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Rise and shine, contrarians! Let's turn this Monday into a masterpiece. (Or at least make it slightly less Monday-ish.)

Now, let's dive into this week's contrarian goodness: (1) insightful article, (1) Fun Thing, and (1) Feature of the Week.

Missed last week's article? Catch up here A Marketer’s Guide to Actually Useful AI.

"Dear {First_Name}" died in 2010. It's now joined by its equally ineffective cousins "{Birthday_Month}" and "{Recent_Purchase}" in the graveyard of failed personalization attempts. 

Yet somehow, these digital zombies continue to haunt our inboxes, our social feeds, and our customer experiences. 

However, the more aggressively we pursue personalization, the less genuine it often feels. 

We've created an arms race of data collection that's yielding diminishing returns. It's time for a radical rethink of what personalization really means.

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The problem isn't technical—it's human 

Today's marketers can track every click, predict purchase patterns, and build detailed customer profiles that would make surveillance experts blush. Yet somehow, most personalized marketing still feels like talking to a chatbot that's trying too hard to be your friend.

Why? Because we've confused data points with understanding. 

Knowing someone's age, location, and purchase history doesn't mean you know them. 

Redefining personalization for 2025

1. Context trumps data points - The most meaningful personalization comes from understanding context, not collecting data.

A restaurant that remembers your anniversary doesn't need your relationship history to create a special moment. 

The best personalization responds to the moment, not the metadata.

2. Embrace imperfection - Perfect automation feels fake because humans aren't perfect. We make small talk, forget things, and circle back to correct ourselves.

These "imperfections" make interactions feel genuine.

Successful brands are building these human elements into their marketing.

They're writing emails that sound like they came from a person, not a template.

They're creating customer service scripts that allow for natural conversation instead of rigid workflows.

3. Permission-based intimacy - Let customers control how personal they want their experience to be.

Instead of forcing intimacy through data collection, earn it through consistent, respectful interaction.

Let’s try to create genuinely personal experiences together 

Here are a few tips, along with my 30-day Personalization Makeover Checklist

1. Collect less data - Don't ask for information unless you can immediately demonstrate its value to the customer.

Every data point you collect creates an obligation to use it meaningfully. 

2. Focus on shared experiences - Instead of segmenting by demographics, look for common experiences and moments that create natural connections.

A parent's first day sending their child to school is a more meaningful moment than their household income bracket. 

3. Test for authenticity - Before launching any personalized campaign, run it by actual humans.

If it makes them cringe, no amount of data science will make it feel genuine to your customers. 

Download my 30-day Personalization Makeover Checklist for free.

Quick wins you can implement today

1. Deactivate (aka smart context triggers)

   • Time since last interaction (purchase, visit, or download)

   • Time spent on specific pages

   • Cart abandonment patterns

2. Robot-to-human translation guide

   • Replace "Our records indicate..." with "I noticed..."

   • Change "Your ticket has been resolved" to "Hope this helps!"

   • Replace "We value your business" with literally anything that doesn't sound like it came from a corporate phrase generator

   • Update "As per our policy..." to "Here's what I can do..."

3. Create momentum-based engagement

   • Day 1: Simple welcome

   • Day 3: Share a useful tip

   • Day 7: Ask for feedback on their experience so far

   • Day 14: Offer enhanced personalization options

True personalization isn't about knowing everything about your customer—it's about showing up in the right way at the right moment.

They come from understanding experiences, not data points.

And the best relationships start with "Hey, how are you?" not "I notice you've visited this page 13 times in the last 48 hours."

Until next time, keep swimming against the current!