Mass Mentality

One thing that depressing me about a lot of advertising is appealing to the middle ground. It's like the more people you can get to approve your brand, the better. In reality, shouldn't a brand appeal only to a specific target? Isn't the target actually a part of the brand itself?

Sure, some brands are actually suited for the Bible Belt, don't-change-anything, soccer moms out there. But not every brand has to appeal to them. And honestly, if that's your target, your brand is going to be wishy-washy and just generally appeasing. It's not going to be a concept so much as a creative compromise.

When you have a brand that appeals to a certain type of people, they really do become part of the brand. They're like mascots. See the Mac guy for a really straight-forward example.

I guess every copywriter wishes they could do only niche marketing that appeals to hipsters or musicians. But there's got to be a mix. How else would we appreciate it?