Software buyers: target customers (?)

Vernon Aufderhar

Vernon Aufderhar found his niche in media planning after graduating with a marketing degree from a state university. He gravitated towards the independent agency world for its hands-on approach, which appealed to his meticulous nature and desire to see direct impact. For the past seven years, he's been a critical player at a small New York City agency, specializing in local and regional Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) campaigns for retail and hospitality clients. His work is defined by a deep reliance on spreadsheets, where he meticulously crafts screen lists and daypart strategies, and a methodical process of individually checking publisher portals for availability and pricing. Keeping track of these numerous, often granular, bookings is managed through a complex system of shared map exports and a constant stream of email correspondence, a method that has served the agency well but is increasingly showing its limitations. Vernon’s income allows for a comfortable, though not extravagant, lifestyle in Brooklyn, where he prioritizes experiences and practical savings over luxury purchases. He believes strongly in the tangible outcomes of his work, viewing accuracy and client trust as paramount. His personal life is grounded in routine and quiet enjoyment, whether it’s following his beloved Mets, exploring new craft breweries, or simply reading up on urban development. He's at a career juncture where the efficiency of his current processes is becoming a pressing concern, sparking an underlying curiosity about how technology might streamline his meticulous efforts without compromising the precision he values.

Jaime Lebsack

Born in Leeds and raised in a family that valued practical education, Jaime Lebsack moved to London immediately after graduating with a degree in Business and Marketing. Her early career was defined by a hunger to understand the mechanics of modern commerce, leading her into the volatile world of DTC ecommerce. Now 29, she serves as the de facto anchor for her small growth team, tasked with the unenviable job of bridging the gap between traditional advertising and digital-first strategies. Despite the company's rapid growth, Jaime operates with the resourcefulness of a startup founder, often stitching together solutions from disparate free tools because the budget doesn't yet support enterprise-grade planning platforms. Her professional identity is built on a foundation of clarity and efficiency. She has developed a reputation for spotting inefficiencies in workflows that others accept as normal. Recently, she spearheaded a manual audit of the company's previous DOOH campaigns, discovering significant gaps in location tracking that had gone unnoticed due to reliance on generic reports. This experience solidified her belief that better data visibility is the key to unlocking higher ROI, even without expensive software. However, this drive creates a constant friction: she knows there are better ways to manage these complex, time-sensitive buys, but she lacks the centralized tool to execute them seamlessly. Outside of work, Jaime is a wanderer at heart, constantly seeking the next interesting city to explore. She views travel not just as leisure, but as a source of creative fuel, observing how brands utilize physical spaces in Tokyo or New York differently than in London. Financially, she is pragmatic, saving aggressively while maintaining a lifestyle that allows for cultural engagement. She is currently navigating the pressures of being a young woman in a male-dominated tech sector, relying on her competence and quiet persistence to earn respect. Her days are a balancing act between the chaotic energy of a growing brand and her internal need for order, a tension that drives her relentless pursuit of better systems.

Emilio Döring

Emilio Döring, 41, has carved out a niche for himself as an independent DOOH consultant based in Berlin. His journey into out-of-home advertising began over a decade ago, following a Master's degree in communication where he developed a keen interest in media's impact on urban environments. Initially working within agencies, he found himself increasingly drawn to the autonomy and direct client relationships offered by freelance work. This led him to establish his own consultancy 12 years ago, focusing on providing specialized DOOH planning and execution services for small to medium-sized brands primarily in Germany and the Netherlands. His income of €78,000 reflects his established expertise and consistent client base, though it also necessitates careful financial management and a constant drive for efficiency. Emilio is deeply invested in the precision of his work; he believes that meticulous planning is the bedrock of successful campaigns. This philosophy is evident in his current workflow, where he leverages a dedicated DOOH planning platform for initial research and drafting. However, he still dedicates significant time to manually reconciling screen availability, hold lists, and budget constraints using spreadsheets, a process he finds both essential for accuracy and frustratingly time-consuming. This dual approach stems from a desire for absolute control over the final recommendations he provides to his clients, ensuring no detail is overlooked. His passion for photography and urban exploration often intersects with his professional interests, providing him with a unique visual perspective on the DOOH landscape. He views his independence as paramount, cherishing the ability to set his own hours and choose his clients, which in turn fuels his commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable service. Emilio is currently evaluating his tools and processes, seeking ways to optimize his workflow without compromising the accuracy and strategic depth he prides himself on.

