From Insight Strategy to Media Targeting: Why the Translation Layer Matters

As a follow-up to my previous note from Part 2 of 2026 Marketing Planning: psychographic targets don’t map cleanly to platform targeting.

One of the biggest places CPG teams get stuck is after the insight work is done. They define a clear consumer — say, “time-starved parents who want nutritious food without compromise” — and then open Meta or TikTok and are forced into blunt tools like age ranges and generic interests.

The nuance disappears.

At that point, teams either default to demographics or spend budget testing broad audiences without a clear hypothesis.

What’s missing is a translation layer.

Psychographic insight has to be interpreted into observable platform signals — behaviors, moments of use, content context, and first-party data where it exists.

The sequencing matters: start with what you already know about your customers, layer in signals that reflect why someone buys, and rely on broad targeting only once creative is strong enough to do the filtering.

The strongest brands don’t expect media settings to fully carry the strategy. They let creative do the targeting. If your consumer is health-conscious but skeptical of wellness marketing, your messaging should naturally screen for that mindset.

Nail the human truth first. The tactics follow.