Caitlin Graham | Director of Media
Imagine this:
Your competitor is thriving on TikTok. If they can do it, why can’t you? You approve a six-figure ad budget backed by your best tagline and production.
Ninety days later, the results are underwhelming. You’re left asking: “It worked for them, why not us?”
Throughout my career, I’ve watched this scenario play out across almost every industry. The diagnosis is consistently the same: brands fail to ask, "Where is our audience, and what do they actually care about?"
Too often, brands assume instead of asking. And miscalculating your audience is one of the costliest mistakes a business can make.
It Starts With People
I have a particular affinity for audience understanding. I am naturally curious about people and love hearing their stories, whether it’s learning the life story of my Lyft driver or the woman waiting with me in line for the restroom. My favorite book genres are historical fiction and memoirs, and I majored in Sociology because I love learning about how human behaviors shape cultures and how societies influence people.
This curiosity offered a strong foundation for my real-world education at my first advertising job on Madison Avenue. There, I learned to leverage tools to define target audiences and derive insights based on how they index against everything from interests and values to media consumption and purchase behavior. These insights inform all variables of a core marketing formula: delivering the right message, to the right audience, in the right moment to drive a desired outcome.
In a world of multiplying platforms, accelerating AI, and shifting privacy rules, it is tempting to chase whatever is new. But the brands that win know their audience. They continuously invest in understanding where to find them, what to say when they get there, and how to earn their attention before asking for anything in return.
The Consequence of Chasing Platforms
The pendulum in digital marketing has swung back and forth for years, from hyper-targeted precision audiences to broad algorithm-driven reach. Every few months, a new format or platform promises to change everything, and brands abandon their strategy to chase it.
For example, Meta recently opened up its ad system to third-party AI tools, allowing advertisers to connect external AI assistants directly to their ad accounts. While this unlocks new opportunities, a tool is only as good as the strategy behind it, and a great strategy is grounded in audience understanding.
With the rise of AI, marketers are now thinking about how to reach two distinct audiences simultaneously: humans and machines. But even that conversation boils down to the same foundational questions:
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What message will best resonate with what audience, in what moment, to achieve a desired outcome?
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What need are we fulfilling?
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Through what vehicle can we best meet that need?
The brands that skip this step are left scratching their heads with untapped ROI left on the table.
The brands that see results don't start with platform. They don't even start with the creative. They start with audience understanding.
It’s As Simple As ABC: Audience Before Content
One of the clearest articulations of audience-first thinking I've encountered came from Kory Marchisotto, CMO of e.l.f. Beauty, on the WARC Podcast: The Effective CMO. She described their marketing principle as ABC: Audience Before Content.
While there are many nuances to bringing this principle to life, it’s a steady grounding point any marketer can put into practice. It is a major reason why e.l.f. has become one of the most culturally relevant brands of the last decade. Not because they had the biggest budget, but because they listened before they spoke.
Here is what the ABC approach looks like, and how to apply it to your business:
ABC works inside and out. e.l.f. uses this framework to drive internal alignment, secure marketing investment, and build organizational belief in marketing long before a campaign ever goes to market. For your brand, this means tailoring internal communication for distinct stakeholders, as well as defining the target audience as step one of external communication briefs. Misalignment at the briefing stage is the source of more wasted spend than any platform decision ever made. Ultimately, whether in the boardroom or on a mobile phone screen, an audience always responds best when you speak their language.
Know yourself to know your audience. e.l.f. built their brand on authenticity, and younger audiences especially have a finely tuned radar for when a brand is performing rather than being genuine. For your brand, your audience strategy has to be rooted in what you actually stand for, not just what the data says is trending. Authenticity isn't a tone of voice. It's a strategic commitment.
Keep your community at the center of everything. e.l.f. doesn't make a move, from product innovation to retail strategy, without asking whether it makes sense for their audience. For your brand, this is the filter that eliminates the noise. Not every platform, trend, or opportunity deserves your attention. Focus on the areas where your audience already lives, and show up there like you belong, not like you're visiting.
Follow the data to underserved white spaces. This is how e.l.f. broke into the Super Bowl and built groundbreaking partnerships in women's sports long before it was fashionable. For your brand, this is the most exciting outcome of real audience research. It doesn't just tell you who your customer is, it shows you where your competitors aren't. That gap is your opportunity.
Context is everything. e.l.f. was an early pioneer on TikTok and Roblox by building experiences that felt native to those platforms. Fit-for-platform thinking isn't about specs and formats. It's about understanding the culture of a platform well enough to contribute to it rather than interrupt it.
Attention must be earned not bought. In a digital space where attention is a scarce resource, content that doesn't earn its place gets scrolled past, regardless of production value. For your brand, the brief can no longer just be "make something good." It must be rooted in a consumer insight that genuinely adds value or entertainment.
The Universal Formula
Mastering this audience-first formula is what has allowed me to seamlessly pivot throughout my career spanning clients in CPG, Beauty, Travel, Technology, Finance, Beer, Apparel, Aviation, and Jewelry. Different industries, different markets, different budgets. But the same foundation every single time.
So before you approve your next campaign, ask yourself honestly: Do I actually know my audience? Or have I been assuming I do?
If your answer comes quickly and confidently, you are already ahead of the curve.
If it gives you pause, even for a second, that pause is incredibly valuable. It’s simply a sign that it’s time to take a closer look at the data, and that’s the fun part!
At Loudr, we are continually investing in the tools, partnerships, and custom research to keep our finger on the pulse of evolving consumer behavior. We love uncovering these kinds of insights.
Reach out, and let’s find the answers about your audience together.