Edward Schmidt

Edward Schmidt, 32, has carved out a niche for himself as a Performance Marketing Manager at a mid-sized e-commerce firm based in Manchester. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Business, he landed in marketing after a brief stint in a more general business analysis role, finding his true calling in the dynamic world of digital and performance-driven advertising. His career trajectory has been marked by a steady climb, driven by his innate conscientiousness and a relentless focus on measurable outcomes. He's been in his current role for four years, steadily taking on more responsibility, particularly in the complex realm of out-of-home (OOH) advertising planning. This specific area has become a significant part of his workload, involving the intricate process of selecting and booking digital billboard space. Edward's approach to this is deeply rooted in his personality: he meticulously manages target cities, available hours, and estimated spend within a series of detailed spreadsheets. The real challenge, and a source of considerable time investment, lies in the manual cross-checking of screen availability and campaign timing across numerous vendor websites. This process, often involving one designer for creative assets and a finance lead for budget approvals, consumes a substantial portion of his week. He recently made a decision to pilot a new tracking method for OOH campaigns, aiming to better correlate specific billboard placements with website traffic spikes, a move driven by a desire for more granular data. Edward is financially prudent, saving diligently for a property deposit, and views his income of £63,000 as a solid foundation for future security. He values accountability and measurability above all else, believing that every marketing pound spent must be justifiable through clear, quantifiable results. His personality leans towards the organised and pragmatic, with a moderate level of extraversion that allows him to collaborate effectively within his team and with external vendors, while his low neuroticism keeps him steady under pressure.

Katherine Huels

Katherine Huels has been a fixture in Chicago's advertising scene for over fifteen years. After graduating with an advertising degree from Northwestern University, she honed her media buying skills at a larger agency before identifying a gap in the market for personalized, dedicated service for smaller, local businesses. In 2009, she founded her own 7-person shop, focusing initially on radio and print, but quickly pivoting to digital and out-of-home as the landscape evolved. Her deep commitment to client service and a meticulous, hands-on approach to buying have been the cornerstones of the agency's steady growth. Katherine firmly believes that true client value comes from understanding every facet of a campaign, which is why she personally vets every DOOH proposal. This often involves late nights spent cross-referencing vendor PDFs with her own intricate spreadsheets, comparing screen locations, availability windows, and hourly rates. She’s pragmatic about technology, embracing tools that demonstrably improve efficiency without sacrificing accuracy, but she remains skeptical of solutions that promise magic without showing the mechanics. Her income reflects her success and the long hours she invests, enabling a comfortable life for her family and providing a solid financial cushion for the agency, a testament to her disciplined approach to profit and growth. She views time as her most precious commodity, constantly seeking ways to optimize its use without compromising the quality that defines her agency's reputation.

Axel Benoit

Axel Benoit is a 38-year-old Media Director based in Paris, steering a specialized Out-of-Home (OOH) planning pod within a boutique creative agency. Holding a Master's degree in Media Management, he has spent the last decade refining the intersection of data-driven planning and aesthetic brand strategy. Currently, he earns an annual income of €84,000, a figure that reflects his seniority and the specialized nature of his work in the competitive Parisian market. Despite the agency's investment in a leading competitor's OOH planning platform, Axel and his team have not fully migrated their workflow to the tool's native capabilities. Instead, they operate in a hybrid state: they utilize the competitor's database for initial screening but rely on a labor-intensive manual process for the final stages. This involves exporting raw screen options into shared Google Sheets, manually cropping and annotating map screenshots for client presentations, and maintaining a rigid, email-based approval trail to ensure accountability. This discrepancy between available technology and actual usage stems from Axel's core value of process discipline. He finds the competitor's interface too abstract for the nuanced storytelling required by their consumer brand clients. Consequently, he spends a significant portion of his week bridging the gap between the software's output and the visual reality of Parisian streets. His recent decision-making has focused on optimizing these manual handoffs, trying to reduce the time spent on formatting without sacrificing the quality of the final deliverable. Axel is a man of quiet intensity, deeply invested in the physical landscape of European cities and how digital screens alter the urban experience. He balances his professional rigor with a personal life centered on design, photography, and cycling. While he is technically proficient, his reluctance to adopt a new tool blindly is not born of resistance to change, but of a protective instinct toward his team's efficiency and the integrity of his client campaigns. He views time as a finite resource that must be spent on high-value strategic thinking rather than administrative reconciliation.

Diksha Saini

Diksha Saini, 30, embodies the modern Indian professional navigating the dynamic tech landscape of Bangalore. Graduating with an engineering degree, she found her calling in marketing, drawn to the tangible impact of bringing consumer products to life. Her current role as a Regional Marketing Lead for a fast-growing mobile app company places her at the intersection of strategy and execution, with a particular focus on Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising. Her responsibilities are extensive: she's the architect behind regional launch campaigns, tasked with identifying city targets, securing screen inventory, and meticulously planning campaign flights. This process, however, is a testament to her resourcefulness. Lacking a dedicated planning software, Diksha relies on a robust system of spreadsheets for data management and free online mapping tools to visualize campaign placements. She orchestrates these efforts with the help of a dedicated intern and a freelance designer, acting as the central hub for all campaign-related information before it's relayed to headquarters. Her income of ₹18,00,000 reflects her experience and the critical nature of her role. Diksha lives at home, a decision influenced by a desire to save for future property ownership and maintain close family ties. This pragmatic approach to her finances extends to her professional life, where she constantly seeks cost-effective solutions and maximum impact. She is deeply invested in understanding urban dynamics, from traffic patterns influencing commute times to the emerging startup ecosystem. Recently, she championed a pilot campaign using hyper-local screen placements in specific Bangalore neighborhoods, a decision driven by a hunch about micro-targeting effectiveness. While this required extensive manual data collection and negotiation, the positive initial results have validated her belief in adaptable, data-informed, albeit resourcefully executed, strategies. She’s keenly aware of the evolving digital advertising space and the constant need to adapt to new trends, always with an eye on measurable outcomes.

