{"id":113179,"date":"2017-04-06T13:42:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-06T18:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/data-creativity-and-that-pepsi-ad\/"},"modified":"2024-12-21T05:54:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-21T10:54:40","slug":"data-creativity-and-that-pepsi-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/creative\/data-creativity-and-that-pepsi-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"Data, Creativity, and THAT Pepsi Ad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marketing pioneer and retail magnate John Wanamaker once said: \u201cHalf the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half\u201d.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the nub of an issue that\u2019s been driving a huge change in marketing: Data.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By accurately attributing revenue to channels, matching buying behaviours to activities, and customers to products, data has the power to inform which half of your budget is wasted. The trouble comes when you try to work out what to do next.<\/p>\n

Data without Creativity<\/h3>\n

Some clients, realising the power of data, feel the need to be led and informed almost entirely<\/em> by data. An example would be where a board only sign off a campaign idea if it ticks the prerequisite boxes constructed for them data.<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m not saying that\u2019s what the board of Pepsi did when they signed off that<\/em> ad campaign, but it certainly makes sense.<\/p>\n

I can almost see the market research checklist:<\/p>\n

Our audience is\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Global and diverse<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u25a1 \u00a0 Include one person from every major ethnicity<\/p>\n

Anti-Muslim ban<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u25a1 \u00a0 Include one Muslim<\/p>\n

Liberal<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u25a1 \u00a0 Let\u2019s add a transgender person in there<\/p>\n

Concerned by global justice<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u25a1 \u00a0 Maybe include a protest march in there<\/p>\n

Probably someone\u2019s mum<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u25a1 \u00a0 Okay, well let\u2019s all have very mild-mannered protest signs, some smiling faces, and people hugging<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure there were a few more specifications in there, but you get the picture.<\/p>\n

Pepsi released a statement saying: \u201cThis is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that\u2019s an important message to convey.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Globescan\u2019s 2016 public radar shows, 40% of \u2018aspirational consumers\u2019 \u2013 the world\u2019s emerging middle class \u2013 want to choose brands that \u201chave a clear purpose and act in the best interests of society\u201d. So why not have an aspirational model (Kendall Jenner) taking part in a protest (a clear purpose)?<\/p>\n

Data is seductive. It tells you what people like, not how they might feel. It knows what to change, but not how. It tells you how things are now, not how they could be.<\/p>\n

As an old adage, attributed to Henry Ford, goes: \u201cIf I asked people what they wanted, they probably would have said faster horses\u201d.<\/p>\n

Creativity without Data<\/h3>\n

Sticking creatives in a vacuum will (aside from giving the analysts a wry smile) often lead to overproduced marketing and advertising that has little relevance to the target audience. Your two options become:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Spray and Pray<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Create for everyone<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Option one leaves you trying to justify poor ROI on the basis that the creative must have reached at least the core audience. Option two leaves you with a bigger bill than a pelican.<\/p>\n

    Data helps hone and refine an approach to give it the best chance to succeed. So, is there a way the two can work seamlessly together?<\/p>\n

    Getting Creative with Data<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \"Data

    The first rule of street data is: You can only communicate street data in graphs.<\/p><\/div>\n

    No, I don\u2019t mean make up the data to fit your creative. We\u2019re not on Trump\u2019s policy team. Rather, let\u2019s find a way to let creative and data play nicely together.<\/p>\n

    In essence, the issue is that:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Creative tends toward the infinite. Combining new and old ideas leads to an infinite choice. Picking one then becomes \u2018gut feel\u2019.<\/li>\n
    • Data tends toward convergence. Take a large enough data set and everyone will see the same trends. At that point, there is no decision left to be made and everyone runs essentially the same campaign.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Bring them together, however, and you have data-informed creative.<\/p>\n

      There are two main ways they work together:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Creative is refined by data<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In this approach, you come up with your creative ideas around the brand and then pass each idea through the data mill to chisel off the bits that don\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Data informs creative<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Alternatively, find all your data first, consume and meditate on it, and then use it to create a good brief. This helps inform creative ideas as you go.<\/p>\n

          I don\u2019t believe that there is a \u2018better way\u2019 of doing this \u2013 it comes down to the approach your creative team prefer. Some will find that having data in advance will take them out of a creative headspace, one in which you need to play with silly ideas to get to good ones. Personally, I like to have a good brief before I start to help me structure my environment and thinking for maximum creativity.<\/p>\n

          As Margaret Burke, Director of Brand at Three, says: \u201cIf you use data to get an insight and that insight leads you to a great creative brief, that\u2019s brilliant. If you\u2019re using data in the way that a lot of clients and companies do, which is talking only about facts, I think that leads to pretty mediocre, undifferentiated briefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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