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I took a pricing class this past fall (I'm an MBA student) and had a speaker who noted that his company had a pricing strategy for every customer. Sure, this is a form of price discrimination, but in a setting where what people pay is relatively individual and private, it makes sense that  where different customers have a different willingness to pay, it is in a company's best interest to identify that value and try to capture as much of it as possible.

So, what about communications to customers in the social media sphere? Traditional branding identifies a company's universal promise and voice. But that strategy arose in a time where there were very few marketing channels - TV, radio, print, direct sales, catalog sales, etc.

Now, in a time where customers are increasingly fragmented because much of their time is devoted to niche internet communities, there is an opportunity to use a greater variety of messages, and to speak in different "tongues" to a wider audience.

But does a communication strategy for every customer make sense? Does it spread a brand too thin, make it too complex, take up too much time? Or is the increased personalization worth the effort in exchange for stronger relationships, and hopefully, increased long-term company value?

Any thoughts?