Nelson Klein

Nelson Klein is the anchor of a modest but thriving three-location restaurant empire in Austin, Texas, a city that has transformed around him faster than he anticipated. At 52, with an Associate degree in Hospitality Management earned decades ago, Nelson built his business from a single food truck into a brick-and-mortar staple, driven by a deep commitment to local culture and quality ingredients. He is not a tech enthusiast; his world is defined by tactile experiences—the heat of the grill, the smell of fresh tortillas, the handshake at the end of a deal. Despite his success, earning roughly $135,000 annually, he remains fiercely protective of his capital, viewing every expense through a lens of immediate necessity and long-term stability. Currently, Nelson faces a significant operational friction point in his marketing efforts. While he recognizes the potential of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising to drive traffic during specific windows like the Formula 1 race or local sports playoffs, his method of execution is archaic and prone to error. He maintains a physical notebook containing phone numbers for regional media reps and a sprawling, color-coded Excel spreadsheet that tracks approximate costs and locations. This system works well enough for simple placements but breaks down when he needs to visualize a multi-screen campaign quickly. He relies heavily on his assistant, a capable but busy young woman, to make calls and coordinate with freelance designers, creating a bottleneck during high-stakes moments. Recently, he passed up a potentially lucrative opportunity because he couldn't verify screen availability fast enough, forcing him to settle for less optimal placement. He is currently skeptical of automated planning tools, fearing they lack the nuance of human negotiation, yet he feels the growing pain of trying to compete with larger chains that have sophisticated data teams. For Nelson, the goal isn't just to buy ads; it's to ensure his brand is visible in the right places at the right times without losing sleep over the logistics.

María Riojas Parra

María Riojas Parra's journey into the intricate world of out-of-home advertising began during her Bachelor's degree in advertising at the Complutense University of Madrid. Even then, she was drawn to the tangible impact of media placements and the challenge of orchestrating complex logistical flows. Upon graduating, she joined her current mid-sized agency, quickly finding her niche in the dynamic realm of cross-border DOOH buys for Spain and Portugal. Her role as an account manager is defined by a relentless pursuit of accuracy and coordination. She spends countless hours managing shared spreadsheets, a system she acknowledges is effective but undeniably labor-intensive, detailing hourly screen availability, specific city coverage across the Iberian Peninsula, and granular budget splits. This meticulous data forms the bedrock of her communication with the agency's dedicated buyer, who then navigates the labyrinth of multiple publisher systems to secure placements. María’s income of €44,000 reflects her professional standing and the agency's size, a figure she's actively working to increase. She recently managed a significant campaign for a major CPG brand's product launch across Madrid and Lisbon, a complex undertaking that required constant negotiation with two different sets of media owners and careful budget management to account for currency exchange rates and local market variations. The success of this campaign, despite the inherent complexities of coordinating inventory and pricing across two countries, solidified her reputation for delivering 'professional polish' and 'responsiveness.' She is keenly aware of the time pressures inherent in her role, often staying late to ensure all details are ironed out, a commitment that fuels her ambition for future growth and a desire to streamline her team's processes.

Damon Stamm

Damon Stamm, 36, has carved out a niche as an independent growth consultant in Leeds, UK, a path he embarked upon eight years ago after completing his Bachelor's degree in Media Studies. He operates solo, a deliberate choice that affords him the autonomy and flexibility he values highly. His income of £54,000 reflects his established expertise, primarily serving small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Leeds and neighbouring cities. Damon's core offering revolves around local marketing strategies, but he's increasingly found himself scoping out Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising placements for clients. This specific area of his work is where his resourcefulness truly shines. He has never paid for a dedicated planning tool, instead relying on a meticulously organised system of free online maps, downloaded PDF rate cards from various media owners, and a trusty notebook where he scribbles down screen locations, dimensions, booking windows, and pricing. This hands-on approach, while time-intensive, allows him to maintain a granular understanding of the market and keep costs down for his clients. He sees this method not as a limitation, but as a testament to his ability to find efficient solutions without unnecessary expenditure. His decision to remain independent stems from a desire to control his workload and client selection, ensuring he only takes on projects that align with his expertise and values. He lives alone in a rented flat, his lifestyle characterised by a balance of focused work, regular cycling to maintain fitness and clear his head, and a small, close-knit social life. Damon is driven by a desire for continuous improvement, both in his professional capabilities and his personal efficiency, always seeking to optimise his workflows and deliver tangible results for his clients. He views his current approach to DOOH planning as effective, albeit demanding, and is always open to refining his methods, provided they align with his core principles of independence and resourcefulness.