One finished campaign, debriefed.
Bärig, a travel bag maker in Montreal, ran one ad through September. This is what an agency gets back: the top line first, then the full debrief, each part labelled.
512 people clicked and 4 ordered. The crowd says the ad left out what they clicked to find: the size in centimetres, what's inside, and why it costs $219.
What worked
- 4 orders and $876 back on $608.
Observed - “Sewn in Montreal” gave locals a reason to pay more.
Simulated
- The real airport photo read as genuine.
Simulated
What didn’t
- No size in centimetres, so “fits under the seat” wasn’t believed.
Simulated
- Nothing showed the inside or said why it costs $219.
Simulated
What to change next
- Put the depth in centimetres and the gate-fee refund in the ad.
- Answer “why $219”: what makes it last, and that it’s sewn here.
The full debrief behind it
Five parts, with the quotes each point rests on.
1. What happened
ObservedAs the platform reported them, 1–30 September. In a real debrief these are your numbers, untouched; Bärig's are made up.
2. Why now
ContextWhat the crowd had read before and during September, and nothing after it.
- Price · to 23 Aug 2026 · 4 sourcesAll four Canadian airlines' cheapest fares allow just one under-seat bag
- Origin · to 27 Jul 2026 · 2 sourcesCanadians prefer buying Canadian, but few pay much more
- Mood · to 28 Sep 2026 · 2 sourcesConsumer confidence dipped below neutral through September
3. What the crowd noticed
Simulated
4. Who it missed
Simulated
$219 is way past my $150, and everything costs more this month anywayTariq · worried · on the bus to class
they never even unzip it, I want to see the pocketsAiko · bored · winding down before bed
waxed canvas plus my kids, no thanks, and money's tight right nowRenée · tired · waiting at school pickup
5. What to test next
- Put the depth in centimetres and the gate-fee refund in the ad itself.
- Show the inside: litres, pockets, empty weight.
- Answer “why $219”: what makes it last, and that it’s sewn here.
About this crowd
SimulatedEvery debrief ends with this: where the crowd comes from, and who its locals stand for in the IAB Tech Lab Audience Taxonomy, the categories ad platforms and agencies buy audiences in. In the style of the IAB Tech Lab Data Transparency Standard, not a certified label.
Data label
- Provider
- Crowdsim, Ontario, Canada (hello@crowdsim.ca)
- Audience
- Travel bags, for Bärig (a made-up brand)
- What it is
- A simulated audience: 12 AI locals, each standing for a share of real adults. Not a list of real or identifiable people.
- Who it stands for
- Broad: Canada, 18 to 65+
- Geography
- Canada
- Data sources
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, Public Use Microdata File; dated, sourced news, published figures and public conversation
- Method
- Modelled (simulated). No personal data, cookies, device IDs or customer lists.
- Weighting
- Each local weighted by researched shares, researched 15 Oct 2026
- Refresh
- Census figures fixed to their release; the news is the debrief's own window, nothing after it
- Taxonomy
- IAB Tech Lab Audience Taxonomy 1.1, 100% of the crowd has a census profile
- Expansion
- None. Cross-device: not applicable.
The crowd in IAB segments
| Segment | IAB id | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Age | ||
| Age 18-24 | 3, 4 | 15% |
| Age 25-34 | 5, 6 | 33% |
| Age 35-44 | 7, 8 | 24% |
| Age 45-54 | 9, 10 | 12% |
| Age 55-64 | 11, 12 | 11% |
| Age 65+ | 13, 14, 15 | 6% |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 50 | 54% |
| Female | 49 | 46% |
| Life stage | ||
| Adults (no children) | 96 | 66% |
| Empty Nest (Adults, Children left home) | 101 | 16% |
| Parents with Children | 98 | 12% |
| Retired | 40 | 3% |
| Student + Adults (no children) | 41, 96 | 2% |
| Home | ||
| Home Owners | 138 | 69% |
| Renters | 139 | 31% |
| Region | ||
| Ontario | 56 | 47% |
| Alberta | 56 | 42% |
| British Columbia | 56 | 3% |
| Quebec | 56 | 3% |
| Manitoba | 56 | 2% |
| Saskatchewan | 56 | 1% |
| Language | ||
| en | 158 | 85% |
| fr | 158 | 4% |
Shares of the real adults the crowd's locals stand for, from the census, weighted by each local's share of the crowd. An age band covers two or three IAB ranges because the census groups ages that way.
Every debrief comes as a page and as slides you can edit. The crowd's side is likely reasons, so check them in your next test. See the same ad debriefed as if it ran in May, when people were reading different news.
Private pilotFree while it runs, then priced per debrief. Ask us for rates at hello@crowdsim.ca.