Image via WikipediaUsing Pharmacogenomics, medical science is beginning to devise genetic tests that predict a patient's response to drugs. Thus doctors are able to tailor drug selection and usage to individual patients based on their genes. Taken to its logical conclusion, Pharmacogenimcs would make future blockbuster drugs less probable as the mass market for a cure is replaced by multiple smaller markets for genetically similar people.This looks eerily similar to the ongoing tectonic shift in the advertising world. For the longest time, firms big and small relied on diffuse advertising aimed at a general population. With the advent of online marketing, advertisers shifted their spending from TV, Radio and Print to online media. They did so simply because the return from online marketing per dollar spent was better than that for TV, Radio or Print. Much of the difference in ROI is due to cheaper tracking and targeting of consumers online compared to that in traditional media.
I suspect that such micro-targeting will become pervasive across many industries. If the underlying technologies become cheap enough, it should be possible to build car seats, office furniture, eye glasses, shoes and clothing for smaller groups of individuals. Soon we'll all be walking around in that perfect pair of jeans.
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