Audience analytics and auntie points: a Christmas tale of understanding

I have three nephews and four nieces. That makes a grand total of seven very excited kids counting down the sleeps until Christmas. 

It also means auntie Sophie has seven gifts to buy before then. The criteria for these presents? There is just one. It has to bring big smiles to their wee faces. 

Last weekend, determined not to leave my Christmas shopping to the very last minute, a thought struck me: I could get them all the same thing.  

A cunning plan, at first blush. They’re all children under the age of 10, and I wouldn’t be the first person to group consumers together in that manner. I could even use this age bracket as a filter in my online searches to make things even easier. 

It’s time-effective, cost-effective, and requires minimal effort. Christmas sorted. 

Or maybe not.  

The problem with this approach, of course, is that it’s presumptuous and simplistic. My nieces and nephews have youth and family in common but are different in multiple ways. They’re individuals, all with different tastes, interests and preferences. What one loves, the others might hate. 

I doubt my nine-day-old niece or my three-year-old nephew would appreciate the wonderful complexities of the Venus flytrap I’m getting my oldest nephew. I know that because I know them. 

Buying seven of the same item might be convenient for me, but it would fail to achieve my goal of making each of them as happy as possible. 

And here, finally, is the communications lesson. 

You must listen to and understand your audience before you say or do anything. Specificity is essential, with 71% of consumers expecting companies to produce tailored communications and 76% feeling frustrated when they don’t.  

Your narrative could be clear, focused and well-structured, with a call-to-action aligned with the purpose of your work. But in an age of endless content - or a Christmas day with an abundance of competing presents - your comms will flop if the identities, needs and preferences of those you want to influence aren’t considered. 

In an increasingly digitised world, tools enabling you to read your audiences are plentiful. Using data and analytics to reveal who is engaging with your brand and content allows patterns to be identified in how your audience responds; what they like, or don’t. 

By considering carefully their preferences, you can choose which stories you tell, and where and how you tell them. The people interacting with you on LinkedIn are probably different to those doing so on Instagram or TikTok and all will have different expectations in terms of format, tone and focus.  

This holds true for any stakeholder interaction, from in-person presentations and written content to meetings or phone calls (Gen-Z shudders).  

At Charlotte Street Partners, it’s something we consider every day. Knowing our clients, how they work and what they need is essential for delivering high quality service and maintaining trusted relationships. Recognising the audiences they want to engage and influence, equally so.  

Demonstrating knowledge of your audience is a sure way to connect with them and build your reliability. It’s an investment of time and resources, but one that reaps rewards for your impact and reputation. 

And the measure of the return on my investment in understanding my audience? 

Cool auntie points this Christmas.

Sophie Taylor, associate, Charlotte Street Partners