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Did Data Kill the Creative Marketer

Let’s be clear about data…

Without it, you cannot understand, predict, manage, shape, test, and evaluate your business’ marketing strategy.

In a 2005 survey of senior marketing executives conducted by the Harvard Business Review, it was found that “more than 80% of respondents were dissatisfied with their ability to measure marketing ROI”.

Fast forward a decade, we are now on the other side of the web analytics wave and potentially dealing with a creativity crisis.

Data is everywhere, providing incredible audience and industry insights – and that’s great.

But there’s a danger of ‘analytics overload’ stifling our creativity.

 

Person looking at a laptop showing Google Analytics page.

Data is great, but don’t forget creativity. Credit: Campaign Creators on Unsplash.

Data, Meet Creativity

So, what’s the answer?

Firstly, there needs to be a marriage between creativity and data – one cannot lead the other. They have to be in-sync to maximise their potential.

This requires you to take a big-picture stance and examine the not-so-quantifiable impact your business is having across all platforms and areas.

Consider what is happening for your brand and business both online and offline.

It’s about using the data or quantifiable results – i.e. ROI, online conversions, etc. – and infusing that with creative input that feeds into your overall marketing strategy.

It also pays to ask yourself: Who is connecting with our brand and what experience are they having?

 

The word 'data' displayed on a window.

Data needs to have a solid relationship with creativity. Credit: Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash.

Removing the Disconnect

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes expertly answered this question in 2017. The global brand ended a five-year marketing hiatus with its ‘My Perfect Bowl’ advertising campaign across television and social media in the UK.

The ads were a documentary style video of regular people detailing how they eat their Corn Flakes. Kellogg’s completely overhauled its data research to understand how people’s media consumption habits were changing and then formed a new creative direction for the well-established brand.

The campaign was a huge hit, so much so that an Aussie version was then launched.

The current challenge we face in marketing is the disconnection between the creative and the data. There is no one tool that will fix this.

Simply, the two must intertwine to extract the most value possible and create the best outcomes for businesses and their audiences.

Creativity is pointless without solid data and data is useless without solid creative execution.

 

Close up of a bowl of Kellogg's Corn Flakes against a backdrop of the cereal packet.

Kellogg’s crushed it with its My Perfect Bowl campaign. Credit: Sten Ritterfeld on Unsplash.

Let Us Help

At Hunt & Hawk, we’re forward-thinking marketers with a deep curiosity about how the perfect chemistry of sales and marketing creates extraordinary brand experiences for clients. We are all about getting data and creativity to work side-by-side for your business.

Keen to find out more? Reach out to us today.

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