DTC Podcast Episode 581: Meta Ads Aren’t About Targeting Anymore—How $5–50M Brands Win with Intent-Based Creative

Date: January 30, 2026
Host: Eric (DTC Newsletter/Podcast)
Guest: Daniel Sandecki, VP of Brand and Performance, Pilothouse

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the evolving world of paid social advertising, focusing on how creative strategies have shifted from audience targeting to intent-based messaging—especially in Meta’s ecosystem. Host Eric and Pilothouse’s Daniel Sandecki discuss why traditional interest targeting is obsolete, how algorithms now drive distribution, and why modern creative must answer specific consumer questions, not just disrupt. Rich examples and tactical insights make this a must-listen for any DTC marketer navigating Meta’s AI-driven landscape.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. The End of Traditional Targeting (00:00–04:29)

• Platforms Have Changed: Daniel emphasizes that interest-based targeting is outdated due to AI’s rise and algorithms prioritizing signals over declared interests.
  • Quote (Daniel, 01:46): “Platforms like Facebook haven’t even updated their interest graph meaningfully in such a long time... Meta has been quietly deprecating all of those targeting options for a long time because they know they don't work.”
• The New Challenge: Instead of clever targeting, creative must now “answer the questions that [consumers] have in the moment.” Meta and Google are converging in how they use intent (00:00, 17:22).

2. Creative is About Resolution, Not Persuasion (04:29–06:56)

• From Persuasion to Resolution: The role of creative has shifted from convincing people to resolving their real-world anxieties and questions.
  • Quote (Daniel, 04:38): “Historically, creative—Mad Men era—was rooted in persuasion…[now] they're not necessarily looking to be persuaded. They're looking for like a resolution.”
• Specific Over Generic: Creative must be highly specific, serving as the algorithm’s means of sorting audiences by the questions the content answers.

3. Intent: Capture, Generation, and Creative Matching (06:13–11:13)

• Search as a Proxy for Intent: Daniel recommends mining Google search data to understand real consumer intent, then reflecting those learnings in Meta ads, which now operate more like search engines.
  • Quote (Daniel, 07:40): “Your search history is the one thing that you're gonna never share with anybody else...it’s the largest, most honest consumer data set.”
• The Ad Becomes the Targeting: Meta can use creative itself as a targeting tool—“the ad itself becomes the targeting, the language behind the problem it’s solving becomes the audience signal” (08:40).

4. Using LLMs to Identify Psychological Intent Clusters (09:14–12:54)

• Leveraging AI for Insights: Unlocking thousands of unstructured “intent queries” with LLMs like ChatGPT, grouping them by psychological drivers (e.g., fear of making a wrong decision, aspiration, identity signaling).
  • Example (Daniel, 09:14): “Recently, what’s got me really excited: the LLMs that we’re working with…are great at taking like thousands of unstructured queries… and rooting through them...not by keywords necessarily, but their psychological intent.”
• Application: Creative is briefed to answer these clustered questions, building a library of specific, intent-based assets.

5. How “Idea Variation” Drives Meta’s Algorithm (11:13–13:27)

• Beyond Visual Tweaks: Success on Meta isn’t about color or button changes but about creating different “idea variations” that align with intent clusters.
  • Quote (Daniel, 11:13): “Meta starts to almost act like a SERP… the creative that we’re building is almost like a library of answers that meta then takes and drops into your newsfeed...”

6. Funnel Congruency Matters Less—Specificity Matters More (12:54–15:19)

• AI Handles Messy Journeys: The post-click experience is still important for conversion, but pre-click, specificity and variation in creative are more crucial than tightly mapping every touchpoint.
  • Quote (Daniel, 13:27): “Meta is going to message match the right person in the right moment… It rewards specificity…that intent alignment...”

7. The Cumulative “Creative Operating System” (15:19–17:00)

• Creatives Compound: Instead of a linear journey, many pieces of creative address different angles of consumer intent, cumulatively telling a nuanced story and allowing platforms to serve the right asset at the right time.
• Process: Mine search questions ➡️ structure intent clusters ➡️ creative translation ➡️ platform routing.

8. Cross-Channel: The Rise of the “Intent Layer” (17:00–19:02)

• Social and Search Converging: Daniel foresees paid social and search merging into a unified layer defined by intent, not demographics.
• Team Restructure: Creative acts as an “insight engine,” not just an “asset factory,” and feeds all channels synergistically.

