The Buzz Bin

A recent article on advertising techniques caught my eye. Touted as “The Five Creepiest Advertising Techniques“, the article points out what marketing and advertising firms are doing now (and will do in the future) to reach target audiences.

According to the article, the techniques are:

5. Tracking Every Site You Browse and Every Show You Watch

4. Custom-Made Shilling

3. Fusing Ads and Culture

2. Going Undercover

1. Getting In Your Head

People usually complain when they are bombarded with ads that aren’t relevant to them. But, where does the line get drawn between research and targeting audiences to just plain creepy?

Marketing is a fickle thing. You can be too pushy and loud, too quiet and reserved, or simply go after the wrong medium, people, etc.

How are smart marketers supposed to know the best ways to reach out to people amid different socio-economic backgrounds, gender roles, careers, and geographic locations?

It all comes down to balance.

Message. We know that we can’t control the message. So, make the message something that is simple and easy to propel through word of mouth marketing. For example, the “do the Dew” campaign easily translated into sports and video games based on the advertisements’ high levels of risky-behavior. People were able to immediately identify with the campaign and associate how the product fit into it.

Audience. Create a campaign that can work for a variety of groups. Keep a similar theme but develop different situations. Think of the MasterCard “priceless” commercials.

Research. Understanding your market is key. It doesn’t take a lot of creepy marketing techniques to find the right tactic. Consider the universal language of “dude” campaign from Bud Light. Targeted to the 18-34 year old male demographic, the ad was an immediate hit.

Keep these things in mind when developing a marketing campaign. Don’t go too far between extremes, and you won’t have to worry about resorting to creepy methods of research and outreach. In short, treat your marketing the way that you want to be treated. Think about what makes sense to you, and look at the bigger picture.