I’m Every Marketer’s Worst Nightmare

Matt Rohland
August 6, 2010 | COMMENTS

I'm a 24 year old college graduate who grew up overexposed to advertising. No matter how punchy a Direct Mail piece is, I instantly dump it in a recycling bin conveniently placed below the mailboxes at my apartment complex. When I'm watching TV, I consistently switch to PBS the second commercials hit, and when the radio turns to commercials I shuffle through my six presets looking for music (the Classical Station never fails). While browsing the web I run an add-on called AdBlock that strips every site of all its advertisement banners. I don't do this because I hate all advertising. I even design ads for a living. I do this because it's easier than sorting through the polluted pile of BADvertisements for something appealing.

So who gets through to people like me?

1. Hulu.com (a site for watching TV shows online) shoves one advertisement in every commercial slot. Because I appreciate Hulu's service and one commercial is not long enough for me to accomplish anything, I gladly endure it.

2. Pandora.com throws one ad on the side and gives me free music, so I let them keep their one ad.

3. If there's an interesting magazine article adjacent to an interesting ad – I'll read it. Chances are if I'm just thumbing through the magazine and don't find an interesting article I won't pay any attention to the ad – unless a hamster is taking a mini-chainsaw to the plastic groom atop a wedding cake or something of equal hilarity.

The only ads that seem to get through to me are single ads not lost amongst the clutter. Even those that do get through are usually disregarded as generic, insulting to my intelligence (and I'm not that smart) or poorly executed. The handful of ads that do speak to me are all witty, simple and entirely unique. I find ads that sell a personality rather than a product far more effective. If I connect to the brand/personality of a company I'll buy their products.

Am I the majority of your targeted audience? Probably not, but I am a credit union member and I have friends just like me who find the fundamental idea of a credit union appealing. The question is – does your current marketing reach people like me?

Matt Rohland is the Chief Web Developer at iDiz Incorporated, a marketing firm that works with credit unions. Contact him at 317.576.0602 or matt @idizinc.com. Reprinted with permission.