The problem with the marketing/advertising industry’s penchant for militaristic language isn’t just a matter of semantics. Because when most of the metaphors we employ indicate we see ourselves as being at war with the consumer, how can that help but color our entire relationship with this audience?
Take the term “targeting”. Usually when you target something you do so a) from a safe distance, b) with a high-impact projectile and c) hoping you will strike the unsuspecting object rendering it incapable of resisting your will. Certainly an unusual path to “customer relationship management”, but I’ll save that for another day.
What got me thinking about this was an article in The Wall Street Journal that, quite by accident I think, made exactly the point I’m trying to make.
The article was about how some magazine advertisers are now adapting their ads to reflect the varying interests of the readers of different magazines. The article cites Grand Marnier, as an example, which built an ad it ran in Gourmet around an article in the magazine that prompted a lot of controversy. Diet Sprite and Allstate are also mentioned with the overall thrust of the article being that these advertisers are being forced to target their ads more precisely to overcome the allure of other highly targeted media such as cable TV and web sites.
But hang on a second, for all this talk of “targeting” what do you suppose the headline on the article was? It read: “Speaking Up Through Bespoke Ads.” Yes, “bespoke”, as in Seville Row custom-tailored clothing. “Tailored” because that exactly what these ads are. Tailored to their specific audiences. Not a new technique, I might add, but certainly a smart one.
Okay, “tailored”, “targeted” what the big deal, aren’t they more or less the same thing? I don’t think so. When we tailor something, a suit or a message, we try to make it fit the customer. Whereas when we target someone with a message, we’re clearly trying to hit them with it. So that’s my question to the marketing Field Marshalls of today: Would you prefer your advertising to hit people or fit people?
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