The current state of AI in data-driven marketing — Bryan Gernert // Resonate

Bryan Gernert, CEO of Resonate, explores understanding AI-driven insights in marketing and human motivation. While demographics initially provided a broad understanding of audiences for marketers, their limitations are painfully evident today. A more effective approach involves deeper audience segmentation that considers attributes like values, motivations, and preferences, using data-driven insights to precisely target individuals at a human level. Today, Bryan discusses going beyond demographics and psychographics to understand human motivation.
About the speaker

Bryan Gernert

Resonate

- Resonate

Bryan is CEO at Resonate

Show Notes

  • 01:45
    What Resonate does and how it uses AI to deliver data driven insights
    Resonate uses AI to understand the US consumer's values, beliefs, and motivations across 14,000 attributes, going beyond demographics. This approach helps connect with consumers on a human level for more effective interactions.
  • 02:36
    Human values as motivational drivers in decision making
    Personal values influence not just purchases but life choices. Factors like the importance of influence shape behaviors, going beyond basic demographics to reveal deep motivations that individuals might not even realize drive their actions.
  • 03:38
    Consumer recognition of motivations behind their decisions
    Customers grasp their motivations, but not all decisions are consciously assessed. Larger purchases connect to values like quality and safety, whereas everyday choices, like picking a phone, may not immediately unveil underlying values and motivations.
  • 05:33
    The science behind values based marketing
    Approximately 30 universal human values exist, challenging the notion of highly unique individual values. Marketing thrives on the similarity among groups shaped by these shared values.
  • 07:05
    Values marketers neglect when approaching marketing messages and positioning
    Values like tolerance, connecting with nature, equality, pleasure, and independence may not immediately come to mind when considering marketing messages or positioning. However, they're integral to our core human values.
  • 08:55
    Modern marketings shift to deeper connections and the limitations of demographics
    Demographics alone don't effectively define an audience for meaningful marketing connections. While it's a useful filter, understanding the "why" behind buying decisions is crucial, going beyond just the ability to purchase, especially when considering big-ticket items.
  • 10:13
    Marketings heavy reliance on demographics for segmentation
    Marketing still relies heavily on demographics for marketing segmentation, viewing them as core characteristics rather than filters. However, there's now a better way to define audiences based on what's most relevant to what you're selling, communicating, or how you want to connect with people.
  • 13:02
    The issue with simple demographics and psychographics
    Demographics are limited in terms of informing targeting efforts. In the case of Ferrari, relying solely on demographics would suggest anyone with a certain income and net worth is a potential buyer, but this overlooks the fact that not everyone with the means desires a Ferrari.
  • 14:57
    Basing audience segmentation on motivations
    Begin with the desired outcome, like connecting with consumers who prioritize a specific value, Define the audience based on this value and their willingness to act on it, which reveals diverse segments with varying levels of engagement around the value.
  • 15:58
    How Resonate leverages AI to assist companies with customer segmentation
    Resonate combines the companys first-party data with its own extensive dataset, and leverages AI to create distinct audiences based on specific characteristics, values, and buying preferences. Resonate identifies prospects most likely to become their next best customers.
  • 17:52
    Lookalike modeling vs. Resonates approach to segmentation
    When Resonate defines an audience, theyre pinpointing specific individuals with those exact characteristics, not just applying a blanket lookalike model. This precision at the attribute level sets them apart from the typical approach of doing a single lookalike based on the entire customer base.
  • 20:06
    Resonate's approach vs. lookalike audiences on Meta or Google Ads
    Resonate doesn't create "proxy" audiences that are based mainly on demographic similarities to an existing audience. Instead, they identify individuals who share specific attributes, values, and motivations, allowing businesses to target their advertising and messaging more precisely.
  • 22:07
    The value of authentic marketing
    Inauthentic marketing, where you claim certain values but don't truly embody them, is not sustainable. When you understand your audience's core values and motivations, you can tailor your messaging, products, and services to resonate with them on a meaningful level.

Quotes

  • "Over the last 14 years, we've leveraged AI to understand consumers, and how best to interact with them and reach them in a way that connects with them on a human level, and not just a high-level demographic level." - Bryan Gernert

  • "People consider values for bigger purchases, but day-to-day choices like buying a phone may not reveal underlying motivations." - Bryan Gernert

  • "As much as we want to think about how there's no one exactly like us, marketing's based on the fact that there are groups of people that are similar to each other. There are only about 30 values as human beings that exist." - Bryan Gernert

  • "Demographics arent a great way to define an audience. It isn't a bad way to filter out people that don't fit in. But not a great way to think about marketing from the standpoint of I want to really connect with somebody." - Bryan Gernert

  • "Marketing is rapidly shifting towards understanding the deeper level: not just whether people can buy, but why and if they will buy." - Bryan Gernert

  • "If you can connect at that human level, you build stronger relationships that last longer and that are more genuine." - Bryan Gernert

About the speaker

Bryan Gernert

Resonate

- Resonate

Bryan is CEO at Resonate

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