Personas: Why they still matter in marketing.

More than a marketing exercise.

Personas are often dismissed as simplistic. A few stock photos, a name, a list of likes and dislikes. But when approached properly, they remain one of the most effective ways to align teams, sharpen strategy, and keep customer needs at the centre of decision-making.

Personas aren’t about inventing characters. They’re about capturing evidence in a human, relatable way – turning scattered data points into a clear narrative that influences decisions across the organisation.

What a persona really captures.

A strong persona isn’t defined by demographics. It goes deeper, pulling together:

• Context – the environment they operate in, their role, responsibilities, and pressures.
• Drivers – what motivates their decisions and what outcomes they seek.
• Barriers – the obstacles, objections, and sources of friction.
• Behaviours – how they evaluate, compare, and decide.

The detail matters less than the discipline. A persona should be specific enough to guide decisions, but flexible enough to evolve as new insights emerge.

Why they remain valuable.

When used well, personas cut through complexity. They help large teams stay aligned around a shared understanding of the customer. They sharpen segmentation and positioning by focusing attention on why people buy, not just who they are. They anchor messaging, stopping campaigns from drifting into vague generalities. And most importantly, they encourage empathy – reminding marketers that behind every metric is a person with goals, frustrations, and trade-offs.

A weak vs strong persona.

To see the difference, consider these two examples.

Weak persona:
“Millennial Mary, aged 25–34. Female. Likes social media and coffee.”

This tells you very little. It’s descriptive, but not actionable. It doesn’t explain what matters to Mary, what holds her back, or why she might choose one brand over another.

Stronger persona:
“Sophie, 29, project manager in a fast-paced consultancy. Works long hours and often skips breaks. She values convenience and reliability, and is willing to pay extra for anything that saves her time. Her biggest frustration is wasting time in queues or waiting for services to be delivered. She is digitally confident and relies on mobile apps to simplify her life.”

This version gives you direction. It tells you Sophie’s context (time-poor professional), her drivers (convenience, reliability), her barriers (queues, wasted time), and her behaviours (mobile-first, digitally confident). You can immediately imagine the choices she makes day to day.

From persona to messaging.

A persona becomes valuable when it influences what you say and how you say it. For Sophie, a campaign could look like this:

• Proposition: Highlight time-saving and convenience above all else.
• Messaging line: “Lunch in 5 minutes, no queue required.”
• Tone of voice: Confident and efficient – showing respect for her time.
• Channel choices: Mobile-first communications, with push notifications and pre-order app prompts.
• Experience design: Simple interfaces, one-click ordering, and reliable fulfilment.

Every element of the campaign ties back to the persona. Instead of generic claims about “great service” or “quality products,” the messaging zeroes in on what Sophie values most – control over her time.

Why personas fail.

Of course, not all personas deliver this level of clarity. Many fail because they are too generic, focusing on demographics rather than motivations. Others are created once and never updated, quickly losing relevance. Some aren’t linked to decision-making, sitting in decks rather than being applied in campaign planning.

A persona that doesn’t change how you act is little more than decoration.