Messaging attempts to appeal to too many audiences simultaneously.
Marketing that tries to speak to everyone ends up resonating with no one. Every campaign needs a single primary audience — defined before creative, copy, or targeting decisions are made.
Hopkins: "Don't think of people in the mass. That gives you a blurred view. Think of a typical individual." Ogilvy's definition of positioning, "what the product does, and who it is for," puts the audience inside the definition.
• Generic messaging
• Multiple personas on one page
• Broad ad targeting
Owned — Homepage speaks to multiple personas simultaneously.
Earned — Social posts try to appeal to different audiences in the same feed.
Paid — Broad targeting with generic creative.
Analytics — Reports blend incompatible audience segments.
AI — AI prompts are vague, producing bland output.
• Choose a primary audience per campaign
• Segment aggressively
