The #1 Paid Ads Mistake
(and 2 Rules to Avoid It When Entering New Markets)
The Biggest Mistake in Paid Advertising is Generalization
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how deeply intertwined marketing is with human behavior. As marketers, we sometimes err on the side of being overly logical, assuming that humans are rational, consistent, and congruent creatures who will always react the same way to identical stimuli. But as we’ve explored previously, that’s rarely the case. People are far too complex to be reduced to a simple equation. Even seemingly trivial factors, such as the time of day or the humidity in the air, can influence decision-making—especially when it comes to purchasing habits and responses to advertising.
The biggest mistake in paid advertising is generalization: assuming what works for one group will work for another. I’ve fallen victim to this fallacy myself.
From New York to Dakar: Cracking the Code on Localized Ads
In the fall of 2023, I was tasked with promoting our first round of Regional Wellbeing Summits, inspired by The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change in 2022. These localized events were designed to spark vital conversations about cultivating wellbeing in the social change space. They took place in New York (United States), São Paulo (Brazil), Dakar-Thiès (Senegal), Bogotá (Colombia), and Brussels (Belgium).
To ensure we approached each topic authentically, we partnered with local organizations to host the summits. While our partners handled most aspects, one thing was entirely in my hands: paid advertising.
We needed to promote these events—and we needed to do it quickly. Although I had experience with audiences in the U.S. and Mexico, this was my first time venturing into Western African and Western European markets. As for Latin America, I wondered: would strategies that worked in Mexico translate to Colombia and Brazil? How could I approach this challenge while taking mindful risks?
Rule #1: Personalization - Familiar Faces, Local Voices
For this LinkedIn campaign, I set a few key guidelines:
Use single-image ads to keep the visuals simple while saving complexity for the strategy.
Feature people in the ads who closely resembled the target audience.
Caption ads in the region’s native language.
Humans seek similarities to feel safe and secure. Think about the last time you walked into a new bar, restaurant, or shop. The first thing you likely did was assess the crowd. If you felt out of place, you might have left. If you felt comfortable, you probably stayed. Advertising works the same way. While “aspirational” imagery still has its place, nothing beats the immediate sense of belonging.
To ensure the ads resonated with local audiences, we collaborated with the organizers. They reviewed our proposed images and copy, suggesting alternatives better suited to their market. For example, all regions approved our images except Brazil. Interestingly, this decision was reflected in the metrics: Brazil’s click-through rate (CTR) was 50% below the platform benchmark and 60% lower than our best-performing campaign (Dakar-Thiès).
Although the copy was in Portuguese, social media’s visual-first nature couldn’t be ignored. If the image doesn’t grab attention, the caption won’t even get read. Brazil’s performance reminded us how crucial visuals are in paid advertising.
Regional Hearth Summits: Tapping into South Asia in 2024
Building on the success of the 2023 summits, we expanded in 2024, rebranding them as Hearth Summits and hosting 10 events: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Bogotá (Colombia), Querétaro (Mexico), Nairobi (Kenya), São Paulo (Brazil), Thiès (Senegal), Athens (Greece), Bangalore (India), Alpbach (Austria), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). This time, we applied our 2023 learnings while adding a new layer of experimentation.
Rule #2 A/B Testing: Let the Audience Show You the Way
LinkedIn offers three main ad formats: single-image, carousel, and video. Conventional wisdom says video ads perform best, but our budget was too precious to gamble on assumptions. Instead, we let the audience decide by conducting A/B testing.
We created materials for all three formats and used “budget optimization,” allowing LinkedIn’s algorithm to allocate more money to the best-performing ads. The results were eye-opening: even countries within the same region behaved differently. For instance, in South Asia, audiences in Bangladesh preferred video ads, while those in Malaysia and India responded better to carousel ads.
The Final Takeaway: Marketing as a Journey of Discovery
Marketing has always felt like play to me. It’s a space where my curiosity can run wild. When I venture into new territories, I’m reminded of the importance of staying curious. Each campaign is an opportunity to learn, connect, and grow—both personally and professionally. Structure your approach with clear guidelines, but don’t be afraid to experiment. Ask new questions, embrace uncertainty, and uncover surprising answers. At the end of the day, what makes marketing magical is its ability to spark connections—and that, to me, makes every challenge worth it.