Introduction: The Hidden Problem in Customer Profiling
Do you know who your ideal customer is? You might think so. But when you ask your team, everyone pictures someone different. It’s not their fault—it’s how our brains work.
This disconnect can derail your marketing efforts, leading to inconsistent messaging and wasted resources. The good news? By understanding the psychology of perception and thinking like a storyteller, you can align your team and build better campaigns.
In this post, we’ll explore why teams interpret customer profiles differently, the psychology behind it, and practical solutions to get everyone on the same page.
The Psychology of Perception: Why Teams See Things Differently
What Are Schemas and How Do They Influence Us?
When we hear a description, our brains rely on schemas—mental shortcuts based on our experiences, biases, and culture. These schemas help us process information quickly, but they’re also why we interpret the same thing differently.
For example:
• A team member who values fitness might imagine a yoga-loving, health-conscious customer.
• Another with a corporate background might envision a no-nonsense executive in a power suit.
• Someone focused on sustainability might see an eco-conscious, globe-trotting minimalist.
The Role of Confirmation Bias in Customer Profiling
Confirmation bias makes things worse. Your brain actively seeks evidence that supports what you already believe. So even if everyone agrees on an ideal customer profile, their interpretations will differ because their brains prioritize familiar traits.
Why Screenwriters and Psychologists Get It Right
Screenwriters and psychologists know this: a character is more than a list of traits. They’re shaped by their backstory, desires, and conflicts. Your ideal customer should be treated the same way. If your team sees her differently, your marketing will be inconsistent and unfocused.
Visualising the Problem: The Art Experiment
To understand this concept, let’s use an artistic experiment. Imagine you describe your ideal customer:
• A 50-year-old woman, fit and healthy, a senior finance executive, divorced, with grown-up kids, loves yoga, adventurous, and conservative.
Now, hand this description to artists with different styles:
• Salvador Dalí would create a surrealist vision of clocks and yoga mats melting into the horizon.
• Vincent Van Gogh might paint her as a swirl of emotion and colour.
• Aardman Animation could make her a cheerful, slightly exaggerated character.
• Beryl Cook might show her as lively and approachable, with bold colours and playful details.
The same description, yet entirely different results. This is exactly what happens when your team interprets customer profiles without alignment.
Why This Matters for Your Marketing
Mixed Messaging Hurts Your Brand
When your team has conflicting ideas of your ideal customer, it shows. Your messaging becomes fragmented, your campaigns feel inconsistent, and your audience doesn’t connect. It’s like filming a movie where every actor has a different script.
Clarity Equals Results
On the flip side, when your team aligns on the same vision, your marketing hits harder. Your campaigns feel cohesive, your brand becomes memorable, and your audience sees themselves in your messaging.
Practical Solutions to Align Your Team’s Vision
1. Use Empathy Mapping to Deepen Understanding
Instead of focusing on demographics, ask deeper questions:
• What are your customer’s fears and frustrations?
• What motivates their decisions?
• What do they hope to achieve?
Empathy mapping helps uncover the emotional drivers behind your customer’s behavior, creating a shared understanding across your team.
2. Create a Visual Persona
Develop a visual representation of your ideal customer. This could be a composite photo or an illustration that captures her traits. When your team has a tangible image to reference, it eliminates ambiguity.
3. Role-Play Your Customer
Host a role-playing session where team members embody the customer:
• Assign one person to act as the customer and answer questions about their preferences, habits, and challenges.
• This exercise reveals hidden assumptions and aligns perspectives.
4. Centralise Customer Insights
Use tools to centralise and share data about your customers—feedback, surveys, and behavioural analytics. When your team has access to real-world data, it reduces reliance on personal bias.
5. Regularly Audit Your Messaging
• Review your campaigns to ensure they align with your shared customer profile.
• Check for consistent tone, voice, and imagery across all channels.
The Flashbuzz Approach: Turning Chaos Into Clarity
At Flashbuzz, we specialise in helping businesses align their vision. We don’t just help you define your ideal customer—we help your entire team see the same person. With psychology-driven strategies and storytelling techniques, we create customer profiles that stick.
Conclusion: Your Customer Is Waiting—Do You See Her?
Here’s the big question: Does your team see the same ideal customer? If not, how much is that costing you in clarity, connection, and results?
It’s time to stop guessing and start aligning. Let’s talk. At Flashbuzz, we help teams create a unified vision of their customer, turning fragmented messaging into a powerful, cohesive story. Because in marketing, clarity wins.