A friend of mine bought gas with her credit card and was surprised when the attendant said “Thank you Mrs. Smith”. Momentarily forgetting the imprint on her credit card, my friend said to me, “How does he know my name”? What she was really thinking was that she didn’t want him to be that familiar with her. More importantly, she felt threatened. Paranoid as this may seem, my friend is not alone in her fears. There are some folks who prefer to remain anonymous not only to the gas station attendant, but to the world, at large.

Evaluate your B2B and B2C communications using the following filter:

While paranoia might offer some benefits in today’s, big brother-knowing all, watching all world, some one-to-one marketing techniques can provide opposite reactions from those intended by the marketer. In the above gas station scenario, Mrs. Smith’s paranoia is not an isolated case. How can this be, you ask? Well, take for example the person who has a disease and is taking prescription medication. Chances are, this individual will not be pleased to receive mail identifying him as a consumer of a particular disease related drug, or being branded with a particular ailment, in a world which prizes youth and wellness. Although the person being marketed to well knows his or her own physical condition, he doesn’t want to be identified by this label. This is certainly one of those instances my children refer to as “too much information”.

Although most of us have a close friend or relative suffering from Cancer, these individuals prefer to be identified by their character, personality or accomplishments. Rather than being defined by their disease, they want to be known for who they really are—not, you remember Joe, my good friend with Cancer; but you remember Joe, my good friend who hiked the Appalachian Trail!