These words have been ingrained in me as an important lesson – not just in the work that we do, but in the life that we live.
Too often, we get briefs with a “target audience” that is, quite literally… everyone with a heartbeat. “All Australians,” “Everyone living in Australia,” “Every parent,” “Every Gen Z….
Sure, for broad awareness-driven campaigns, this might make sense. But just like we can’t be everything to everyone in life, we can’t create ideas that will appeal to everybody. And that’s okay – because the most powerful ideas don’t need to.
The Power of Relatability
Great ideas don’t need to be for everyone; they just need to mean everything to someone.
I was watching an episode of The Rookie on Netflix recently. In this particular episode, the police were trying to talk a woman out of jumping off a bridge while holding a newborn baby. She had tragically lost her two-month-old to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and, in an extreme case of postpartum depression, had taken a baby from a hospital.
Now, as a newborn parent myself, this hit different. We worry about everything. We have this helpless little human who depends on us for survival, comfort, nourishment, and love. And yet, despite doing everything right, there’s still this unrelenting fear of SIDS, this invisible threat lurking in the back of our minds.
The moment in the show when the police officer showed deep empathy, connecting with the mother’s pain and trying to bring her back, hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. As they slowly and calmly coaxed her into handing over the baby, and holding her gently (not grabbing her forcibly off the edge as usually portrayed…) Before I even knew what was happening, I burst into an immediate – albeit short-lived—cry.
Why? Because I felt it. It was real to me. It tapped into an emotion that lived deep within me.
System 1 vs System 2 Thinking
This reaction is a classic example of System 1 thinking, as outlined by Daniel Kahneman. System 1 is fast, intuitive, emotional. It’s what makes us react before we can rationalise why. It’s why I teared up before I even understood what triggered me.
Most advertising tries to live in System 2 thinking – the rational, logical, conscious part of the brain. This is where most product benefits and features sit. The problem? System 2 takes effort. It requires active processing. And most people just don’t care enough to engage with it unless they’ve already been emotionally hooked.
The best brands? They start with System 1. They create something that resonates so deeply with a core group of people that they don’t have to “convince” them – it just clicks.
A Lesson for Marketers:
Stop Trying to Be for Everyone
This is why strategic media targeting matters. Too often, brands and media agencies take the easy, lazy approach blanket coverage. They prioritise reach over relevance. But what’s the point of reaching everyone if you don’t connect with anyone?
Think about brands that get this right:
- Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” wasn’t about elite athletes. It was about the everyday person pushing themselves.
- Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” wasn’t about megapixels and camera specs. It was about real people capturing real moments.
- Dove’s “Real Beauty” wasn’t about generic beauty standards. It was about challenging them in a way that deeply resonated with real women.
None of these campaigns tried to be for everyone. They were laser-focused on the right people – the ones who needed to hear the message.
The Real Measure of Impact
We spend so much time measuring ad success in numbers i.e views, clicks, reach, impressions. But what about impact? The kind that shifts perception, builds advocacy, creates loyalty?
An ad that reaches 1 million people but means everything to just 10,000 of them will always be more powerful than an ad that reaches 10 million but is quickly forgotten by all.
So the next time you’re faced with the temptation to be “for everyone,” ask yourself:
What if, instead, you created something that meant everything to someone?
Because that’s how you make an impact. And in the long run, that’s how you build a brand people actually give a damn about.
💀 🖤
Cheers,
DANIEL JACOBS
http://www.thecreativestrategist.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denialjacobs/
Melbourne, Australia
THE CREATIVE STRATEGIST 