Goodway Group adds synthetic audience insights to media planning via Arima

Key points

• Goodway Group struck a deal with data company Arima to use a synthetic population of U.S., British and German consumers.
• Goodway staff can run incrementality tests in a simulated environment before checking results with small-scale media activations.
• Arima's synthetic populations draw on censuses, Nielsen survey data and bespoke surveys, refreshed at regular intervals.
• Code & Theory says synthetic personas need professional distrust: they inform judgment but do not replace it.

Why it matters for marketers: Teams can test media spend levels in simulation before committing budget, but should ground synthetic personas in first-party data and verify results.