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Five Audience Research Methods That Outperform Personas in 2026: Soltaros OÜ Shares Findings

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Soltaros OÜ reports that static persona-building has lost much of its explanatory power in modern marketing — and outlines five research methods now outperforming personas across client engagements.

TALLINN, Estonia, June 5, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — For most of the past decade, persona-building was the default deliverable of audience research. Marketing teams commissioned segmentation studies, received three to five fictional buyer profiles, and used those profiles as a shared reference across creative and media planning. Based on Soltaros OÜ’s findings, this technique was no longer deemed valuable by 2026. Consumers had become segmented into multiple media, consumer behavior was no longer linked with demographics, and there had been a reduction in the time between research and campaign planning, which did not suit the use of personas.

Soltaros has tracked this change across various projects in several markets. However, the trend has proven consistent with poor strategic decision-making by those organizations that continue to base their efforts on personas versus those using behavior-driven techniques.

What the Data Shows

Soltaros OÜ’s observations point to five research methods now outperforming static personas across the engagements the company runs:

1. Behavioral cohort analysis. Audiences are grouped by what they actually do — first session length, return frequency, feature use — rather than by demographics. Soltaros tracks retention gaps of 30 to 50 percent between behavioral segments that appear identical on demographic grounds.

2. Intent-signal mapping. Search activity, consumption patterns, and interactions on a platform-specific level are analyzed to determine intent signals indicating that the audience is in motion, not just who comprises the audience.

3. Real-conversation mining. Language is extracted from support transcripts, community forums, and review platforms, giving creative teams the exact wording the audience uses rather than a sanitized persona quote.

4. Friction-observation studies. Frictions in user flows are observed rather than asking users why they did not complete a particular process. Behaviorally based frictions predict conversions better than self-reported frictions.

5. Cross-channel pattern tracking. The same cohort is analyzed across channels instead of analyzing each channel individually. Analysis on a cross-channel basis uncovers compounded behaviors that can’t be captured in channel-by-channel analysis.

Soltaros stresses that these methods are not replacements for one another. Used together, they produce a continuously updated picture of the audience that personas were never designed to deliver.

Why Behavior-Led Research Changes the Outcome

In behavior-based research, audience comprehension is seen as a continuous process rather than just a one-off activity. The difference between a poster hung on a wall and a dashboard that the team sees each week is made clear.

According to Soltaros OÜ, teams that retire persona deliverables in favor of behavior-led methods see measurable improvements across several dimensions:

Faster campaign decisions. Cohort and intent data are updated weekly; personas are not updated at all.Higher creative relevance. Real-conversation mining gives creative teams language that the audience already uses.More efficient media spend. Cross-channel tracking surfaces wasted overlap that single-channel reports cannot detect.Earlier detection of strategy drift. Friction studies surface mismatches between brand positioning and audience behavior before campaigns lock in.

Soltaros notes that the shift is not about discarding qualitative work. The Soltaros team treats qualitative interviews as a permanent input feeding the five methods above, rather than as the source of a static deliverable.

Soltaros OÜ’s Position on the Issue

Soltaros OÜ does not argue that personas have zero value. The Soltaros team recognizes that personas still serve a coordination role for very early-stage brands without behavioral data to draw on. What has changed is the place personas occupy in a mature strategy: a starting reference, not a finished deliverable.

According to the Pew Research Center, about half of American adults use either Facebook or YouTube daily, while 24% use TikTok daily. Furthermore, there is a marked age gradient for all three sites, creating a persona representation that becomes increasingly lost. In like manner, the 2025 flash poll of Edelman Trust Institute reveals that trust calibration with regard to brands and institutions is much more differentiated by behavior and context than by demographics. Both observations corroborate Soltaros’ position on how to address the challenge of client engagement.

Soltaros OÜ expects behavioral cohorts to replace demographic personas as the default reference object in marketing strategy over the next 12 to 24 months. The Soltaros team will continue to monitor how these methods perform across the markets in which it operates.

About Soltaros OÜ

Soltaros OÜ is an international marketing agency specializing in market research and content marketing for businesses across various countries. The company’s core areas of work are market research and analytics, content marketing and SEO, digital and strategic marketing, and localization and translation. Soltaros OÜ helps brands expand into new markets, understand their audiences, and drive engagement through.

Media Contact

Laurel Modes, Soltaros OÜ, 372 53687277, info@soltaros.com, https://www.soltaros.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/five-audience-research-methods-that-outperform-personas-in-2026-soltaros-ou-shares-findings-302791460.html

SOURCE Soltaros OÜ

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Building the AI-First Gulf: How GCC Enterprises Are Entering the Next Digital Era

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2 hours ago

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June 13, 2026

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DUBAI, UAE, June 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is why Junkies Coder UAE-based Company has launched its Agentic AI & Enterprise Modernisation practice — built to help GCC enterprises deploy AI agents reliably by first modernising the legacy systems, cloud, and pipelines those agents depend on.

