.

grant2092h ago

That hardware store newsletter story shows targeted done right!

the_beth33m ago

Wait but is lazy segmentation really why we're all tuning out? Like that winter coat billboard in Phoenix is hilariously bad, but most of us just scroll past generic ads without a second thought. The hardware store example is nice when it works, but I get equally annoyed by creepy accurate targeting after I buy something. Honestly the whole debate feels like we're overcomparing two flavors of noise pollution.

white.piper1h ago

Question if we're overstating the impact of targeted versus generic marketing. (Like, sure, bad segmentation is wasteful, but is it really why people tune out?) @thomaspatel has a point about spray and pray tactics, yet most consumers have become adept at ignoring anything irrelevant without a second thought. The constant barrage of content might be the core problem, not just the lack of precision. Over-targeting can feel just as invasive and noisy anyway.