Disparate; essentially different in kind, not able to be compared. We are constantly reminded that data is king in modern marketing, so in our dynamic world ensuring data does not become disparate is critical to business success. However, it can often be a complex task to create and manage one source of truth. Clients and agencies alike are continuously working to minimise data silos across channels, data sources and platforms.
Translating this data to make an impact on a digital ecosystem is usually rather straightforward; optimising channel selection, creating audiences for remarketing and using data signals to trigger personalised dynamic display creative. To complement the use of data in digital, we have established ways to influence creative design using key data points in the user journey.
We understand that everyone’s data foundations are different, so the approach to data-driven design must be adaptable; from brands with e-commerce sites with integrated CRM platforms to those who rely on thirdparty distributers to sell their goods. The fi rst step is to have complete clarity over what data is available to you. You may have been working with the brand for years and already know this, but, if not, mapping out a data ecosystem for the brand will help you to understand what you’ve got to play with.
Now that the data sources are clear, experts from across the network can pull together insights from key platforms such as social media, website analytics and CRM. We can then translate the insights about customer conversion behaviours, pinpointing how people move from ads to prospects to loyal customers. And it is these insights that can be brought to life in creative design.
MOVING TOWARDS THE SEGMENT OF ONE
In recent years we’ve seen the progression from mass communication to more selective mass communication to segmented communication to sublabels and personas. Today, brands are striving to find a ‘segment of one’, to communicate with each and every person as an individual, based on the information that is available. Key audience persona segmentations by age, gender and location build a strong foundation that can be evolved using interest profiling. All of this data can be captured from media activation platforms and web analytics tools. Adding this knowledge of audience interest to persona segmentation is instrumental in the development of data-driven creative. Allowing the creative to evolve from a single design to tailored creative based on each group’s identifiers enables the orchestration of relevant conversations; the right message to the right person, at the right moment.
CREATIVE AND CONTENT CONCEPTS ARE BEING TESTED CONSTANTLY
Consumers have already given us a wealth of creative feedback. On every website and through every single consumer communication, creative and content concepts are being tested constantly, although these tools are usually used in silos to measure the performance of your digital activity. Whether it’s an email being sent from a CRM platform to loyal customers or a website being viewed by new visitors, performance data is constantly being collected. This aids in the modelling of creative design, from the open rates of your emails to the view time of videos to visitors’ conversion journeys on-site and which content they’re most likely to consume. And if you’re lucky enough to be an e-commerce brand, you can see the impact this is having on your bottom line too.
When it comes to the creative process, a good piece of creative is a piece built on insight. We all love a relatable, genuine and relevant insight. But the consumer behaviour around that insight is what really matters, and social media has made that quite evident in how the consumers react and deal with what they’re exposed to.
Knowing this, we’ve been seeing a trend of creative agencies using consumer data analytics tools that until very recently were perceived as media-access-only tools, and it is yielding positive results on the creative process. Not necessarily on the development of the idea, but rather giving breadth to how the idea travels across the different channels and when it becomes most effective.
The key is marrying data with creative, letting the left brain guide the right brain in creating beautiful content that is, above all else, relevant to the person viewing it. Harriet Checkley, Data Manager, Dentsu Aegis Network MEN