Understanding your audience on social media is a bit like knowing the crowd at a party – you wouldn’t bring a cheese board if everyone’s vegan.
When brands and creators understand their audience’s preferences, pain points and behaviours, they can deliver tailored messages that foster connection, trust and drive actions. This helps build authentic interactions that keep people coming back for more, paving the way for long-term loyalty and advocacy. Let’s take a look at the brands that really ‘get’ their audience – and how they make it happen.
Bumble
Bumble’s latest collaboration with Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg is a match made in marketing heaven and proof that Bumble truly gets its audience. Bumble’s USP is all about empowering women to make the first move, and who better to embody that than Amelia? Her entire online persona is built around initiating awkward and hilarious celebrity dates, making her the perfect ambassador for the brand.
Bumble knows what its core audience (millennials and Gen Z women) wants: humour, relatability and a sense of empowerment. By teaming up with Amelia, they’ve nailed the art of blending trending cultural moments with a conversational, inclusive vibe, building trust and connection.
Channel 4.0
Channel 4.0 is Channel 4’s newest, and youngest, brand. It features original shows on YouTube and across social media featuring some of the UK’s most viral creators right now. They recently hit an impressive 1 million TikTok followers, all achieved completely organically. How did they manage it? By making sure every single piece of content and every creator chosen was audience-first from the very beginning.
They’ve truly understood that to succeed on social media and connect with a younger digital audience, content needs to resonate. That means moving away from traditional TV talent in TV formats and staying ahead of the curve by working with rising online stars that this audience already loves. They’ve also mastered the art of eye-catching thumbnails and crafting the perfect hook – both editorially and algorithmically – from the very start of the commissioning process.
Candy Kittens
To celebrate Veganuary, vegan sweet brand Candy Kittens has launched a pop-up store at Waitrose in Canary Wharf. To promote it on socials, they’ve teamed up with rising TikTok stars @sophiaroseturner_ and @darceysimmons_, who are known for their unique workplace dance videos and certified ‘baddie’ energy. With a combined following of over 69,000 and recent viral success, these niche creators bring a fun ‘shock factor’ to Candy Kittens’ account, leaving followers pleasantly surprised to see their favourite TikTokers pop up in an unexpected collab.
Working with niche creators is fast becoming a go-to tactic for brands wanting to prove they’re tapped into online culture. Candy Kittens isn’t the first to recognise the power of these collaborations – towards the end of 2024, Jacquemus teamed up with Bus Auntie, aka @omo.oroje, for their London store opening, recreating her iconic videos of London buses narrowly missing her. It’s weird, it’s wonderful and it works.
By truly understanding their audience and their niche interests, these brands show that success on social media isn’t just about staying relevant – it’s about building meaningful connections that last.
