Different than your audience or personas, your target, otherwise known as your sources of growth, looks at a broader yet no less specific cohort of consumers based on their propensity to be interested in your product or services. There are only four sources where growth can come from: Loyalists, Vulnerable Repurchasers, Switchers, and New Category Entrants.

The best way for you to create a successful ad is by using a simple but effective tool like the creative brief. A proper brief will help you plan your campaign and know what kind of work is required. And by clearly stating your objectives and providing guidance on the target market and competition, this document will also assist in getting buy-in from decision-makers who may not be as familiar with advertising terms as your team.

If you truly want to understand your target consumers and develop better marketing plans, you need to stop thinking about them as an “audience” or a “market segment.” Instead, think about them as the people they are in their everyday lives—as customers.

While the CDJ is a simple model, it's one of the most useful for understanding how we make decisions. It lays out how buyers move from one stage to another during the decision-making process, and it provides marketers with two critical insights that you can use to improve their marketing.