Can We Learn From a Bombed Standup Set?
Intentionality Matters
When I was in Chicago with my brother and a family friend we visited the Laugh Factory. The MC came out and got the vibe right.
Then the first comedian came out.
At one point he was talking about his troubles at work. Before you could adjust, he was deeply in the middle of a joke about his sex life, sparring no detail. Then, he was polling the room about their favorite Chicago eateries.
This made everyone in the room uncomfortable. What was he going to do next?
One morning when I was going for a run, a car slowly pulled up behind me. Was this it for me? Am I going to be kidnapped… Then, all of a sudden, they put their blinker on. What a relief, they were waiting for me to cross the street before they turned.
Criminals don’t use blinkers.
Intentionality matters
Telegraph your moves.
Seth Godin released a podcast on 8/21/24 about a similar topic.
He discussed privacy. The main problem with ‘privacy’ is that people don’t like to be surprised.
Should it be okay for our data to be sold? When our data is sold, products are less expensive and experiences are more targeted. We like and understand that.
When does it become too much? Seth Godin says it’s too much when we are surprised.
Where do we draw the line as advertisers?
Consumers realize that targeting is a necessary evil.
You can get as hyper-targeted as the consumer will allow.
In its easiest fashion, a completed form allows you to target the customer with that information.
How else do we allow targeting as consumers?
Let’s look at the data Google collects. We understand they are
targeting us on every keyword we search
keeping a log of our searches and websites we visit
So, it’s not surprising for Google to serve up advertisements based on our most recent keyword search, and it’s not a surprise for advertisers to retarget us based on our recent web activity.
But, it does come as a surprise when advertisers target you based on private conversations or images we take.
The line is where you set it
Customers expect a certain level of targeting. It’s only unwelcome or ‘creepy’ when you make it that way.
PS: Telegraph your moves. Otherwise, you’ll be seen as an awkward comedian, a kidnapper, or an unwelcome advertiser.