9. Brand Storytelling in an Intent-Driven World (19:02–20:53)

• Not Either/Or: The memorable, emotional “Don Draper” style brand stories still matter, but must be harmonized with the granular, intent-based creative.
  • Quote (Daniel, 19:43): “You don't have to sacrifice the expression of the brand by focusing...at the human level intent questions...It's very much a two-way street.”

10. Hooks: Recognition Over Interruption (20:53–21:52)

• From Thumbstopper to Mirror: The modern creative hook isn’t about disruption, but about letting the user see their own question or need reflected instantly.
  • Quote (Daniel, 21:17): “It’s more about recognition, not interruption… the best hook… ‘oh, that’s exactly what I was wondering.’”

11. Broadening Campaign Objectives: Outgrowing Pure Conversion Targets (21:52–23:55)

• Full-Funnel Repositories: Rather than just hammering conversion audiences, the approach now is to create a rich, versatile pool of creative that speaks to every stage of the funnel—letting the algorithm match content to user state.
• Automation: Trust the platforms’ AI to deliver the right message to the right people, with creative and media buying more tightly converged.

12. Brand vs. Performance: A False Dichotomy (23:55–25:03)

• Brand as the Byproduct of Repeatedly Answering Real Questions: Good performance creative sharpens rather than cheapens the brand; intent-driven creative is a brand-building endeavor.
  • Quote (Daniel, 24:08): “Intent doesn’t kill brand…intent strengthens that brand because it forces clarity.”

13. Influencer Layer & Authenticity (25:03–25:42)

• Multiple Voices: Influencers offer authentic, third-party reinforcement of key intent-based hooks, extending the brand’s reach and credibility.

14. The AI Slop Problem and The Indispensable Human Layer (25:42–28:14)

• Everything’s Starting to Sound Like an LLM: Both hosts note that LLM-generated copy is increasingly formulaic and recognizable (“EM dash as a tell”).
  • Quote (Daniel, 26:37): “One of the greatest tells of most LLMs is the use of the EM dash… I have to find myself editing backwards so I sound more authentic.”
• Human Curation is Crucial: The human creative layer is needed to preserve authenticity, craft, and emotional nuance.
  • Quote (Daniel, 28:14): “…that human layer is a necessary layer that should always exist between the work that an LLM can do… and the output.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the obsolete targeting paradigm:
  Daniel (01:46): “It still blows my mind how many people are out there still buying media like interest-based media like it’s 2019.”

• On mining real user intent:
  Daniel (07:40): “Your search history is the one thing that you’re gonna never share with anybody else...it’s the largest, most honest consumer data set.”

• On creative as the new targeting:
  Daniel (08:40): “The ad itself becomes the targeting...the language behind the problem it’s solving really becomes the audience signal.”

• On why brand and performance are not mutually exclusive:
  Daniel (24:08): “Brand is really built through this kind of like repeated, consistent answers to meaningful questions.”

• On the challenge of LLM sameness:
  Daniel (26:37): “One of the greatest tells of most LLMs is the use of the EM dash, right?...I have to find myself editing backwards so I sound more authentic.”

Timestamps for Core Segments

• 00:00–04:29: The shift from targeting to intent-based creative
• 04:29–06:56: Creating for resolution, not persuasion
• 06:13–11:13: Using search intent and LLMs to fuel Meta creative
• 11:13–13:27: Why idea variation beats surface-level creative tweaks
• 12:54–15:19: Importance of specificity over outdated funnel congruency
• 15:19–17:00: The cumulative, “operating system” effect of creative
• 17:00–19:02: Structuring creative and buying teams for the intent era
• 19:02–20:53: Classic brand storytelling in the modern landscape
• 20:53–21:52: Recognition vs. interruption in creative hooks
• 21:52–23:55: Broadening campaign objectives beyond conversion
• 23:55–25:42: Brand vs. performance: lessons and synthesis
• 25:42–28:14: The risk of “AI slop” and preserving the human touch

Tone & Closing Thoughts

Throughout the episode, the conversation is insightful yet practical, with Daniel’s thoughtful, down-to-earth approach making tactical complexities feel approachable. The mood is collaborative, energetic, and forward-looking about both the opportunities and potential risks of the AI-driven revolution in DTC marketing.

Find Daniel Sandecki

• LinkedIn: Daniel Sandecki
• Email: daniel@pilothouse.co

This episode is a must for DTC brand operators, marketers, and creative leaders seeking to thrive in a world where paid social, paid search, and creative execution converge on the axis of consumer intent.