A horrible feeling: The marketing campaign has been planned, the creative has been designed, and the copy has been written. But at launch, the response is... crickets. Running effective marketing campaigns has probably never been harder, the pressure for them to perform is higher than ever, so who has time for a dud? We know you don't. Crystal Sales, Group Strategy Director at Rethink, joined us on "Insightful Inspiration" to discuss how to do better and know more by using insights.
Crystal knows this struggle all too well. She recalls when her team faced the daunting task of revitalizing Scotiabank’s long-standing tagline "You're richer than you think" during a tough economic climate. The challenge: making such a message resonate when many people were feeling anything but rich.
Crystal and her team discovered that the answer lies in effectively leveraging consumer insights. By digging deep into their audience's psyche, they uncovered a powerful truth: people were finding richness in experiences and small luxuries, not just in their bank accounts.
"People are thinking about the right now and celebrating those moments," Crystal said.
This insight led to a campaign built around the idea that "there's more to life than more," which struck a chord with audiences and breathed new life into the brand.
"It was interesting also, to actually do research that was getting us ahead of it," said Isabelle Landreville, Chief Insights Seeker and President at Sylvestre & Co. "So instead of testing something after the fact, it was good to get ahead of it, and take a bit more of a proactive approach to it."
The power of insight-driven marketing
Insight-driven marketing goes beyond crafting clever messages; it's about truly understanding the audience and translating that knowledge into campaigns that capture attention and drive results. By tapping into the deeper motivations and desires of consumers, marketers can create campaigns that not only speak to their audience but resonate on a human level.
Insight-driven marketing goes beyond knowing demographics to understanding psychographic —the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that drive consumer decisions. This deeper understanding allows marketers to create campaigns that resonate emotionally, building stronger connections between brands and consumers.
"We like to spend a lot of time with the clients before the official brief," said Crystal. "To hear what the marketing objectives are and how they ladder to the wider business objectives."
This initial deep dive sets the stage for a more targeted and effective campaign development process. Starting with solid consumer insights ensures every aspect of the campaign — from messaging to media selection — aligns with the audience's needs and preferences.
Turning insights into action: The creative process
One effective method for translating insights into impactful campaigns is to focus on clarity and relevance.
"Tell me the one thing that we need to say, and I will show you how to say it," said Crystal.
This approach ensures that campaigns are focused and impactful.
When evaluating campaign ideas, marketers should consider several key factors. Look for ideas that are clear, relevant to current trends and consumer needs, achievable within constraints, fresh and distinct from what's been done before, true to the brand's values, and likely to be shared by the audience.
This systematic approach helps bridge the gap between consumer insights and effective campaign execution.
"If it's not clear to us, it isn't going to be clear to anyone else who's by the way, consuming things quickly," Crystal said.
The art of the creative brief
Crafting a compelling creative brief is crucial in leveraging insights for effective marketing campaigns. This document bridges consumer insights and creative execution, giving the creative team inspiration and direction to bring the campaign to life.
The brief should include psychographic insights that bring the target audience to life. Painting a vivid picture of the consumer's motivations, challenges, and aspirations can inspire more targeted and emotionally resonant creative concepts.
A well-crafted creative brief serves as a roadmap for the entire campaign development process. It aligns all team members around a central idea and ensures that the final campaign remains true to the original insights and objectives. By distilling complex consumer research into clear, actionable directives, the brief empowers creatives to develop ideas that are both innovative and strategically sound.
"I think you need to know who is going to use the research to understand how you're going to shape that story," added Isabelle.
Embracing emotional connection
While data and insights form the foundation of effective campaigns, the emotional element is crucial. Campaigns that forge an emotional connection with the audience are often the most memorable and impactful.
"We cannot underestimate the emotional connection that people have with brands," Crystal notes. "If we make them feel something for the brand... it leads to business results."
This emotional resonance comes from tapping into universal human experiences, values, or aspirations that align with the brand's message. Grounding these emotional appeals in solid consumer insights ensures campaigns strike the right chord with their target audience.
Case studies in insight-driven success
Some campaigns demonstrate the power of leveraging insights effectively. British Airways' award-winning out-of-home campaign tapped into the universal excitement of air travel, showcasing passengers' emotions as they arrive at their destinations. By focusing on the human element of travel, British Airways created a campaign that resonated deeply with audiences, setting itself apart in a crowded market.
The Scotiabank example mentioned earlier further illustrates this point. By reframing the concept of richness to acknowledge the value of experiences and small luxuries, Scotiabank connected with audiences in a meaningful way despite challenging economic conditions.
These examples show how deep consumer understanding can lead to campaigns that capture attention and create meaningful connections with the audience. They also highlight the versatility of insight-driven marketing across different industries and communication channels. Whether in financial services or travel, the principles of leveraging consumer insights to create emotionally resonant campaigns remain consistent.
Continuous learning and adaptation
The process of leveraging insights doesn't end with a campaign launch. Effective marketers gather data and feedback continuously, using these new insights to refine and optimize their campaigns over time. This approach allows for real-time adjustments that can significantly improve campaign performance and ROI.
Staying attuned to cultural trends and shifts in consumer behavior is crucial.
"Trends are 24 hours, everything comes and goes so quickly, nothing lasts," Crystal said. "And that's why relevance is so important right now."
By keeping a finger on the pulse of the audience and the broader cultural context, marketers can ensure their campaigns remain relevant and impactful in a changing landscape.
The ability to adapt quickly to changing consumer sentiments and market conditions is a key advantage of insight-driven marketing. By establishing systems for ongoing data collection and analysis, marketers can identify emerging trends and adjust their campaigns accordingly. This agility not only improves campaign performance but also helps brands stay ahead of competitors and maintain relevance in fast-changing markets.
Conclusion
Leveraging insights to create effective campaigns requires understanding consumer behavior, strategically translating those insights into creative concepts, and forging emotional connections with the audience. Marketers can create effective marketing campaigns that achieve their objectives and build lasting relationships between brands and consumers.
Investing in robust consumer research, crafting compelling creative briefs, and staying agile allows marketers to leverage insights to create campaigns that truly make an impact.
In a world where consumers are bombarded with messages, insight-driven marketing offers a path to creating truly meaningful and effective campaigns.
