Why mass advertising needs to get more personal

When Apple dropped "The Underdogs" campaign, a series of office misadventures that began with a scrappy team trying to pitch a round pizza box, it wasn’t trying to please everyone. It didn’t include pan-global celebrities, festival music, or generically uplifting messages. What it did have was specificity: a clear narrative about scrappiness, hustle, and creativity that resonated across borders. It went on to be lauded for its execution and for its ability to resonate with different people in various ways, without trying to be everything to everyone.

Now contrast that with Pepsi’s infamous 2017 Kendall Jenner protest ad. The brand attempted to tap into the global protest movement with a feel-good message of unity but ended up trivialising real activism with a glossy, shallow portrayal of social justice. Instead of reaching everyone, it offended many and connected with almost no one. The backlash was immediate, and the ad was pulled within 24 hours.

These two campaigns illustrate a critical truth in modern advertising: when you try to speak to everyone, you risk meaning nothing to anyone. 

As the advertising industry starts executing its festive campaigns, it’s essential to remember how to craft messaging that actually resonates. A one-size-fits-all approach often leads to a lack of relevance; your ad ends up being too vague to address anyone’s specific needs, interests, or pain points. This results in lower engagement, as audiences simply scroll past or ignore content that doesn’t feel personal. Beyond visibility, there’s also the issue of wasted ad spend, targeting people who were unlikely to convert in the first place. And perhaps most importantly, there’s the opportunity cost: in trying to appeal to everyone, brands often miss the chance to build meaningful relationships with their most valuable, high-intent customers.

What even is a ‘massy’ ad?

"The effectiveness of massy advertising hinges on how clearly we define what mass actually means,” says Dr Smitha Ranganathan, Professor of Contemporary Marketing. "Too often, brands conflate wide reach with broad relevance, but these aren’t the same thing.”

She explains that there are two types of mass brands, and distinguishing between them is critical to crafting meaningful communication. "First, there are access brands, those that democratise entire categories by making them affordable and aspirational to new consumer segments. Think of what Micromax did during the smartphone boom: it wasn’t just selling a product, it was opening up a tech-first lifestyle to millions for the first time. Advertising for access brands needs to carry the promise of inclusion — it's not just about functionality, but about aspiration, mobility, and belonging.”

The second type is what she calls ubiquitous brands, which have universal utility and are embedded in the everyday lives of diverse users across various contexts. "Google Pay is a strong example: from digital-first urban professionals to small-town shopkeepers, the product serves vastly different users. But rather than diluting its message for mass reach, the brand leaned into local storytelling, regional languages, and cultural cues to build personal relevance within its scale," she explains.

Dr Ranganathan adds, "Without clarity on whether a campaign is about creating access or nurturing ubiquity, massy advertising can quickly slide into bland generalisation. In today’s fragmented media environment, a generic message rarely sticks."

She says, "True mass appeal isn’t about speaking to everyone in the same way — it’s about finding a core truth that’s elastic enough to flex across difference without losing emotional specificity.

Was advertising ever really meant to be massy?

Historically, ‘massy’ ads were born from the era of broadcast dominance — print, TV, radio. The goal was simple: reach as many people as possible with a single message. However, as Saurabh Parmar, Fractional CMO, points out, the market was never truly massy market. "The question of massy only arose because of print and then TV, which allowed us to broadcast to many at once. But marketing is meant to influence people, and each person is an individual with their thoughts, beliefs, and desires."

A great example of the shift is Cadbury's “Not Just a Cadbury Ad” Diwali campaign, where hyperlocal AI technology was used to feature local shop names across thousands of individualised versions of the same film. It resembled a large, festive advertisement, but it spoke intimately to each viewer’s community.

Digital and now AI, Parmar says, are allowing us to return to what marketing was always meant to be.

The power of personalisation is at the heart of this shift. In the 90s, it was nearly impossible to predict or cater to each individual’s unique needs, preferences, and context. Marketing models were built on broad assumptions and demographic averages. But today, AI has changed the game. With hyper-personalisation now technologically feasible, brands can tailor campaigns to match highly specific behaviours, geographies, and even emotional triggers. It’s no longer about broadcasting one message to everyone; it’s about delivering many tailored messages with the same core idea.

