Today, the internet is full of generic content. Mass marketing communication, where one message tries to reach everyone, is gradually losing its effectiveness. Yet companies continue to spend millions on campaigns that get lost in digital noise—it's a waste of money and attention. Customers no longer want to be just an anonymous audience. Those who don't personalize won't be seen. Users don't need another mass newsletter – they need brands to talk to them personally.
As co-founder of the startup Webout, I am convinced that the future of marketing (and communication in general) belongs to personalization. And I don't mean superficial gimmicks like putting a first name in an email. I mean truly deep personalization that creates a unique, tailored experience for each individual. Marketing should speak to the individual, not the masses—and it should do so authentically.
Talk to individuals, not the masses
The power of personalization lies in the fact that you feel as if the message is intended solely for you. When content truly responds to your needs and desires, it creates a sense of personal dialogue. For example, our personalized video tool can show each viewer a slightly different story and even address the viewer by name. The video literally speaks directly to them – in their own language. This experience is qualitatively different from a standardized ad for everyone. The viewer immediately senses that the brand cares about them and has a reason to listen.
Relevant content saves time (and nerves) for everyone
At a time when we are fighting for every second of the user's attention, relevant content is worth its weight in gold. If you show everyone only what they are really interested in, you save both their time and yours – and dramatically increase the chance of capturing their attention. The results confirm this: personalized campaigns tend to have significantly higher video completion and click-through rates than a single version for everyone. Simply put, when I talk about something that is tailored specifically to you, you are much more likely to listen.
For marketing teams under growing pressure to deliver campaign effectiveness, this approach is invaluable. Why waste your budget on an audience that doesn't reflect your message? Personalization allows you to target every dollar precisely – while being less intrusive, because you're not forcing everyone to see the same thing. In the era of the end of cookies and stricter privacy rules, mass targeting is losing ground. Without third parties and cookies, brands will be forced to rely on their own data and direct customer relationships. Personalized content is the way to build that relationship: you offer value in exchange for trust and attention.
Of course, there is one condition: personalization must not cross the line of privacy and trust. If people feel that you are watching them "too closely" without their comfort, the effect will be the opposite. The key is transparency and respect for data. Fortunately, today's technology can work wonders—personalized elements can be generated directly in the user's browser without sensitive data flowing anywhere. When users are in control of the situation and clearly see the benefits of personalization, they are much more willing to accept it. So do it smartly and sensitively, and you'll avoid the feeling of "spying."
From James Bond to Sparta Prague: personalization in practice
When my colleagues and I started experimenting with personalized videos a few years ago, many people were skeptical. We heard: "No one is going to upload their own photo to your system." We decided to test this distrust right from the start (and boldly so) – and the project "James Bond: The Last Mission" was born. We created a fun video where every viewer could upload their photo and become Agent 007 for a moment. The result? Over three million people watched Bond with their own face. Despite the skepticism, the audience loved it so much that the video spread organically across the internet. Our Bond even reached President Petr Pavel, who shared it on social media. At that moment, we realized we had stumbled upon something big—an interactive personal experience that could captivate the masses (precisely because it wasn't mass-produced).
The next milestone came with a campaign for the fashion e-shop Zoot. What was originally planned as a small joke turned into an unexpected success. The personalized video showed customers a personalized discount code and had a viewability rate of 95%. It was no longer just fun, but had a real marketing impact – people enjoyed the video and actually made purchases. We then took personalization a step further in collaboration with Notino: we built interactive buttons into the videos and showed each customer products tailored specifically to them (based on their style and preferences). With a single click, viewers could purchase a product directly from the video without having to search for anything. This is what personalization combined with immediate action and results looks like.
However, the campaign for Sparta Prague has had the biggest response so far. It allowed every fan to create a personalized video with their favorite player from the team. All you had to do was upload a photo and you were instantly in the video alongside Sparta's stars. When we looked at the comments and reactions of fans, there was a wow effect – enthusiasm, emotion, excitement. We gave people the opportunity to experience something they wouldn't normally experience: becoming part of the story of their beloved club.
The end of mass communication (as we know it)
With the advent of new technologies – from artificial intelligence to marketing automation – it no longer makes sense to communicate broadly. Why shout through a megaphone to a crowd when you can whisper what interests each individual directly into their ear? If you can speak directly to an individual, why spend money on messages that are less effective and less meaningful? I believe that mass communication as we know it today will soon be replaced by personalized communication. Those who fail to embrace this change will be left behind and will disappear from the competitive landscape.
The trend today is clearly toward a personal approach. Customers expect companies to treat them as unique individuals—after all, they are used to tailor-made experiences in other areas (they receive personalized recommendations from e-shops, customized content on Netflix and Spotify, etc.). Marketing must keep pace. Moreover, personalization is not limited to customer advertising. The same principle is also finding its way into internal company communications – for example, when management addresses employees with an individual video instead of a mass email, the effect is incomparably greater. Whether it's a customer or an employee, a personal tone and relevant messages build a much stronger relationship and loyalty.
My vision (and mission) is to enable everyone to harness the power of personalization to its fullest. Technologies that we considered science fiction not so long ago are now available to the general public. Small businesses and creators can already easily create their own personalized content that looks professional—without expensive agencies or studios. This democratization of content creation will mean that reaching each customer differently will no longer be the preserve of giant corporations, but common practice for everyone. If brands don't start talking to people personally, they risk that soon no one will talk to them at all.
Source: mediaguru.cz