Buyer persona
A fictional but research-grounded portrait of a target buyer - goals, context, objections, media habits - used to keep teams writing for a person instead of a segment code. Useful as empathy shorthand; harmful when the fiction hardens into targeting that excludes the category's actual, broader buyer base.
Where it's used
Used by copywriters, UX and sales teams for empathy and messaging. Keep it out of media targeting, where it tends to shut out real buyers.
Example
A persona that earns its place
Illustrative scenario"Katka, 34, runs marketing alone at a 40-person firm, reports to the CEO, has no budget for agencies, and worries about looking unprepared in Monday meetings." Writers can picture her and the objection she would raise. Then the media team targets every category buyer, because plenty of them look nothing like Katka.