Why your next marketing recruit should have creativity at their heart

It is the yin and yang of marketing. One of the raging debates in the field is that of the relative importance of the big-ideas creative versus the data analyst and technician. Which is more important? The ideas and content creator, or the supreme analyst of data used to maximise the success of the brand and marketing campaign? It’s a tough call. There have been murmurings that the balance of power has changed and shifted in favour of the analyst. Is this the case? And what are the merits of both camps?

It is interesting to read a recent article about the CEO of a technology business that creates products for marketers. In a world where interaction with consumers via the medium of social media is increasingly important, the CEO acknowledged the importance of converting customers by the clever and strategic use of marketing data and the increasingly detailed analysis of online media usage. However, the CEO also pointed out that no matter how clever the analysts’ strategies, the customer would always first and foremost be attracted to a company or product by content-led information. There is an emotional connection with a particular brand creates a relationship and this essential element should not be underplayed.

Creating leads and building up a rapport with and the trust of the customer base is one of the first steps in successful marketing. This is at the heart of the creative’s approach – they come up with ideas and ways of presenting a brand that will hook an audience. The look and feel of a brand is essential and unless the creative creates this initial buzz or interest, a consumer will be unlikely to be drawn to a company for its services or products. All the data analysts in the world cannot convert leads to sales when there are no leads.

It has also been noted that the changing face of social media in marketing takes account of this emotional or ‘creative’ pull on a consumer. For instance, studies have reported that a video clip can be more successful in attracting customers with an emotional draw on popular sites such as YouTube. Without an attention-grabbing creative hook, what else will draw the customer in and create leads?

Of course, the creative is not going to single-handedly cater for all aspects of the marketing strategy either. There is a definite need for the data analyst.

It would be naïve to downplay the importance of social media in marketing strategies and this importance grows more significant every day. Marketing through mobile, video and social-network channels is at the heart of many consumer purchasing decisions.

In order to maximise success in selling to this market, it is also essential to have someone on the marketing team with analytical skills who can understand the data to improve the campaign and branding or the initial big idea. A company must be able to assess user-experience research and how to boost conversions to sales. It must understand which KPIs are important and also how to maximise the use of this understanding. The rules of the game need to be understood too. Google has famously updated its algorithm and it is essential that this is taken into account so that high search engine rankings can be achieved. It’s critical that keyword density and other SEO tactics are implemented effectively.

As with much in life, the yin and yang has to work to complement each other. A holistic approach to fulfilling a customer’s needs is the only approach that will succeed. However, for the budding marketer who wants to shine brightly, it would be sound advice to try to learn a little about the strategies and interests of both the creative and the analyst to add the most value to your input and ideas in marketing terms.