The first solution to combine deterministic precision with the scale of AI generated, individual level personas - calibrated to real world truth in every platform - ending the era of segment level guesswork and introducing a new era of media activation. 

Dentsu today announced the launch of Generative Audiences, an AI-powered audience intelligence and activation capability designed to redefine how brands plan and buy media in the algorithmic era. The UK is the first market to deploy this advanced capability, setting a new benchmark for innovation in audience strategy. 

Traditional identity-based targeting struggles with scale, while signal-only models often lack accuracy. Generative Audiences brings these strengths together. It combines the deterministic precision of people-based data with AI-driven signals to create statistical simulations of real audience groups - such as UK homeowners, 18–34s or early tech adopters. The result is scalable, privacy-conscious, audiences without an overreliance on personal data. 

Beginning with insight generation, Generative Audiences overcomes the limitations of traditional research methods. These methods often rely on siloed data sets or lengthy, manual fusion processes. Instead, Generative Audiences enables interoperability with existing data, instantly synthesizing multiple rich, diverse, static and dynamic data sources relevant to the client and market. We then create synthetic personas to allow the user to easily interact with the audience to get a deeper understanding of their motivations and behaviours. Practitioners can uncover new insights quickly, without depending on a single data source or commissioning fresh research. For instance, teams can ask how a persona might react to a new creative copy line or interpret yesterday’s election news. 

With a holistic view of the audience, insights flow seamlessly into activation. Beyond conventional targeting methods - such as ID matching in clean rooms or opaque third-party signal solutions - marketers can now incorporate context when defining audiences. This enables more relevant connections by understanding mood state, location, and shifting needs across the funnel, while also yielding clearer publisher-level insights. For example, a retailer locating direct purchase data can build high-intent segments by combining signals like household composition, dietary preferences and even the travel or commute patterns people follow at specific times. Ultimately, unlocking richer and more predictive audience understanding than traditional approaches allow. 

“Generative Audiences is a true game-changer for the UK market. It gives our clients instant growth intelligence, allowing them to ask anything, anticipate what’s next and activate with precision,” said Ben Gott, Data & Technology President, dentsu UK&I “This isn’t just another targeting tool. It’s a new sophisticated approach that blends human insight with AI to help brands stay ahead of cultural and consumer shifts.”  

Early UK trials show powerful results that expand beyond reaching marketers’ existing audiences: up to 60% increases in meaningful reach, and 33% greater precision when adding contextual relevance.  

“Most generative audiences in the market today come straight out of an LLM. They’re not calibrated to real people or real-world context but simply take the model outputs as truth. We take a fundamentally different approach. We’re not chasing signals; we’re activating the ones that matter and truly understand the world around us,” said Shirli Zelcer, Chief Data & Technology Officer, dentsu. “This isn’t about agentic overload, it’s about designing smarter agents and AI fueled technology that collaborate seamlessly across the marketing ecosystem, turning intelligence into intention and relevance into results.” 

Generative Audiences is powered by dentsu.AI, the company’s proprietary intelligence engine, and integrates seamlessly with dentsu.Connect, enabling interoperability with clients’ existing data and technology investments. This ensures flexibility and scalability - even in low-data markets - while committed to complying with UK and global privacy standards. 

“At dentsu, we’re embedding intelligence into everything we do, helping brands innovate, differentiate, and, most importantly, grow faster than their peers,” commented Will Swayne, Global and Americas Media CEO, dentsu. “By combining cutting-edge technology with human insight, we’re building innovation capabilities that deliver real impact, while maintaining the media excellence our clients expect.” 

The UK launch represents the first step in a phased global rollout, with further enhancements planned to make the solution even more sophisticated over time.