Hunter Pulliam Hunter Pulliam

The Advertising Glut, Manufactured Authenticity, and Hyper-Segmentation: Not a Hate Piece on Labubus, Though I Do Hate Them.

It’s no secret that as a result of the current advertising glut, more companies are creating interactive activations - creating exclusivity by shifting marketing campaigns off screens and pages and into the real world. Content algorithms induce hyper-segmentation amongst marketable audiences, so users are exposed to precisely what they want to see when they want it, and typically they only see what they have trained their algorithm to provide. Because this new marketing space caters to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, ultra-individual preferences, the historically broad campaigns that appealed to multiple demographics are no longer as effective. Customers feel entitled to content that is catered directly to them, despite lower socialization in general between buyers and advertisers. Thus, brands create campaigns that are increasingly tactile, interactive, and unexpected in hopes of to continue shoving their way into those most valuable few square inches of pixelated real estate on the home screens of a target audience. 

A sponsored yoga class, designer towel spread at a resort hotel, or themed cotton candy cart with a logo emblazoned on the spun sugar puts the camera into the hands of the consumer and adds a level of interactivity that used to be absent from most luxury marketing. Even visually, product launches are shot with a grainy film camera and edited with a plastic overlay blending layer in Photoshop. PR lists are composed of influencers selected based on their niche rather than their follower count. In an increasingly digitized world, consumers subconsciously seek out raw, gritty, real interaction, whether this interaction is manufactured or not.   

A second tactic brands use to hack consumers is by riding the virality of social trends. Achieving virality as an advertisement disguised as authentic content is one of the only ways to “beat” the algorithm. A viral video can find its way onto the suggested feed of someone whose regular preferences might not align with the attributes of the video simply because of its virality. 

Ironically, this new wave of “weird” advertising has also increased the amount of physical activations and interactive experiences pushed by brands- specifically, luxury brands who struggle to create exclusive advertising within an increasingly accessible marketing playing field. 

Pop-ups or in-person brand activations actually capitalize on the current advertising glut by physically limiting the number of people who can interact with the experience- in person, of course (the activation will be shared all over social media, cultivating longing within the group on the “outs”). This scarcity is different from the forced scarcity with blind box junk items like Labubus or other mass-produced consumer candy. It says “our brand is for these super chic, trendy, present, balanced people who came to our pop-up, that same pop-up that was lovely and personable and fostered connection- although 99% of you will be viewing it through a screen. If you buy this product you will be super chic, trendy, present, and balanced, too”. Similar to a mirage in the desert, these experiences promise a refreshing break from manufactured advertisements that reduce so many users to a series of 1s and 0s. However, the closer you get, you realize most pop-ups are even more a product of consumerism than print media, burning expendable materials for a few days to generate content and create an illusion of real connection just to move on to the next trend when the first loses steam. 

I’m not sure what the solution to this bizarre, costly, and counterintuitive phenomena is. Certainly, brands will continue to realize that customers seek authentic connection and personal targeting (however unrealistic that may be) in an increasingly lonely and polarizing world. Hopefully, this is achieved not by recruiting influencers as artificial spokespersons for the brand but by employing creative creatives and writers who can find solutions that are sustainable and market-efficient.      

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