Remaining creative in a data-driven world

No one can dispute the power of Big Data in today’s marketing world. But, as digital marketers will know, in this day and age, content is king. Currently, the question so many of us are facing is:

How can we remain creative in a marketing world driven by data?

Whilst data is undeniably an important tool we use to identify and engage with audiences, it can only go so far on its own. Dropping the ball when it comes to creativity will lead to less than inspiring campaigns that won’t capture the attention of your target audience. If you’re looking for ways to seamlessly merge Big Data and big creativity, read on for our fail-safe tips.

Collaboration

Data and creativity are often seen to be on polar opposite ends of an infinite spectrum. Even if this is true (which we don’t believe), it’s entirely possible for creativity and data to work together to produce an email, social media campaign or blog post that will create maximum engagement. Collaboration between data-driven individuals and creatives within teams is an easy way of making this happen; it’s definitely true that more brains and more ideas foster more creativity. Making sure the whole team is involved in the idea generating process will ensure a balance between data and creativity in the finished product.

Problem-Solving

Sure, data can help with this, but solving a problem, by necessity, requires a degree of creativity and imagination. Ask yourself how you can improve engagement on a particular social channel, or attempt to solve a specific problem your target audience might have – your data can help you identify what these might be. This will inevitably get the creative juices flowing, allowing you to produce something meaningful for the recipient.

Recycle

Being creative doesn’t always have to be about creating something brand new. Recycling old content or ideas can be a form of problem-solving. If you’ve got something that already works from a data perspective, consider ways you could improve it, change it or use it somewhere else.

Context

Relevancy is the basis for good marketing. If you’ve exploited every piece of data you’ve got but haven’t considered external context, your message might not be reaching its full potential. Instead of letting either context or data inform your decisions, think of ways that you can merge the two. Spending more time formulating ideas that can combine both is a sure fire way to build a relevant, creative campaign tailored to your target audience.

Tell a story

Knowing the who, what and where of your target audience is something data achieves beautifully. What it doesn’t do is provide a consistent, personalised and long-lasting message or brand identity. This is where creativity comes in. Adapting the information that your data provides is key in creating an innovative and imaginative campaign, message or brand identity that will resonate with audiences.

Whilst it’s definitely true that Big Data means big business, this can only go so far if you allow it to completely inform your decisions.
Need help combining your data with a creative approach that clicks? Drop in for a coffee and a chat or get in touch to find out how we can help you.