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The brands winning in 2025 are the ones who know their audience AND how to talk to them.

Somewhere in the world is your perfect target audience, ignore them and you risk campaigns falling flat. Get it right and you’ll spark loyalty, drive engagement and turn casual scrollers into lifelong fans.

If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one

We’ve all felt it… That rush when a post goes viral and engagement shoots through the roof. But what happens after?!

Reaching a large audience is great, it opens the door for your target to find you, but your marketing can’t rely on it. Through all of the noise, you’ve gotta make an impact with messaging that your target market can see themselves in and that’s authentic to you.

Sooooo, how do you do that?!
Here’s some of the brands that are killing the game when it comes to audience targeting.

RyanAir’s Chaotic Approach

Feel like everyone’s going on holiday right now?! Yeah… us too.

Summer is PEAK time for airlines to sell their services, with some of them getting some unexpected organic reach (nothing beats a Jet2 holiday, right?! 👀)

RyanAir stand above the rest with their unconventional approach. They’ve turned their reputation for cheap flights into viral content by leaning into chaotic Gen Z humour on TikTok.

They took a risk, going a different route to their biggest competitors and fully leaning into unhinged comedy.

It worked out massively for one big reason… They know their audience. RyanAir’s cheap flights appeal to young travellers who want budget-friendly trips, the same people using TikTok and seeking out brands with personality.

They didn’t try to please everyone. Instead, they owned their niche and became iconic doing it.

This is not just marketing… This is M&S marketing

M&S first launched their iconic “This is not just food… This is M&S food” campaign back in 2004, reaching TVs alllll over the UK. It was simple, impactful and showcased their product in a non-complicated way.

It reached a point where it felt less like a campaign and more like an identity for the brand.

The supermarket have used it for over 20 years now, a risky choice with markets changing so frequently. It could’ve felt like they were stuck in the past, isolating their newer audiences and clinging to an old identity.

This works, though. It strikes a chord with their legacy customers, plays on nostalgia and makes them recognisable.

They know their audience isn’t all Gen-Z. Sticking to their loyal customers instead of pushing them out for new ones is why M&S is such an iconic brand.

Marketing That’s Off The Wall

Vans leans fully into skateboarding and DIY street culture.

They know who’s wearing their shoes, so they cater their marketing to them directly.

This goes WAYYYY beyond ads and social media, Vans carves out a real life physical space for skaters. Their House of Vans was part skate-park, part gig venue, part art gallery and ALL about culture.

Selling to your audience can boost your brand, but making space for them is what created loyalty and impact.

Your Bold Impact Audience Driven Wednesday Morning Playlist

If you’re a Spotify user you know that the day their Wrapped drops is like a second Christmas.

Their in-depth analysis of your music taste throughout the year feels like a gift, tailored to you and bizarrely specific at times.

They make their product feel personal in a way that many other brands just can’t. They reward their audience for listening to music on their platform, adding value that keeps them jamming year round.

Now Spotify take it a step further, with personalised Daylists every single day, each with a veeeerrrryyyyyyy specific mood attached, updating in the morning, midday and afternoon.

Spotify tap into highly specific identities and make their varied audience feel seen and recognised instead of pushing the same generic playlist out.

Soooo… What about me?!

“What about my brand?!” “How do I target my audience?!” we hear you say…

Don’t fear, we’ve got some top tips for narrowing down your audience and talking to them in ways that make an impact.

• Research a TON: What does your target market look like? What are other brands doing?
• Make personas: Outline EXACTLY what your ideal audience looks like
• Adapt, adapt, adapt: Your audience won’t stay the same forever, don’t be afraid to change with them
• Listen to the noise: Audiences are more opinionated than ever, make sure they feel heard by you
• Keep it real: People can smell fake a mile off… if you abandon your values to reach an audience, they aren’t the right one!

And guess what?! No two brands are gonna reach their audience in the same way. That’s the magic of marketing, your audience is truly YOURS to speak to.

What’s next?!

Our newest BBC Documentary is live on iPlayer, CHECK IT OUT: WATCH NOW
We’re launching the first cohort of our Bold Brand Club, an 8 week intensive course for marketers looking to find their brand personality and make impact.
Places are going fast, register your interest NOWWW 👉 WANDER WORKS

TL;DR: Your audience is the key to successful marketing. You’ve gotta know them inside and out and talk to them authentically. The best brands understand their audience, making them feel seen AND heard.