Marketing works. We know this.
We know that when we deliver the right message, to the right consumer, at the right place, at the right time -- conversions go up.
But what happens when the right consumers don't get the message?
In the 2021 Representation in Marketing study I conducted (there's also a 2025 update), one person wrote,
"I'm a single older man, not married, no kids, love my pets, with disposable income, but I'm rarely marketed to..."
Or what happens when they do get the message, and they show up to the right place, but encounter barriers that block them from moving forward.
That happened to the man whose case against Domino's Pizza went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. He just wanted to order a pizza (like so many people do), but couldn't, because neither the brand's website or app were accessible.
Or, when consumers hear the right message, at the right place, at the right time, but get the signal from the brand that perhaps they aren't the right consumer after all.
On one Reddit thread, a user posted the question:
"Is it me or American media/ advertisement purposely exclude Asian men?"
This user, who identifies as Asian, felt especially invisible after reviewing promotions upon returning from a trip abroad:
"Once my trip was over, I already felt the erasure of us Asian men even before I made it back home! On my flight back home with the 'Welcome Aboard' video showed an AF with an WM. Once I made it back home to my local airport, an engagement ring store advertisement had an AF with a WM embracing each other. While on the train ride back to the house logging onto my company's insurance plan, guess what? Yet another AF with a WM with their family as advertisement. I mean holy crap, can they at least have an AMAF couple?"
[Key: AF = Asian Female, WM = White Male, AMAF = Asian Male Asian Female]
Many brands are not delivering that perfect combination of right message, consumer, place, and time.
And the friction these different types of consumers feel -- across identities, industries, and touchpoints -- is costing many brands a ton of customers. It's limiting their growth.
And I have a feeling most brands don't even realize it.
Now -- if this was happening with just one particular identity, then maybe brands would just say "this consumer isn't our focus right now."
And that's totally legit.
But that's not what's happening.
When you look at the sum total of consumers who aren't getting that ideal combination from a brand, and who also don't feel seen, supported, or like they belong, that's a whole heck of a lot of people.
And that's a whole lot of missed sales and conversions.
So what's a brand to do?
Find out where the friction lies in the experiences your brand delivers. Focus especially on the friction points for the different identities your ideal customers have.
Then -- get rid of the friction.
I recently did an audit of 50 brand websites. And during the course of my reviews, I uncovered common friction points brands have on their websites that are costing them customers and limiting their growth.
Want to know if your brand is doing the same?
Have a listen here:
I Reviewed 50 Brand Websites -- Here Are the Most Common Friction Points Limiting Growth and Conversions - Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Word on the Street
Women on LinkedIn are irate after several ran experiments to see what happens to their engagement, by switching their gender to male on their profile. The results: exponential growth. The insight: Like it or not, identity influences customer success. That is, unless we actively work to ensure it doesn't.
Cultural fluency matters. Brands that lean into culture can win big -- if they get it right. But when your team references culture incorrectly, the internet will correct you. Quickly.