Careful There...The Authenticity is in the Details

Last night was a mommy night - no kids, no husband - so, of course, I watched a movie they'd never watch with me: Hello My Name is Doris. Have you seen it? Sally Field plays an aging never-been-kissed type who becomes obsessed with the new 20-something hot shot in the office (where she's worked since time began).

Clearly, the intended audience persona is heavily female. And I'm guessing a range of ages, although maybe that's just because I'm not in Ms Field's age bracket.

And here's the thing - the plot largely hinges on this moment centered around her going to a Brooklyn hipster record store to purchase a CD(!) of a certain band...then Mr. Hot Shot spots said CD on her desk and remarks on the band, not how weird it is that she has a CD at her desk. Honestly. Neither one of my laptops (Mac or PC) has even had CD drives in them...for years. Even the Thinkpad. And some hipster record stores might tar and feather an unsuspecting newbie on the spot for requesting a CD.

So...a bit of an authenticity fail here.

How can you apply this lesson to your marketing? Crafting marketing that feels authentic to your intended audience personas is tricky business. Your key messages (or plot points) might be right on point, but if your voice or tactics are at all off, you might hit some friction.