Missing the Target

We wade through a sea of advertising these days. Waves of the stuff crash in via post, newspapers, email, TV and many other channels. Most of it is not targeted at us as individuals, but the percentage of advertising that has been created specifically because of our past purchasing history is rising all the time. Amazon, for example have done this for years.

 

So it’s something of a jolt when a company sends out what you think would be a perfect opportunity for targeted advertising and gets it massively wrong.

 

Yesterday, for example, I got an email from Geni, an online genealogy service that I happen to be a member of:

"This Mother’s Day, give that special mom in your life a truly unique gift: a beautiful, framed poster of her family tree.

Because your family tree is already on Geni, sending a poster is a snap. Personalize her poster with your choice of designs and colors. Each includes up to five generations of relatives, and can be shipped directly to her".

Er, just one thing; my mother died in 2001…