Direct Personalisation: Smart Marketing or Just Plain Creepy?

You’re scrolling through your feed and an ad stops you mid-thumb. It mentions a product you looked at yesterday. It knows your suburb. It even references the weather where you are right now.

Impressive, or unsettling?

Direct personalisation has become one of the most debated tactics in digital marketing. When done well, it feels relevant and helpful. When done badly, it feels intrusive and, frankly, a bit creepy. So where’s the line, and is direct personalisation the future, or a fast track to losing audience trust?

What is direct personalisation, really?

Direct personalisation goes beyond using someone’s first name in an email subject line. It’s the use of data, such as behaviour, preferences, location, browsing history and past interactions, to tailor content, ads and messaging to individuals in near real time.

Examples include:

• Ads that change based on what you viewed on a website

• Emails triggered by abandoned carts or past purchases

• Website content that adapts to user behaviour

• SMS or push notifications sent at highly specific moments

At its core, the goal is simple. Deliver the right message to the right person at the right time - something that is core to marketing and has been for decades! 

Why brands love it

From a performance perspective, personalisation works. Relevant messaging tends to lead to higher engagement, stronger conversion rates and better return on ad spend. It can also reduce wasted impressions by avoiding blanket messaging that resonates with no one.

For consumers, it can be beneficial too. Personalisation can:

• Save time by surfacing relevant offers

• Reduce irrelevant advertising

• Create smoother, more tailored digital experiences

When it feels natural, people barely notice it’s happening.

When personalisation crosses into “creepy”

The problem isn’t personalisation itself. It’s how it’s used.

Personalisation starts to feel uncomfortable when:

• The data source isn’t clear or expected

• The timing feels invasive, too fast or too specific

• The message reveals more than the user realised they shared

• There’s no obvious opt-in or control (this also breaks some laws)

For example, referencing a recent private conversation, health concern or highly sensitive behaviour can instantly break trust. Even accurate targeting can feel wrong if the user doesn’t understand why they’re seeing it.

Just because you can personalise something doesn’t mean you should.

Privacy expectations are changing

Consumers today are far more aware of data usage than they were even a few years ago. With tighter privacy regulations, cookie changes and growing scepticism around big tech, audiences are paying attention to how brands collect and use information.

For any marketing agency, trust has become a key differentiator. Brands that respect boundaries, explain their data practices clearly and give users control are more likely to succeed long term.

Transparency is no longer optional. It’s expected.

The future of personalisation

Direct personalisation isn’t going anywhere, but it is evolving.

The future looks less like hyper-specific targeting that feels invasive, and more like contextual relevance, consent-driven data use and value-based exchanges that clearly explain how data improves the experience.

This shift is especially important for social media strategy, where audiences expect relevance but are quick to disengage when something feels off.

Smart marketers are shifting focus from how much data they can use to how much relevance is actually helpful.

Personalisation should feel like good service, not surveillance.

Finding the balance

For brands, the sweet spot lies in empathy. Ask:

• Would this message surprise the user?

• Does it clearly add value?

• Is the data used easy to understand?

• Can the user opt out easily?
  

If the answer to any of these is no, it’s time to rethink the approach.

So, creepy or the future?

Direct personalisation is the future of marketing, but only when it’s done with intention, restraint and respect. The brands that win won’t be the ones that know the most about their audience, but the ones that use what they know wisely.

Because relevance builds connection.
Overreach breaks it.

And in marketing, trust is everything.

Ready to personalise without crossing the line?

At Pickled Pear Media, we’re a marketing agency that helps brands use data in a way that feels considered, human and effective. From smart targeting strategies to campaigns that respect audience trust, we focus on personalisation that adds value, not discomfort.

If you’re ready to create marketing that connects without overstepping, let’s chat.

Get in touch with Pickled Pear Media to build smarter, more thoughtful campaigns.