Fyreside Newsletter - 7/13/26

Hey Reader,

The stars that control the algorithm aligned and I was struck by targeted marketing this week. Specifically, something entered my atmosphere that was so "for me" I couldn't help but fall down the rabbit hole. So this week I'm here to showcase a really solid example of non-traditional marketing. This newsletter isn't sponsored by anyone, let alone the subject of this email, so please don't take this as any sort of endorsement. There's no free promotion for State Farm here, but credit given where credit is due, the marketing team crushed it on this one.

But first, let's talk about TV ads!

Whether you're talking about cable or streaming, TV ads are actually incredibly targeted. They don't use the same algorithmic targeting that social media ads do, but they're far from random. TV ads strategize around viewer demographics, i.e. "who do we think is watching this show?" That's why Cartoon Network advertises toys and Fox News advertises commemorative coins. Advertisers want to put products in front of people who are likely to buy them, it's that simple.

Digital ads work in a similar way, but there's a distinct difference. Where TV ads are purchased based on who advertisers think is watching, digital ads can be injected into the feeds of specific users. There are good things and bad things about both strategies, but that's not the point of the email. What's important is that there is a difference, but as with most differences, the split is not binary. In the middle of TV advertising and digital advertising sits a service called Twitch.TV.

Internet Television

Twitch is a website where users can broadcast a live stream. It's primarily a gaming-centric platform, but there are streams of every type. Some people stream podcasts, some people stream themselves sleeping; the internet really has something for everyone. In short, Twitch is internet television. You find a channel with playing something you want to watch and you watch it.

Like cable TV, Twitch inserts ads into users' broadcasts. You can pay to remove those ads and not all broadcasts are ad supported, but most users will experience regular ad breaks during their viewing experience. Due to the nature of the platform, these ads are targeted more like traditional television ads than they are digital ads. Sure, there is user data available, but users are able to flip through channels at will and that makes them hard to pin down. Thus, advertisers are forced to aim for broader demographic segments as opposed to individuals.

Sometimes, it REALLY works.

In 2026, there's this weird misconception that advertising that isn't laser targeted isn't worth the effort. That misconception is dumb. Look, I'm not saying you should market aimlessly, but sometimes you can have faith that people will be where you expect them to be at the times that you expect them to be there. Such was the case for this State Farm campaign that has consumed me for 48hrs now. Please allow me to introduce you to the Gamerhood.

A few nights ago, I was watching a stream of one of my favorite games on Twitch when I was shown an ad for State Farm's "Gamerhood," a reality show where popular streamers compete in State Farm-adjacent challenges. Well, as a frequent watcher of popular streamers and an absolute sicko for reality shows, this ad piqued my interest. I went to the website linked above and discovered they have a little browser game where you run away from monsters. Next thing I knew, 5 hours had passed, I hadn't blinked, I was very sweaty, and I had an 8-bit version of the State Farm jingle stuck in my head.

The point is, State Farm didn't build this whole campaign for me. In fact, I haven't seen it advertised anywhere other than Twitch, and I think that's genius. What makes it so smart is that it focuses all of their marketing efforts directly on a whole segment of people who a.) are accustomed to watching the platform their show is broadcast on and 2.) are familiar with the streamers participating. In effect, they have more accurately targeted more people than they would have if they more highly targeted their marketing. Sometimes, less is more.

-MC

p.s.

State Farm also didn't know that I'm in the middle of a pretty unpleasant experience with my current insurance provider. So good timing for them, I guess.
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