If you’re only using audience data to define targeting, you’re leaving value on the table. Because the smartest brands today aren’t just asking who they’re reaching, they’re asking what those people actually care about, and using that to shape everything from messaging angles to visual style.
At Code3, we’ve seen this firsthand: campaigns that root creative in real audience insight consistently outperform those that don’t. So how do you move from raw data to thumb-stopping creative? Here’s our guide.
Step 1: Get Clear on the Right Type of Insight
Let’s start with a distinction: demographics are not insights.
Saying your audience is “millennial moms” or “Gen Z men” is a start, but it’s not enough. Actionable insights go deeper. They uncover what motivates people: what they value, worry about, aspire to, or avoid.
Real insights sound like:
- “This customer’s deepest motivators and life goals are valid and understood.”
- “This audience is overwhelmed by choice and values curation over endless selection.”
- “They trust peer recommendations more than polished brand messaging.”
- “They’re buying for others but still want to feel personally understood.”
Hot Take: If an insight doesn’t lead you to a new creative decision, it’s not useful…yet.
Step 2: Turn Insight into Creative Strategy
Once you have a real audience insight, ask: how does this change what we say and how we say it? Let’s break it down with examples.
Insight: “Shoppers are overwhelmed and want clear, confident recommendations.”
Creative approach:
- Build visual gift guides (think digital window shopping) that lead with “Top Picks” or “Our Favorite For…” messaging
- Use headlines like “You Can’t Go Wrong with This” or “Our No-Brainer Gift”
- Simplify CTAs and eliminate friction in the path to purchase
Insight: “They care about values, not just value.”
Creative approach:
- Highlight real customers or team members to humanize the story
- Focus on emotional storytelling over price or discounts
Insight: “They’re gift shopping but still want to feel a personal connection to the brand.”
Creative approach:
- Use messaging like “For Them, From You” or “Make It Meaningful”
- Emphasize personalization features (gift wrap, notes, bundles) in product imagery
- Spotlight brand personality like humor, charm, or voice to stand out in a sea of generic ads
Step 3: Build a Creative Brief That Anchors to the Insight
Too often, creative briefs are laundry lists like product features, asset specs, and deadlines. But if you want work that connects, your brief needs to champion the audience.
A strong insight-driven brief includes:
- A clear primary insight, written in plain language
- The mindset of the audience when they’ll encounter the ad (e.g., scrolling after work, looking for a last-minute gift, doing price comparison)
- One central takeaway or emotion the creative should deliver
- Real-world examples or references that feel like your target audience
Remember insights are only powerful if your creative team actually understands them. Make the brief feel real and relatable, not like a data dump.
Step 4: Test What Matters, Then Iterate
Audience insights don’t just inform your first draft, they should guide your creative testing strategy too.
Build tests around:
- Messaging angles tied to different insights (“curated picks” vs. “community favorite”)
- Formats that reflect audience preferences (e.g., UGC for trust-seeking shoppers, polished for aspirational)
- Visual treatments (bold text, face-forward imagery, minimalism vs. richness)
Track what drives engagement, not just clicks. Which messages get saved, shared, or commented on Which assets spark DMs or product searches? These are your signals to go deeper.
TL;DR: Make Audience Insights Work Harder
Here’s your quick-start checklist:
- Go beyond demographics — find insights that explain why people act
- Translate each insight into a clear creative decision
- Write briefs that keep the audience front and center
- Use insights to guide testing, not just initial concepts
Audience insights shouldn’t sit in a deck. They should live in your ad copy, your visuals, your landing pages and be included in every step of the journey. When you use insights to build creative that actually speaks to people, you don’t just drive performance, you build connection.
Want help translating your data into high-performing creative? Let’s chat. We specialize in turning audience intelligence into impact.