Understanding audiences on a deeper level delivers greater ROI and budget efficiency across every aspect of brand building. And the combination of expertise, experience and AI enables us to to this faster, better and more efficiently – enabling brand owners to do more with less.”
$37 billion is wasted in ad spend every year from ads that fail to engage target audiences1. And with 80 percent of people saying they are more likely to do business with a brand that offers personalised interactions, it is essential that deep insight and intelligence are used to characterise brands in a smarter way.
Using a combination of market, audience, brand and creative intelligence – enhanced and shaped by precise interpretation of artificial intelligence, data analysis and trend identification – we can inform and activate forward-thinking strategies.
Inundated with choice
With almost unlimited consumer access and choice, 24/7, businesses can act smarter by knowing and focusing on audiences with a genuine affinity for their brand; even going so far as to shape the brand to fit with the exact personal, social and cultural criteria that lead audiences to make that all important decision.
With product and service functionality effectively the same in most sectors, any initial differentiation isn’t sustainable for long and eventually the decision will come down to the brand:
The personality, identity and strategy… what the brand stands for determines how it is unique among the more than 500,000 brands in over 2,000 categories worldwide2.
The authenticity of communications, marketing and messaging… that cut through the 3,000 – 10,000 messages we see every day and create meaningful connections.
The personal experience delivered across platforms and content… across all touchpoints, from retail and D2C, to B2B interactions and relationships, online or in person.
How we choose
B2B or B2C brand purchases are a mixture of rational, emotional and personal decisions:
Rational reasons include practical needs, price, quality and availability.
Emotional motivations are based on family, friends, community, and past experiences.
Personal incentives start with self-image and kudos, and expand to social and cultural belonging, and a sense of bigger purpose.
As brand builders, we can impact each of these decisions by carefully curating what the brand says, how it is presented, where it stands on key issues, who it partners with etc. Knowing what messages, designs, initiatives and campaigns to invest in comes down to knowing who we’re targeting and what exactly makes them tick.
The deciding factors
Personality – we are naturally attracted, attached and stay loyal to people, places and brands that match our personality and desired image; traits that suit ‘me’ and ‘my’ needs, and are aligned with ‘ours’ and ‘yours’. Our brand choices reflect who we are and change with what we aspire to be. Audience personality is therefore fundamental to a successful brand and long-term future.
Interests – what audiences engage in, follow, and align to demonstrates what’s relevant, what has social currency, and what solutions are being sought to address our day-to-day issues and needs. The interests at the heart of communications and branding are not what they do for the business, but what they do for the customer / consumer / partner. Focusing on shared interests enables brands to build stronger relationships, innovate more intelligently and drive sustainable growth.
Affinities – the combined consumer, product and business relationship axis is determined by audience affinities. They are pivotal to alignment, tone and positioning, and understanding the personal, social and cultural ’image’ the consumer has or desires that your brand can offer.
The value of a brand is not just that it drives sales, but how it inspires the target audiences’ world – where it all comes together. The product, proposition, experience and meaning all underpin the commercial spectrum of business.
Doing more with less
The pace of change and volatile economic climate is driving the need to understand the world around us and our target audiences in ever more detail. Being able to successfully engage an audience requires deep understanding of their choices, needs, behaviours, intentions, interests and the fundamental constructs of why they choose a brand. It’s not just about purchasing – it applies to partnering with a particular business, or sponsoring a particular event, to following a social community, or participating in a new interest. The theory is the same: understanding audiences on a deeper level delivers greater ROI and budget efficiency across every aspect of brand building. And combining expertise and experience with AI enables us to to this faster, better and more efficiently – enabling brand owners to do more with less.
For further insight into how to integrate AI and Brand Intelligence, please contact us.
1 marketingevolution.com
2 Nielsen Media Research