The Gulf has decisively won the AI adoption race.

AI adoption across the GCC jumped from 62% to 84% between 2023 and 2025. The UAE now reports 97% adoption across government sectors, while Saudi Arabia has committed $14.9 billion to AI infrastructure in a single policy cycle.

The UAE has become the first economy in the world to surpass 70% AI adoption among its working-age population and aims to embed agentic AI into 50% of government services within two years.

Backed by Vision 2030 and the UAE AI Strategy 2031, ambition and investment are no longer the constraint.

Execution is.

Roland Berger research found that fewer than one in three GCC organisations have the operating model and governance required to scale AI effectively. Meanwhile, many AI agent pilots fail to reach production or deliver measurable business value.

The conversation has shifted from generative AI experimentation to agentic AI deployment. However, the gap between enterprise AI ambition and production-grade integration has never been wider.

The reason is structural.

Deloitte’s 2026 State of AI report highlights that the Middle East’s next AI phase will depend less on experimentation and more on scaling responsibly, modernising infrastructure, redesigning workflows, and creating governance frameworks for autonomous systems.

AI ambitions now collide with legacy architecture, fragmented data environments, and sovereignty obligations.

Saudi Arabia’s SDAIA data residency framework is becoming a regulatory baseline. UAE AI governance requirements are advancing, and ISO/IEC 42001 is increasingly influencing enterprise procurement decisions.

The organisations making real progress are not always those with the largest budgets, but those treating governance as architecture embedded into every workflow from the beginning.

Bridging the gap between AI strategy and production requires more than selecting a model.

It requires AI-driven mobile app development company in UAE to connected to real business processes, cloud and legacy modernisation, sovereign-ready data architecture, and governance designed into systems from day one.

The enterprises scaling fastest are partnering with specialist teams that manage this journey end to end transforming agentic AI ambition into secure, compliant, and measurable outcomes.

For GCC businesses, the mandate is clear:

The AI-first Gulf will not be built by those who adopt the most, but by those who integrate the best.

Junkies Coder UAE helps GCC enterprises close the gap between AI ambition and real-world implementation through agentic AI, enterprise AI integration, cloud modernisation, mobile app development and sovereign-ready systems designed to move from pilot to production.

Website – https://www.junkiescoder.com/

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2996900/Junkies_Coder.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/building-the-ai-first-gulf-how-gcc-enterprises-are-entering-the-next-digital-era-302799546.html

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Huawei Cloud Becomes Thailand’s First with Government-Recognized HCCDX Certification Program

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3 hours ago

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June 13, 2026

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BANGKOK, June 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Huawei Cloud Thailand has officially received a recognition for its HUAWEI CLOUD Developer Certification (HCCDX) from Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI), marking a major milestone in advancing Thailand’s digital workforce development.

Huawei Cloud is the first cloud vendor in Thailand to achieve this government-recognized certification status, reinforcing its commitment to nurturing high-quality digital talent and supporting the country’s digital transformation journey.

Under this recognition, individuals who successfully pass selected HCCDX certification exams — including HCCDA-Tech Essentials, HCCDA-AI, HCCDA-Big Data and HCCDP-Solution Architect — will be eligible to obtain a professional qualification certificate recognized by TPQI. The initiative helps bridge industry demand and workforce readiness by equipping professionals with globally aligned cloud and AI competencies that are officially endorsed by the Thai government.

The HUAWEI CLOUD Developer Certification (HCCDX) is a comprehensive certification framework designed to strengthen cloud application design, deployment, operation, and maintenance capabilities. The program enables developers and IT professionals to build practical expertise using HUAWEI CLOUD services and tools, empowering them to accelerate career growth in the digital era.

“Huawei Cloud is committed to supporting Thailand’s digital economy by developing future-ready digital talent and creating greater access to internationally recognized certifications. We are proud to become the first cloud vendor in Thailand whose certification program is officially recognized by the government through TPQI. This milestone reflects our long-term commitment to empowering developers, students, and professionals with practical cloud, AI, and big data skills that align with industry needs,” Celine Cao, CEO of Huawei Cloud Thailand, said.

The HCCDX certification program delivers multiple benefits to professionals and organizations alike. Beyond strengthening technical knowledge, the certifications validate practical competencies required in today’s workforce and help professionals enhance career opportunities, increase income potential, and gain greater credibility among employers. The certifications also provide flexible and recognized proof of competence that can support career advancement across industries.

