Why Forward-Looking Brands, Agencies, and Marketing Teams Are Replacing Traditional Data with Smarter Systems
For years, marketers have been told that data is the answer. Big data, small data, first-party data. Collect it, analyze it, act on it.
But more data hasn’t always led to better decisions.
Today’s marketing landscape is overwhelmed with information. Conflicting KPIs, declining data quality, and tightening privacy regulations have left many brands “data-driven” in name but directionless in practice.
It’s clear: what marketers need isn’t just more data, but better ways to use it.
Synthetic Data: A New Standard for Strategic Marketing
When people hear “synthetic data,” they often think of tools like ChatGPT or stitched-together datasets used to train AI. But synthetic data can take many forms, images, text, or, in our case, high-quality, modeled data designed to drive smarter marketing decisions.
While powerful, these approaches come with limitations, including bias, lack of transparency, and little control over how the data is structured or sourced. That’s why we built The Synthetic Society at Arima.
It’s not just another generative tool. It’s a statistically sound, privacy-compliant system designed for strategic marketing. Built from over 25 validated sources like national census data and behavioral surveys, the Synthetic Society simulates a representative population without relying on any personal data. It’s grounded in our academically published SynC methodology, giving you insights you can actually trust.
How Marketers Benefit — Immediately and Long-Term
Synthetic data empowers marketers to:
- Model and segment audiences based on behavior, not assumptions
- Simulate campaign outcomes across media channels and market conditions
- De-risk innovation by testing scenarios before significant investment
- Map consumer journeys across physical and digital environments
- Eliminate delays tied to compliance, legal review, or data acquisition
- Understand cross category behavior of target markets beyond what single source surveys cover
This capability is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s a strategic necessity. With tighter budgets and higher expectations, brands and agencies can’t afford to guess. They need to ensure their campaigns are reaching the right audiences, at the right time, with messaging that resonates. The Synthetic Society provides the clarity and precision needed to make every dollar count.
The Momentum Is Clear
Gartner predicts that by 2028, 80% of Global 2000 companies will use hyper-synthetic data at scale to inform business decisions. That’s a dramatic rise from less than 5% today.
Early adopters, especially in marketing, will be positioned not just to keep pace, but to lead. Those who delay risk falling behind as traditional data becomes harder to access, less reliable, and more expensive to manage.
Strategic Applications: Stretching Synthetic Data Further
Synthetic data isn’t just for research. It’s a dynamic tool that can power every stage of your marketing strategy.
MMM + Synthetic Data:
MMM shows you what worked. Synthetic data shows you what’s possible. Together, they create a smarter, more scalable approach to planning.
Traditional MMM relies on historical first- and third-party data. By adding the Synthetic Society, complete with population shifts, movement patterns, and behavioral trends, you get a deeper, more accurate view of what’s ahead.
With Arima, you can import model coefficients, target synthetic audiences, and activate campaigns, all in one system. Plan, measure, and act without the usual silos.
You can also extrapolate learnings to new markets or media channels, simulating outcomes before investing. And with multi-objective optimization, you can fine-tune reach, frequency, and ROI at once.
Synthetic Data + InstaPoll:
This combination gives you the most granular insights available today. You can isolate specific cohorts, by behavior, location, or mindset and instantly validate how they respond to your ideas. No panels. No guesswork. Just clear, actionable direction at scale.
Synthetic Data + Location Intelligence and Persona Builder
Most audience tools stop at demographics. The Synthetic Society lets you learn more, without compromising privacy. Our Persona Builder creates rich, research-grade profiles based on behaviors, psychographics, media habits, and preferences, without relying on any personal data. Paired with Location Intelligence, you can map where your audiences go, what they do, and what influences them along the way. Whether they walk past a billboard at Union Station or shop local on weekends, you can identify high-impact moments and optimize campaigns with precision.
Synthetic data underpins every part of our platform.
It provides a consistent, privacy-safe foundation for modeling, audience insights, polling, and planning. By working from the same statistically sound population, each tool connects more seamlessly, so you can go from understanding to action without jumping between disconnected systems.
Key Takeaways
- Traditional data is breaking down, the synthetic data provides a privacy-safe, high-resolution alternative.
- The Synthetic Society and InstaPoll enable real-time planning, testing, and activation, all in one system.
- Brands, agencies, and marketing teams can simulate, validate, and scale faster than ever without relying on real people.
- Early adopters will lead the market, those who delay risk falling behind as data access tightens.
