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The Politics of Humiliation
- AnimalMuppet 6y agoThis is true of more than just advertising. It's true of digital services. If you're telling a segment of your customers that they're stupid for their political views... that doesn't sell them on your service very well.
- jfengel 6y agoBut it may make another segment of your customers very enthusiastic about your service. It's a choice: 100% of your potential base who feel only as much about your service as its technological utility, or 50% of your users who are thrilled that your service is seen to support them. Even if the times weren't so polarized, that's potentially a workable strategy. Now, with vast swaths of the country sincerely convinced that other people are genuinely stupid, it might well be leaving money on the table to be seen as avoiding talking about the obvious -- even if there are polar opposite beliefs about what's obvious. As always, keep your eye on the bottom line. It may well be more profitable to have X users foaming at the mouth to give you money than 2X users who are merely content.