This unlocks a powerful balance between storytelling and performance. Every campaign ultimately has to serve a business objective — whether it's footfall, product trials, or brand love. Cadbury’s personalised Diwali campaign is a masterclass in this balance. By making local kirana stores the heroes of the story and leveraging Shah Rukh Khan’s star power, the brand boosted relevance, supported small businesses, and made festive advertising more meaningful.

That’s what personalisation enables: specificity without sacrificing scale. And in doing so, it delivers real business impact.

The evolution of mass appeal

"There was a time when mass appeal could also mean being crass," says Surbhi Allagh, Co-founder, Itch. "But today, brands have found a way to be massy without diluting their personality. A great example is Lahori Jeera — it's massy in its appeal but visually exciting, with a copy that's simple yet engaging."

She believes that, done right, mass appeal can still work. "Take the recent General Insurance campaign. Insurance is a product relevant to nearly everyone, but they managed to create a narrative that resonates emotionally and connects with viewers. It’s cute, beautifully crafted, and feels relatable."

Vivek Kumar, Chief Strategy Officer at DViO Digital, echoes this thought: "Mass appeal was never the problem. Treating the masses as one indistinct blob was. In the past, scale meant compromise — water down the message until no one objects. Now, it’s reversed. Make it relevant enough, and reach will take care of itself."

Can one ad truly connect with everyone?

"Yes, but with caveats," says Dr Ranganathan. "A single ad can connect with a mass audience, provided the brand’s positioning is anchored in a dominant point of differentiation that feels inclusive enough to be embraced universally, even if it's positioned as exclusive."

She cites Tide as an example. "Its enduring promise of ‘whiteness’ has historically connected across socioeconomic and cultural segments. The idea of clean, bright clothes carries emotional weight — tied to care, dignity, and presentation — making it a powerful unifier."

However, she cautions that a wide connection is not permanent. "What connects widely at one point in time doesn’t always remain relevant. As audiences gain more exposure to a category and grow more mindful in their consumption, their priorities begin to shift."

This sentiment complements Kumar’s perspective: "A single ad can’t connect with everyone in the same way. But it can move different people for different reasons. That’s the difference between mass messaging and mass meaning. The goal isn’t to be understood by all. The goal is to be felt by many."

Consider Britannia Marie Gold’s ‘My Startup’ campaign in India. The brand launched a platform that awarded seed capital to homemakers with business ideas, allowing them to pitch and share their aspirations. While the message was focused on a specific segment, Indian homemakers, it struck a chord with a much wider audience by tapping into universally relatable themes like ambition, independence, and resilience. It didn’t try to speak to everyone, but the emotional core of the campaign allowed it to travel far and wide, with real impact.

"You can’t script how people will receive your message. But if the core is honest enough, each person will find their own reflection in it," Kumar adds.

The risks of trying to be everything

Lack of relevance is the first red flag. A generic ad doesn't speak to the specific needs, interests, or pain points of any particular audience segment. This often results in low engagement — people are less likely to click, comment, or share when they don’t feel seen. Overexposure to irrelevant ads is one of the primary drivers of ad fatigue. And when attention is scattered, your budget is being spent on viewers who aren't likely to convert. It's not just bad creative — it's wasted ad spend.

One widely cited example is Pepsi’s 2017 Kendall Jenner ad, which tried to speak to social justice movements with a generic and glib message. Instead of connecting with everyone, it ended up offending many and resonating with almost no one.

"Blanket visibility without emotional precision is just expensive invisibility," says Kumar. "The biggest risk isn’t that broad ads won’t be seen. It’s that they’ll be seen and instantly forgotten."

Parmar agrees. "The more targeted each ad is, the better the ROI." He argues that platform-first thinking has trapped brands into believing broad reach equals impact. But the data increasingly shows the opposite.

Alagh, too, highlights the danger of generalisation. "One common mistake is assuming that something relatable to me will automatically be relatable to a broader audience. Another mistake is having someone who doesn’t fully understand the mass market write for it, which often happens in brainstorming sessions."

And in trying to appeal to everyone, brands often miss the opportunity to build deeper connections with their most valuable customers. 

When the brief says: This ad is for everyone

This is often the turning point where creative ambition starts to dilute.