For employers, the program serves as a trusted benchmark for evaluating digital capabilities and identifying qualified talent in cloud computing, AI, and data technologies. The initiative further supports Thailand’s national objective to strengthen its digital workforce and accelerate innovation-driven economic growth.

The HCCDX framework consists of multiple certification levels, including HCCDA – Huawei Certified Cloud Developer Associate, HCCDP – Huawei Certified Cloud Developer Professional, and HCCDE – Huawei Certified Cloud Developer Expert.

Currently, Huawei Cloud offers more than 14 certification programs across cloud, AI, big data, and other related technology domains.

To encourage broader participation and accelerate digital talent development in Thailand, Huawei Cloud Thailand is offering a special promotion with free examination fees until 30 June 2026. After the promotional period, examination fees will be USD 100 for HCCDA certifications and USD 150 for HCCDP certifications.

Huawei Cloud Thailand continues to collaborate with ecosystem partners, educational institutions, and public sector organizations to expand digital skills development opportunities and cultivate a stronger talent pipeline for Thailand’s rapidly evolving digital economy.

Free of Charge! For those who are interested can access the course to enhance their knowledge in Cloud and AI through Huawei certification as developers with eLearning on the website below.

https://edu.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/certificationindex/developercertificationindex.html

# # #

About Huawei Cloud Thailand

Huawei Cloud Thailand is a leading cloud service provider committed to accelerating Thailand’s digital transformation under the mission of “In Thailand, For Thailand.” According to the latest report from Gartner, Huawei Cloud is ranked No.2 by revenue in Thailand’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) market, solidifying its position as one of the most trusted and fastest-growing international cloud providers in the country.

As the first international public cloud vendor to establish local data centers in Thailand, Huawei Cloud now operates three Availability Zones, ensuring high reliability and low-latency connectivity for local users. Leveraging Huawei’s 30-plus years of expertise in ICT infrastructure, it integrates cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud-Native 2.0, and Big Data technologies to empower over 40 government agencies and thousands of enterprises across the Kingdom. By building a robust digital ecosystem and fostering local talent, Huawei Cloud aims to drive Thailand’s “Digital Economy” forward, bringing cloud and intelligence to every corner of the country for a fully connected, intelligent future.

For more information, please visit Huawei Cloud Thailand online at

https://www.huaweicloud.com/intl/th-th/ or follow us on:

https://www.facebook.com/HuaweiCloudTH

https://www.youtube.com/@HuaweiCloudAPAC

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SOURCE Huawei Cloud Thailand

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CoNetrix Named a Top Small Business for Leadership and Career Growth by Comparably

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4 hours ago

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June 13, 2026

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LUBBOCK, Texas, June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Based on anonymous ratings from current employees over the past 12 months, CoNetrix has received two Comparably awards for 2026. The company was ranked 8th overall among small businesses for Best Leadership Team and also received an award for Best Career Growth. The recognition reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to cultivating strong leaders, investing in employee development, and creating opportunities for team members to learn, grow, and build rewarding careers.

“We view both of these awards as a reflection of our people,” said Russ Horn, President. “They highlight the commitment our team has to growing professionally and helping one another succeed.”

CoNetrix continues to prioritize a workplace culture centered on development, collaboration, and long-term career opportunities. With an average employee tenure of nearly 10 years, the company’s approach emphasizes sustained growth and meaningful career paths.

“Our team members are intentional about investing in their growth and in each other,” said Leticia Saiid, Chief of Staff. “This recognition reflects the efforts of our leadership to a culture where people are supported, challenged, and given opportunities to build meaningful careers.”

Comparably Awards are based solely on sentiment ratings provided by employees who anonymously evaluated their employers across a variety of workplace culture categories.

Recent Company Awards from Comparably

These recognitions further reinforce CoNetrix’s reputation as a workplace where employees can grow, contribute, and succeed:

2025 Best Outlook2024 Best Company Culture and Best CEO2023 Happiest Employees

About CoNetrix

CoNetrix, LLC is a family of technology companies focused on helping organizations leverage technology securely and effectively. Its companies include CoNetrix Technology, a managed IT services provider (MSP) and managed security services provider (MSSP); CoNetrix Security, providing cybersecurity testing and consulting; Tandem Security & Compliance Software®, a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platform that supports regulatory compliance efforts; and AccountingWare®, delivering ERP accounting software..

Discover more at www.conetrix.com

Explore career opportunities at www.conetrix.com/careers

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/conetrix-named-a-top-small-business-for-leadership-and-career-growth-by-comparably-302799494.html

SOURCE CoNetrix, LLC

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