The Personalisation Gap: Why Many Brands Struggle to Stay Relevant in the Digital Era

It’s 2025, data reigns, and artificial intelligence can predict your next move before you make it...

So is it ironic that many brands feel more out of touch than ever? Despite unprecedented access to consumer behaviour, more and more brands are struggling to form meaningful connections. They’ve invested millions in personalisation technologies, yet the end result often feels anything but personal.

This disconnect—the space between what consumers want and what brands deliver—is what we call the personalisation gap. And it’s growing.

What is the Personalisation Gap? 

We’ve all seen it. The email that greets us by name but recommends a product we’d never buy. The sponsored ad that pops up seconds after we abandon a cart, selling not just the product we passed on, but the entire illusion of knowing us.

This kind of personalisation is surface-level. It’s mechanical. It’s built on algorithms that might know what we clicked, but not what we care about. What consumers really crave isn’t personalisation through automation, but a sense of recognition, a feeling that a brand actually understands who they are.

The problem isn’t just technological—it’s emotional. If you show people something irrelevant, they walk away. There’s no forgiveness anymore.

What’s missing is authenticity. Emotion. Relevance rooted not in metrics, but in meaning.

The Slow Erosion of Relevance

Brands didn’t always operate in this hyper-reactive mode. There was a time when a rebrand was a rare, decade-long undertaking. Now, trends shift so quickly that relevance has become a moving target—and most brands are constantly trying to catch up.

But in doing so, many have become trapped by their own dashboards. They tweak images, update headlines, and adjust buttons. Every move is measured. Every campaign is tested to death. And in the process, they lose sight of their story—they lose sight of who they are.

We’re reacting instead of anticipating. And the more we react, the more we forget where we started.

Rather than leading with bold ideas, brands end up trailing trends. Their messages blur together. Their presence feels automated. They become just another voice in the scroll.

Rediscovering the Human Element

So, how do we fix this? How do brands close the personalisation gap and reclaim relevance?

It begins with remembering what makes people tick.

True personalisation doesn’t come from knowing someone’s last purchase—it comes from understanding their world. Why does a Lego set themed after The Office mean more than just a toy? Because it taps into memory. Nostalgia. Identity. It lets people hold a small, tangible piece of something they loved. Something they watched and felt happy, something they might have shared with others that they loved, something that gave them an escape when they needed it.

That’s personal.

It also means creating space for anticipation and discovery. Some of the most successful recent brand moments weren’t flashy ad campaigns but quiet, intriguing reveals. Justin Bieber’s upcoming clothing line teased with no marketing—just subtle hints through his wardrobe. Disney’s cryptic Formula 1 teaser stirred curiosity simply by showing fragments, never the full picture—a collaboration announced a year ahead of when we’ll see the results.

These moments work because they trust the audience to fill in the gaps. They invite imagination. Just like the masters of Chinese paintings taught us, sometimes one brushstroke is more powerful than a perfect picture.

Letting Go of Perfection 

In the pursuit of polished, brands often forget the power of being human. But consumers are smart. They can sense when something is manufactured, when a cause is co-opted, or when a campaign is tone-deaf.

That’s why relatability and imperfection matter more than ever. People gravitate toward brands that show their personality, their people, and their quirks. Whether it’s a smoothie brand making jokes about pop culture or an airline that serves champagne to every passenger, small gestures of authenticity go a long way.

Let go of perfection, make space for inspiration. Because inspiration, not precision, is what drives real loyalty.

Why Playing it Safe Widens the Gap

One of the less talked-about reasons the personalisation gap persists is fear—fear of standing out, of being misunderstood, of taking the road less travelled. And while imitation can be seen as a form of flattery… Attempts to jump on the bandwagon of another brand’s successful initiative can backfire. Copycat tactics rarely work as everyone compares them to the original, and you’re still following in the footsteps of a brand that’s done it before you.

In a world dominated by benchmarks and best practices, it's often easier for brands to follow the well-trodden path than to carve out something truly different. Conformity feels safer. But this safety comes at a cost: sameness. When every brand opts for the same tone, the same visual cues, and the same cautious positioning, they blend into a sea of indistinguishable voices. Ironically, the very act of playing it safe can make brands irrelevant. Differentiation demands courage—the willingness to challenge norms, take creative risks, and express an identity even if it ruffles a few feathers. Because in a world where most brands are scared to be different, daring to be distinctive is no longer just a creative choice; it’s a strategic necessity.

The Courage to Change

Of course, staying relevant also means taking risks. Sometimes it means shifting your entire strategy, rethinking your voice, even changing what you sell. Not in a desperate bid to survive, but in a thoughtful effort to grow.

Louis Vuitton didn’t abandon its heritage when it hired Pharrell Williams as creative director—it simply evolved how it expresses itself. The values remain; only the expression changes.

Brands need to stop equating relevance with consistency. Sometimes, relevance demands reinvention.

And yes, risk comes with consequences. But as history shows—from Virgin Airlines’ humble beginnings to modern challenger brands disrupting crowded markets—those willing to bet on a better experience are often the ones who win.

Relevance Begins with Courage 

The truth is, most people aren’t tuning out because they’re overwhelmed. They’re tuning out because everything looks the same. The same language. The same formats. The same recycled ideas dressed up in different colors.

We don’t need better targeting—we need better storytelling. We need to listen more and automate less. We need brands that make us feel something, not just sell us something.

So the real challenge isn’t to personalise more. It’s to reconnect. Not through louder campaigns, but through smarter, braver, more human ones.

Ask yourself:
– Are we showing up with real emotion—or just ticking boxes?
– Are we creating wonder—or just closing funnels?
– Are we building relationships—or chasing reach?

Because relevance isn’t about showing up in someone’s feed. It’s about earning a place in their mind—and staying there.

The brands that thrive in the digital era won’t be the ones who knew our names. They’ll be the ones who speak to our values, spark our curiosity, and give us something real to believe in.

That’s not just marketing. That’s meaning.
And that’s what closes the gap.