Let’s talk about the curious case of modern advertising—a world where the people who craft our commercials seem to have developed a peculiar blind spot. According to a recent study by iHeartMedia and Pushkin Industries, nearly half of Americans feel neglected by advertisers.

Now, who are these overlooked souls? Surprisingly, they’re not the cash-strapped or the fringe dwellers; they’re white suburbanites earning over $100,000 a year. Yes, the very demographic that once defined the American dream is now invisible to Madison Avenue.

Why, you ask? Well, it appears that today’s marketers are entranced by the siren call of youth and diversity. They’re obsessed with courting the so-called ‘next-gen’ customers, crafting campaigns that feature edgy, fashion-forward youngsters from a kaleidoscope of backgrounds. It’s all about being ‘on trend,’ you see. The result? A parade of ads showcasing interracial couples and ambiguously androgynous pairings that are far more common on-screen than in real life. It’s as if the advertising world is living in a utopian sitcom, blissfully detached from the reality of their audience.

Now, let’s be clear. There’s nothing wrong with inclusivity. But when the pendulum swings so far that it ignores a substantial segment of the population—namely, the folks who have the disposable income to actually buy the products being advertised—it becomes a case of cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face. Advertisers are letting their personal biases guide their targeting methods, causing them to overlook 44% of Americans who feel ignored by ads.

But here’s the kicker: maybe being ignored isn’t such a bad thing. After all, who among us truly enjoys being bombarded with personalized ads that eerily mirror our recent online searches? According to the same research, a whopping 68% of consumers despise being trailed by targeted ads and are twice as likely to loathe personalization via artificial intelligence. Yet, despite this clear aversion, a staggering $9.5 billion is projected to be spent on personalization and hyper-targeting this year. It’s as if the advertising industry is doubling down on a strategy that consumers have emphatically rejected.

So, to the overlooked suburbanites driving their Honda Pilots and listening to Smash Mouth, perhaps it’s time to count your blessings. In a world where privacy is increasingly elusive, flying under the advertisers’ radar might just be a modern luxury. After all, the only thing worse than being ignored by marketers is being incessantly hounded by them. So, let’s raise a glass to the blissful neglect of advertisers—may their selective vision continue to grant us the sweet relief of anonymity.