I meet on them lots of people (usually finance events) – directors, CEO’s, heads of departments etc. They are all cultural ppl – but when the night comes and drinks land in their hands they are chaning in the animals. Literally! 😀

In my experience, personas should be about two things: Desires and behaviors. That’s all. No demographics unless they are key to the persona. The standard “Mary, age 36, mother of two…” draws a picture but what if a 40-year-old guy walks into the store and he is, in desire and behavior, a Mary? When I do personas, there are no “personalizing” details that can distract and mislead. Detailed data can be used to validate, but not to describe unless it’s pertinent. Put another way: extra details make the persona realistic but not real. Vivid at the expense of authentic.

I agree very much about Buyer’s Legends. Bought the book and will be using it with a client soon. The legends make personas and buyers journeys real!! Love it.

One more comment: I think people muddle personas and segments. Segments are great for computers to manage. Lead management and marketing automation software can jugges 200 segments. But we humans need to think about no more than 6 personas. That’s another reason I fight to make personas about desires and behavior alone.