Dr Ranganathan reflects: "That’s a question I wish more people asked, especially to someone like Piyush Pandey, a master at turning mass briefs into personal, emotionally resonant stories. His work reminds us that a mass ad doesn’t have to feel broad or diluted — it can feel intimate, emotional, and utterly human, even when it's speaking to millions."

She refers to the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk “Cricket Girl” ad, where a simple story of a woman dancing on the cricket field to celebrate her partner’s century. “On the surface, it's just a sweet moment. But creatively, it's a masterstroke. It uses a deeply personal emotional cue — uninhibited joy and pride — set in a mass-cultural context (cricket). There’s nothing generic about it. It doesn’t try to speak to “everyone” in a flat, universal way. It tells one emotionally honest story so well that everyone sees a bit of themselves in it.”

Alagh explains: "When the brief says 'this ad is for everyone,' creative thinking shifts to drawing insights from a broad spectrum of observations. You need to ensure the insight resonates with a larger group of people, while still keeping the message true to the brand."

Kumar elaborates: "The smartest creatives ask — then who is it really for? The challenge isn’t reach; it’s relevance without dilution. People don’t connect with generalities. They connect with specifics that feel true."

Dr Ranganathan adds: "The danger lies in trying to widen the net so much that you water down the insight. In that process, brands risk removing the very specificity that makes a story believable — the motivations, anxieties, or rituals that drive real purchase behaviour."

She further adds that’s the magic of well-executed mass advertising: using personal storytelling to create collective resonance.

One ad that challenged this idea beautifully is Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches”. While created for a wide demographic of women, it focused on one deeply human insight — that women often see themselves as less beautiful than they are. The ad used a forensic artist and real participants, creating a universal emotional reaction through a very specific lens.

In other words, the most effective massy ads don’t simplify the message; they clarify the truth. "Find the one insight that survives across age, income, culture — without losing its soul," Kumar urges.

So, what makes a good massy ad today?

The best examples still start with a pointed truth, then scale it without losing nuance. Cannes-winning campaigns like Apple’s "The Underdogs" or Nike’s "You Can't Stop Us" work because they start with something honest and allow multiple interpretations. They're anchored, not average.

A local equivalent would be Surf Excel’s long-running “Daag Acche Hain” series. Whether the story revolves around a sibling bond or communal empathy, the core message — kids learning values through action — remains intact and relatable across demographics.

In India, brands like Fevicol or Tanishq have historically succeeded with mass campaigns by staying deeply rooted in culture while telling fresh, emotionally resonant stories.

"The first — and perhaps most overlooked — mistake is a lack of clarity about the kind of brand you want to build," says Dr Ranganathan. "Are you an access brand, democratising a category and bringing in new users? Or are you an elastic, ubiquitous brand that needs to flex across segments while holding on to a single emotional core? That strategic choice fundamentally shapes your tone, your storytelling, and your media decisions."

She continues: "Second, get the brief right. It must start with three simple questions: Who is this for? What motivates them? How do we add value to their lives? These questions ground your mass message in personal relevance."

"Finally, respect the creative process. Once you’ve defined the brand’s role and provided a sharp, insightful brief, step back and let the creative teams bring it to life. Don’t micromanage visualisations or force prescriptive ideas into execution. Protect the space for storytelling — because that’s where the magic happens,” adds Ranganathan.

"Mass doesn't mean crass," Alagh reminds. "The language and nuance still need to be relatable for a wide audience. But what works for one person doesn’t automatically work for everyone."

"Mass media still works, just not for mass messaging," Kumar concludes. "Going broad isn’t the problem. Going bland is."

In a landscape of infinite content and fragmented attention, it’s not the size of your audience that matters; it’s the depth of your connection. Or as Kumar puts it: "Mass reach used to be about domination. Now it has to be about discovery."

The lazy reliance on the 18–49 demo is increasingly irrelevant in a world of nuanced micro-communities and individualised consumption patterns. The most impactful campaigns now know exactly whom they’re speaking to and trust that authenticity will do the rest.

In this new era, the smartest ads won’t try to reach everyone. They’ll resonate with the right ones and trust that true meaning, like good storytelling, will always find a way to scale.

And as Dr Ranganathan said, “A good mass ad doesn’t say, “This is for everyone.” It says, “This is for you and just happens to say it well enough that millions feel the same way.”

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