There’s a famous meme: someone bought a toilet seat on Amazon. The next few times they visited the site, Amazon was recommending more toilet seats.
The joke was basically: “Do they think I’m some kind of toilet seat enthusiast?”
Last week, I had my own version of that experience. I was playing backgammon on my phone when an ad popped up… for another backgammon game. Not a strategy game or a puzzle game. Not even a general gaming app. Just a direct competitor to the exact thing I was already using.
It was funny for a second, but it also perfectly captured one of the biggest problems in digital advertising today: too many campaigns confuse overlap with intent.
Data Is Not the Same as Understanding
Modern advertising platforms are incredibly good at gathering data. They know:
- What people search for
- Which apps they use
- Which videos they watch
- What content they engage with
- Which products they buy
But data alone doesn’t equal understanding.
Buying a toilet seat one time does not mean someone is passionate about toilet seats. And playing backgammon doesn’t mean someone is eager for another backgammon app.
Yet this kind of targeting happens constantly, because many advertising systems rely heavily on behavioral signals without context. The algorithm sees category overlap and assumes opportunity; good marketing requires more nuance than that.
The Difference Between Related and Relevant
A lot of digital campaigns are technically targeted. But that doesn’t mean they are strategically targeted. There is a huge difference between someone who:
- Has interacted with a category
- Is actively looking for a solution
- Is ready to make a decision
Those are completely different audiences.
The backgammon ad probably checked all the right technical boxes. The user:
- Likes games
- Engages with backgammon
- Spends time in gaming apps
But strategically, it missed the mark. I was already occupied, had a preferred app, and there was no compelling reason to switch. The ad was related to my interests, but it wasn’t relevant to my situation.
Why Businesses Waste So Much Ad Spend
One big marketing misconception is that targeting is simply about selecting:
- Interests
- Demographics
- Locations
- Keywords
- Devices
Those things matter, but effective targeting is really about understanding intent.
What problem is the customer trying to solve? Where are they in the buying process? What motivates them to act? What information do they need right now?
Without those answers, businesses often end up paying to reach audiences that look correct on paper but rarely convert in practice.
The Problem With “Smart” Advertising
Smart campaigns, smart audiences, smart bidding, smart recommendations. Advertising platforms love the word “smart.”
And to be fair, automation has improved dramatically over the years. But algorithms are designed to identify probabilities based on behavior. That can work well sometimes, but other times, it leads to situations where:
- Someone buys a product once and gets ads for it for the next six months
- Existing customers keep getting acquisition ads
- People see promotions for products they already own
- Competitors advertise to users who are already fully engaged elsewhere
The technology is powerful, but not automatically strategic. And that means human insight still matters.
Good Marketing is Timely
The best advertising feels relevant. It shows up at the right moment, addresses a current problem, and connects with an actual need. Strong marketing strategy focuses less on broad assumptions and more on buyer intent.
For example:
- Someone researching sleep issues may be far more valuable to a sleep clinic than someone casually browsing wellness content
- A homeowner searching for EV panel upgrades is likely closer to action than someone simply interested in electric vehicles
- A business planning a corporate event is a stronger catering lead than someone who just enjoys food content online
Intent almost always outperforms surface-level interest.
Strategy Still Matters
Digital advertising platforms have become incredibly sophisticated, but no algorithm can fully replace thoughtful strategy. Businesses still need:
- Audience research
- Messaging alignment
- Funnel awareness
- Creative testing
- Conversion analysis
- Ongoing optimization
Because reaching people is easy. Reaching the right people, at the right time, with the right message is what actually drives results.
Relevance Beats Reach
The funny thing about that backgammon ad is that it probably worked exactly the way the platform intended. The targeting system saw a backgammon player and served a backgammon ad. Mission accomplished!
Except it completely ignored context, timing, and actual intent. And that’s the challenge businesses face with modern advertising.
Data is powerful, and automation is useful. But neither one automatically guarantees relevance.
Good marketing doesn’t find people who could be interested. It’s about understanding who is most likely to care right now.
