Data takes a front seat in creative

09.13.17

Written by Marc Rochon | Periscope Director of Analytics

Data has new swagger, and rightfully so. Never has it been more important in our industry. Historically, data had its seat at the marketing table only as the means to an insight. Today, data is leading the charge when it comes to new creative ideas. Take for example, this work from SpotifyBritish Airways and Lexus, or the little fact that the Cannes Lions (one of the most highly acclaimed creative awards in the world) has an ever expanding Creative Data category.

Part of the reason for this shift to data-led creative is that we have so much more data available to us than ever before. Just look at how data has evolved over time — and more than 90% of all data that exists has been created in just the last two years! That is a lot of information to leverage as marketers.

Transactional data has always been important, but now there are all of these new sources we can utilize:

  • Actions – Digital searches and actions are traceable, which means we can go beyond transactions to better understand behaviors.

  • Location – GPS data now allows us to pinpoint where someone (or something), is and when they are taking specific actions.

  • Text – Natural language processing allows us to understand context and sentiment in text.

  • Time – Time data gives context to all other data types, helping us find trends and patterns.

  • Sound – From songs to speech recognition, sounds can be translated into data based on volume, frequencies and other elements.

  • Images – Algorithms can be programmed to recognize specific images, even a person’s face and emotions.

  • Movement – Motion sensors can be used to convert movement into data.

The real magic for marketers is in how you use this data. When creative ideas are informed and inspired by data, they can lead to some incredible results for brands.