We identify the audiences

your brand or IP will grow with.

Shepherd Audiences Company logo featuring a cartoon goat, named Winston. Shepherd Established in 2017 ear tag.

We identify the audiences

your brand or IP will grow with.

A collage of various smartphones displaying different social media, gaming, and entertainment content on their screens that represent their interests, passions and affinities.

And because our work starts with the online behavior and interests of audiences,

we can use those insights to activate precision media.

We know what’s in their scroll.

Shepherding

is about answering these questions:

Who should we be talking to?

What do they care about?

Where are they?

What unites or segments them?

How does this shape our creative, media, product, or messaging decisions?

Shepherding

is about answering these questions:

Who should we be talking to?

What do they care about?

Where are they?

What unites or segments them?

How does this shape our creative, media, product, or messaging decisions?

For our clients,

audience comes first.

Digital illustration of a smartphone with a goat wearing sunglasses displayed on the screen, surrounded by social media icons and symbols.

“Shepherd uncovers the invisible audiences that marketers can’t.”

Jaime Gutfreud

Chief Experience Officer,
Hasbro

An infographic showing the structure of a company team with photo profiles and roles on the right side. The teams listed on the left are Media Team, Influencer Team, Creative Team, Product Team, Social Team, and Sales Team. Corresponding personnel profiles are on the right, labeled as Sales Persona, Product Persona, Influencer Persona, Social Persona, Creative Persona, and Media Persona.

So in 2017,

We started Shepherding.

We never understood
why each department was

working against a different audience.

Graphic with a central photo of a woman, surrounded by text labels for different teams: Media, Influencer, Product, Creative, Social, and Sales. The word 'ONE' is prominent below the woman.

We never understood why each department was working against a different audience…

Diagram showing team structure and personas. Left side: Media Team, Influencer Team, Creative Team, Product Team, Social Team, Sales Team. Right side: Sales Persona, Product Persona, Influencer Persona, Social Persona, Creative Persona, Media Persona, each with a photo and label.

So in 2017,

We started Shepherding.

A digital graphic showing a central woman with short hair surrounded by labeled team roles: Media, Influencer, Product, Creative, Social, and Sales, with the word "ONE" prominently displayed in front of her.
Close-up of a person holding a smartphone with various colorful chat bubbles and abstract shapes in the background, indicating texting or messaging.

We learn who’s engaging with your brand, and your closest competitors.

Your customer data

We help you discover what sets your audiences apart—and what brings them together.

Audience Analysis
is all about contrasts.

Let's say you're leading a new video game launch and you want to make the smartest possible choices...

Here's a high-level view of how we might approach an Audience Analysis.

Mobile IDsPeople in or near strategic locations. From retailers to entire statesCredit CardSpending habits of key audiencesSocial AnalyticsWe can also factor in:Your DataCRMLoyaltyBuyersEngagement with Competing Titles (or Genres)Potential InputsYour Social Engaement & PRPartner IPs, Events & Influencers

Let's say you're leading a new video game launch and you want to make the smartest possible choices...

Here's a high-level view of how we might approach an Audience Analysis.

Your DataCRMLoyalty BuyersEngagement with Competing Titles (or Genres)Partner IPs, Events & InfluencersMobile IDsPeople in or near strategic locations, from retailers to entire statesCredit CardsSpending habits of key audiencesSocial AnalyticsWe can also factor in:

We can also use mobile data to determine the audiences visiting your stores and your competition's.

We dive deep into the places that matter and the passions of the people who frequent them.

Then we show you who future growth will come from:

Your Growth Audiences.

A graphic shows a young woman with shoulder-length hair and a serious expression on the left side, with a teal background behind her. To the right of her, a flowchart displays categories such as EVENTS, BRANDS, INFLUENCERS, YOUTUBE, PODCASTS, and SITES, with icons and text highlighting specific names and numbers. The bottom of the image contains demographic data about the audience in bar charts and percentage labels for age, income, and gender. The right margin has a blue sidebar with checkmarks.

And because our Audience Analysis is so actionable,

we also get asked to activate media.

A digital infographic featuring a woman portrait on the left, with sections displaying audience growth data below, and on the right, categories of events, brands, influencers, YouTube channels, podcasts, and sites, connected by dotted lines with icons representing each category.

