AudienceCONArchive

The archive

AudienceCON: where audience intelligence becomes action

The first AudienceCON was held on Wednesday 7th June 2023 at Pulsar’s office in Hatton Garden, London. It was a small, invite-only day for marketers, researchers, creatives and data scientists to ask what it really means to put audiences at the heart of decisions.

About 85 people came in person. The whole day was also livestreamed, with a day-long feature on the homepage of The Independent, so people around the world could follow the talks and join the Q&As.

DateWednesday 7th June 2023, 9am to 6pm
PlacePulsar, Hatton Garden, London
ChairDavid Boyle, Audience Strategies
Sessions7 filmed talks and panels

Who made it happen

AudienceCON was organised by David Boyle (Audience Strategies), who chaired the day, with a core group of partners:

Watch the sessions

Every filmed session from the day. (One further session was held under the Chatham House Rule and was not recorded.)

Leveraging Audience Intelligence to Solve Disconnect in the Music IndustryChristine Osazuwa (CHIPS, Measure of Music, ex-Warner Music)
Decoding Digital Signals: Demystifying the Fundamentals of Audience IntelligenceVirginia Alvarez (Wunderman Thompson Data), Francesco D’Orazio (Pulsar), Mike Stevens (Insight Platforms), Rachael Lake (m/SIX), Alina Stan (TEAM LEWIS)
The Role of Deep Human Insights in Creative StrategyLaura Simpson (McCann Worldgroup)
Empowering Marketing Strategies: Trust, Insight, and Audience-Centric ApproachesMike White (Lively), Edd Atcheson (Adobe), Visha Kudhail (ex-Pinterest, Google)
Tuning into Instinct: The Power of Creativity over Data in Music’s Golden ErasMiles Leonard (Token||Traxx, ex-EMI/Parlophone)
Crafting Impact-Driven Success Through Innovation and Product DevelopmentSimon Miller (The Craftory)
ChatGPT Gets Us 80% of the Way There, FasterRichard Bowman and Louisa Livingston (Audience Strategies)

The day

  1. Welcome, kick-off and introductions, Francesco D’Orazio (Pulsar). A call to look beneath the surface of audience data, using the analogy of medical imaging.
  2. Leveraging Audience Intelligence to Solve Disconnect in the Music Industry, Christine Osazuwa (CHIPS, Measure of Music, ex-Warner Music). How marketing strategies can be built from the ground up by understanding real audience behaviours, starting with grassroots communities and moving beyond dominant markets, and how to balance data with the authenticity fans value.
  3. Decoding Digital Signals: Demystifying the Fundamentals of Audience Intelligence, Virginia Alvarez (Wunderman Thompson Data), Francesco D’Orazio (Pulsar), Mike Stevens (Insight Platforms), Rachael Lake (m/SIX), Alina Stan (TEAM LEWIS). The core principles of audience intelligence: moving beyond siloed tools, triangulating insight across data sources, and why setting hypotheses matters.
  4. The Role of Deep Human Insights in Creative Strategy, Laura Simpson (McCann Worldgroup). How human truths can elevate brand storytelling: combining qualitative observation with ethical data use, fusing emotional depth with analytics for more resonant and inclusive narratives.
  5. Empowering Marketing Strategies: Trust, Insight, and Audience-Centric Approaches, Mike White (Lively), Edd Atcheson (Adobe), Visha Kudhail (ex-Pinterest, Google). What it takes to shift organisations from business-centric to audience-first: trust through transparency, rethinking success metrics, and long-term audience relationships built through testing and feedback.
  6. Tuning into Instinct: The Power of Creativity over Data in Music’s Golden Eras, Miles Leonard (Token||Traxx, ex-EMI/Parlophone). Moments in music history that show how instinct, cultural awareness and risk-taking drive breakthrough success, as a counterbalance to purely data-led strategy.
  7. Crafting Impact-Driven Success Through Innovation and Product Development, Simon Miller (The Craftory). A framework for identifying unmet needs and translating them into innovation, with examples from consumer goods to pet care, and the case for embedding insight in culture, not just process.
  8. A session held under the Chatham House Rule, not recorded.
  9. ChatGPT Gets Us 80% of the Way There, Faster, Richard Bowman and Louisa Livingston (Audience Strategies). Where generative AI accelerates insight work and where its limits lie, including a live segmentation comparison showing how AI can support, but not replace, strategic thinking and qualitative depth.
  10. Working session: what we learned and what happens next. A group discussion to pull the day’s ideas together.

Ten lessons from the day

  1. Focus on needs, not wants: solve real problems audiences face
  2. Balance data with creativity: use insights to inform, not dictate
  3. Shift your culture: audience-first starts inside your organisation
  4. Tell stories, not just stats: connect through emotion
  5. Use AI with care: a helpful tool, not a total solution
  6. Rethink your KPIs: prioritise NPS over vanity metrics
  7. Be transparent: earn audience trust through openness
  8. Test and learn: use agile methods to refine what works
  9. Include diverse voices: diversity makes for better insights
  10. Live your values: insights should lead to action

As summarised by Pulsar. Read the full write-ups below.

Who spoke

Write-ups

Photos

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What’s next

The original plan for AudienceCON was always bigger than one day: a gathering, then a livestream, then a community, then more events. We’re thinking about running AudienceCON again. If you’d like to hear when, or you’d like to be part of it, email community@audiencecon.xyz.