Data vs. Creativity

The growth of digital media over recent years has been incredible, and often the subject of much debate. One in particular is the old data vs creative argument, is one more important than the other?

 

Due to the growth of digital media has meant the amount of data marketers have access to about customers has increased phenomenally. Businesses can now build a fuller and more sophisticated picture of their customer base allowing them to understand aspects such as likes, dislikes, lifestyles, and purchase habits. This has enabled a greater understanding of consumers and, as a result, a more targeted approach to marketing.

 

By being able to profile and segment audiences in such a detailed way marketers are able to target exactly the people they want to via the channels their customers’ actively use with messages and content specifically tailored to their needs. But wait… with so much data available, does this mean creativity is becoming redundant and a more pragmatic/rational approach to marketing will work more effectively?

 

In some respects it could be argued that this is the case. With so much data available marketing has, to some extent, become more prescribed with the information helping to more easily define the tactics and channels you should use. However, with an increasingly brand savvy audience it is simply not enough to send generic information to your customers. Increasingly, a more engaging, relevant, memorable and emotive approach is required. This is where creativity comes into its own.

 

Each marketing channel is unique and is digested in a different way to the next. It is therefore important to ensure your communication is relevant to the audience at the time they will view it and according to the platform on which they consume it. The most memorable and successful campaigns are often the ones that customers can interact and engage with to allow them to experience your brand and relate to it on a personal level. This is where the value of creativity will always outweigh that of data in marketing communications.

 

It is therefore important for marketers to ensure that data is used in parallel to a sound strategy and executed with engaging creativity. Data allows you to understand your customers, a good strategy interprets that data and creates an actionable plan for your marketing, creativity enables you to create engaging and relevant communications to make your customers want to know more about your business and purchase your products/services.

 

Thus, it’s not so much a linear data vs creative argument, but instead all three elements combined create powerful and successful marketing and neither one should be ignored when developing your brand or devising your marketing campaign. To discuss how to obtain more customer data and how to make it work harder both strategically and creatively for your business, get in touch with the Opportunus team

 

+44 (0)1925 228000