Creativity First, Measurement Second

Creativity should always precede measurement. Focusing on measurement first is like concentrating on the menu design of a restaurant before you have any idea what kind of food you make and the need it satisfies. This exercise will become fundamentally reductionist and will not bear healthy creative fruit.

Thus, you should focus less on what can be measured and more on “clearly defining the intended behavioral and attitudinal change the creative is trying to achieve.” Before measurement should always come an unclear definition of purpose.

Clearly, data must inform strategy; however, many organizations find it difficult to integrate analytics approaches into their day-to-day strategic planning. Adopting core concepts used by data specialists when problem solving is essential. Rather than focusing on tools, systems, and types of analyses to utilize your data better, consider using these foundational approaches and ideas to jump start your integration of data and strategy.

Measurement Is Self-Evident

In all good creative strategy, there should be a clear, intended outcome to the proposed creative thought process. All too often, there is a fascination with tracking all content interactions while the strategy never clearly states the intended outcome of the creative effort. When you focus on developing a clear behavioral and attitudinal outcome to your campaign, you will have accomplished the first and most important step in prepping for data analysis.

Paint by the Numbers

Measurement frameworks are often used to demonstrate that you made a difference. Instead of developing frameworks after your creative platform is set, use the framework as a way to guide your strategic plan. Since your definition of strategic and operational indicators requires you to clearly outline the intended efforts and results of your campaign, the framework can become an easy-to-use and valuable tool to keep your strategic and creative development in check. This will also help ensure you don’t end up with overly broad goals such as “increase affinity to the product brand” without clearly explaining what this means in relation to the specific creative being produced.

Mix Disciplines across Intelligence Disciplines

If you ask a survey researcher to solve a problem, the answer is usually a survey. Ask a database specialist, and they’ll suggest data mining. Ask a paid-media expert, and they’ll refer to platform data. The reality is that there are multiple ways to answer a question, though some are better than others in different cases.

All intelligence disciplines have intrinsic blind spots, and we often take their meaning at face value. As you build your framework, make sure that it accounts for the plethora of signals you can receive from the market and accurately assigns them properly to your Strategic or Operational indicators.

Next Steps

You can get your organization healthier and more confident with a process for improvements based upon creativity, objectives, and the data analytics processes that support savvy decisions. The collision of creativity and analytics is where and how you will see not only a greater adoption of planning analytics, but far greater measurable and sustainable results.

Do your research. Ask a lot of questions. Engage a successful, seasoned team of data integration and planning analysts. We cost less and deliver more. Our Austin, Texas location keeps us at the epicenter of planning analytics and data-driven healthcare innovation and keeps our global capabilities and services at the forefront of our industry.

Email us at kcerny@mia-consulting.com or call us at 512.478.3848 to start a friendly, productive conversation.