Automatic Persona Generation (APG): A Rationale and Demonstration

Abstract

We present Automatic Persona Generation (APG), a methodology and system for quantitative persona generation using large amounts of online social media data. The system is operational, beta deployed with several client organizations in multiple industry verticals and ranging from small-to-medium sized enterprises to large multi-national corporations. Using a robust web framework and stable back-end database, APG is currently processing tens of millions of user interactions with thousands of online digital products on multiple social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube. APG identifies both distinct and impactful user segments and then creates persona descriptions by automatically adding pertinent features, such as names, photos, and personal attributes. We present the overall methodological approach, architecture development, and main system features. APG has a potential value for organizations distributing content via online platforms and is unique in its approach to persona generation. APG can be found online at https://persona.qcri.org.