{
  "id": 18502506,
  "title": "Without your audience in the room, your brand is guesswork",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/without-your-audience-in-the-room-your-brand-is-guesswork",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-06T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91636390/without-your-audience-in-the-room-your-brand-is-guesswork"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A group of seasoned executives were gathered discussing how their brand could appeal to Gen Z. However, no one in the meeting was actually part of that generation. They relied on demographic reports, trend analyses, and even AI to understand who their audiences are and what they want. But relying on such data can lead to a false sense of connection.\n\nA generation isn't a community, and a community isn't an individual. People born in the same years may have little in common beyond their age. Demographics describe groups, not the individuals within them. The focus should be on what they choose and why, where they gather, and why they feel that belonging.\n\nPep Salazar, cofounder and director of OFFF, an international creativity and design festival, has learned this lesson over two decades. He advises against viewing audiences solely through metrics and instead emphasizes understanding them as people. While sponsorship data provides valuable insights, Pep believes that understanding feelings is more crucial than merely observing data. A dashboard can show what people clicked on, but a conversation can reveal why they care.\n\nPep advocates for bringing people together and fostering dialogue. He learns by introducing new perspectives and ideas that challenge his audience's existing beliefs and expectations. Not every introduction will be well-received, but that's part of the learning process.\n\nBrands should not always cater to what their audience already knows and loves; instead, they should know when to experiment and introduce something new. Pep also cautions against brands only showing up to sell their products. He suggests brands attend events to understand the people and engage in conversations with them.\n\nPep also worries that generative AI is homogenizing corporate language. He believes that when brands speak in the same way as their competitors, they lose their unique personality. People desire brands with a distinct voice that resonates with their community. Therefore, the next time a boardroom debates how to reach a specific audience, they should consider who is absent from the table. Inviting the audience in before finalizing the strategy, and allowing for differing opinions and responses, can transform the outcome. Without a seat at the table, the strategy is mere guesswork.",
  "summary": "A group of experienced executives is discussing how the brand can “connect with Gen Z.” Everyone has a deck and an opinion. But nobody in the room is Gen Z. I’ve sat in this type of meeting more times than I’d like to admit. We collect demographic reports, analyze trends, and increasingly ask AI to tell us who our audiences are and what they want. But this goes wrong when we allow it to replace…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}