At any given moment, most people are managing a list of future projects. Maybe it’s a family vacation that exists as a collection of bookmarked articles, AI-generated itineraries, and recommendations from friends. Or a backyard makeover inspired by saved photos and rough sketches. It might be a new fitness routine, a conversation with a doctor, or new car research that’s been sitting on the to-do list for weeks.

Some projects might be close to becoming reality while others are still taking shape. Yet all of them reveal something valuable: future intentions.

Why Intentions Matter in Advertising

People don’t just want to buy products; they want to complete projects, solve problems, and make progress toward a goal. Yet many advertisers still target consumers based primarily on demographics or interests rather than understanding what they’re actually trying to accomplish next.

Whether someone is planning a vacation, improving their health, renovating a home, or saving for retirement, knowing where they are in their journey helps brands provide information that’s actually useful, which in turn builds brand trust and affinity. 

How Understanding the Consumer Journey Improves Advertising Performance

One pharmaceutical company wanted to reach people with a rare disease—but recognized that patients were at very different stages of their healthcare journey.

Instead of serving everyone the same message, they first asked a simple question to understand where each person was in their journey.

Consumers were then grouped into three stages:

• Experiencing symptoms but not yet diagnosed
• Diagnosed or exploring treatment options
• Currently receiving treatment

Each audience received educational content designed specifically for that stage -from symptom awareness to treatment education to branded messaging. VoiceAlike® AI then scaled those audiences and sequentially messaged them with ads leading to the educational content that matched their stage of the journey.

The results:

• 2x higher Audience Quality than other programmatic partners
• 2.5x higher Engaged Site Reach
• More qualified visitors reaching the educational content most relevant to their needs

The lesson extends far beyond healthcare. Understanding where someone is in their journey allows brands to replace assumptions with relevance.

Four Questions That Help Brands Understand The Project Mindset

Every industry has consumers planning their next project. Here are examples of questions brands can ask to understand where people are in their journey in order to provide information that’s most relevant to their needs.

Travel: Which best describes your travel plans?

• Looking for inspiration
• Researching destinations
• Comparing options
• Ready to book

This enables a travel brand to deliver inspiration, itineraries, planning tools, or booking offers based on where someone is in the planning process.

Financial Services: Which financial goal is your top priority this year?

• Build savings
• Pay down debt
• Invest
• Prepare for retirement
• Buy a home or car

Knowing someone’s goal helps brands provide guidance that’s relevant instead of generic.

Home Improvement: Where are you in your home project?

• Collecting ideas and inspiration
• Comparing contractors 
• Researching materials and appliances
• Comparing paint and colors
• Ready to decorate and furnish

Instead of assuming every homeowner is ready to buy, brands can provide the right content at the right moment, such as planning guides, product comparisons and inspiration boards.

Automotive: Which best describes where you are in the car-buying process?

• Just starting to think about a new vehicle
• Comparing models
• Deciding between buying and leasing
• Ready to visit a dealership

Auto marketers can tailor messaging from educational content and comparison tools to financing offers and test-drive invitations.

When brands understand consumer intentions, advertising becomes less about interruption and more about helping people move one step closer to completing the projects already on their minds.