Insights from Data

Young woman with shoulder-length hair holding a sweater, digital collage of social media and streaming app icons including Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and Coachella logo.

Media Activation with Precision

Then we show you who future growth will come from:

Your Growth Audiences.

A vibrant infographic with a central photo of a woman. The infographic has sections labeled 'Events,' 'Podcasts,' 'Brands,' 'Sites,' 'Influencers,' and 'YouTube,' each with icons representing their categories.

And because our Audience Analysis is so actionable,

we also get asked to activate media.

A digital infographic with a portrait of a woman on the left and a marketing funnel diagram on the right. The woman has shoulder-length hair, a serious expression, and is wearing a white shirt and a ribbed vest. Below her, there are sections with bar graphs showing age, gender, and income demographics. The funnel diagram includes categories like events, brands, influencers, YouTube, podcasts, and sites with associated metrics and icons.

Insights from Data

A woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a casual shirt and a sweater draped over her shoulders, standing against a split background of teal and black color.

Media Activation with Precision

Yes, we plan, negotiate, buy and measure media from end to end.

All based on the things your audience cares about most - their interests.

Led by the audience data.

We bring audience insights to
media partners.

Paid that feels like Earned.

We nudge media partners & influencers to make things special.

Make it about them.

Find opportunities to edu-tain,
make audiences feel premium, etc.

Yes, we plan, negotiate, buy, and measure media from end to end.

All based on the things your audience cares about most - their interests.

Led by the
audience data.

We bring audience insights to
media partners.

Paid that feels
like Earned.

We nudge media partners & influencers to make things special.

Make it about
them.

Find opportunities to edu-tain,
make audiences feel premium, etc.

Meet the Team

  • Portrait of a man in a black uniform with patches, smiling against a peach-colored background.

    Dean McBeth

    FOUNDER

  • Portrait of a middle-aged man with light skin, brown hair, and a beard, wearing a brown button-up shirt against a peach-colored background.

    Dan Walsh

    FOUNDER

  • A man with shoulder-length brown hair, glasses, and a beard smiling in front of a light orange background, wearing a dark denim shirt.

    Dave Burg

    FOUNDER

  • Portrait of a smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black blazer and white shirt, against a warm, blurred background.

    Sabrina Peters

    MEDIA DIRECTOR

  • A young woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a black top and hoop earrings against a plain beige background.

    Kristina Arike

    RESEARCH

  • A young woman with long brown hair wearing a black dress with teal polka dots, smiling against a peach-colored background.

    Lauren Fitze

    RESEARCH

  • A young woman with long brown hair, smiling, wearing a maroon top, against a light orange background.

    Rina Boshmaf

    RESEARCH

  • Young woman with long wavy hair wearing an orange turtleneck sweater and a hoop earring, smiling at the camera against a peach-colored background.

    Madi Walter

    RESEARCH

  • A man with short dark hair and light facial hair wearing a beige button-up shirt, smiling at the camera against an orange background.

    Scott Gilmour

    DESIGN

About Shepherd

Every department was chasing a different audience. So we started Shepherding.

Since 2017, Shepherd has been fixing a simple problem: creative, media, and product teams working from different maps. We’re an audience strategy agency that puts one clear picture of your audience at the center of every decision. We call it the Audience Operating System™.

That picture comes from our people. Our research team digs into audience analysis, mobile and spending data, and social signals to show you who your Growth Audiences are and what unites them. Our media team plans, negotiates, and buys around what those people care about most. Paid media that feels earned.

We’re headquartered in Austin, with teammates across the US. Brands like Hasbro and Sonos come to us to find the Growth Audiences they couldn’t find on their own.

Find the audience your brand will grow with.


Start the conversation

Or email us at theshepherds@weshepherd.com and we'll set up a call.

How we might work with you

A diagram illustrating a marketing funnel for social media influencers, showing stages from casual fan to core fan, with categories, sponsorships, and illustrations of social media platforms and influencers.
Diagram illustrating a social media brand segmentation strategy with elements related to branding, categories, and influencer collaborations, alongside an image collage of various social media icons and influencers.

If you want to see your audience in high fidelity, let’s talk.

We’ll ask you some questions about your audience, listen to your challenges, and show you some of our case studies.

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the premier network of highly specialized and independent agencies

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