HOW to GET Better Creative from Better Insights by the ARF CREATIVE COUNCIL, DECEMBER 2019 How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights

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HOW TO GET Better Creative FROM Better Insights BY THE ARF CREATIVE COUNCIL, DECEMBER 2019 How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 2

This paper was produced Michael Joffe, Principal Editor SPECIAL THANKS TO . . . Google, Global Brand Product Strategy through the collective Advertiser Perceptions for its co- efforts ofthe ARF Creative Barb Murrer sponsorship of the survey among members Council Working Group Levi Strauss & Co., Vice President, of the creative and strategy communities Marketplace Insights & ARF Chairperson on New Research Belle Frank, for her promotion of the survey Guidelines: Mila Fang Xia within the agency community Facebook, Creative Researcher Andy Smith, Chair Flowers Foods, VP Consumer Insights

Mark Truss, Co-Chair Others who made Wunderman Thompson, significant contributions Global Director of Brand Intelligence to this volume: Maris Cohen, Principal Author Virginia deGuzman NCSolutions, Content Marketing Director Creative, The NPD Group Margaret Coles, Justin Fromm Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Assoc. VP, Business Intelligence, Partner, Head of Research, Data & Analytics Advertiser Perceptions Eldaa Daily Philip Perry Ameritest, Research Director Content Manager, ARF Belle Frank Mi Hui Pak VMLY&R, Chief Strategy Officer, Director, ARF Knowledge Center Global Health Practice Jay Mattlin Pedr Howard Director, ARF Council Program Ipsos, SVP, Creative Excellence, Paul Donato Ann Green, Analysis Lead ARF Chief Research Officer Kantar SVP, Client Team Leader Six independent senior industry reviewers How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 3

In an effort to help bridge the gap kinds of research and data that are valued, between the research/data and creative/ how they are communicated, and how Abstract strategy communities within the they are applied. This report describes advertising industry, the ARF Creative three key sets of issues identified in Council conducted a quantitative and this research that lie at the root of the qualitative research project to better differences between researchers and understand the differences between and creatives/strategists — language, trust, within those communities in the ways they and systems. It also recommends concrete perceive the value of research and data in steps to overcome those issues through the creative process. The results of that developing a baseline understanding, research suggest that all communities aligning on goals and processes and value research and data in the creative improving communication. process, but they tend to differ on the How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 4

Our advertising industry is in a state marketers, and strategic planners. of transition: consumer behavior is And when research does not offer true How to fragmented, channels have multiplied, insights — when it is not used effectively and we’re living in an information golden — researchers’ efforts and creative quality Get Better age where data abounds. Yet, despite do not reach their full potential. the plethora of data and research at our Creative fingertips, driving growth from advertising To be more effective and impactful as an with breakthrough creative remains a industry, we must identify and correct challenge. To achieve growth, research some of the problems around how we use from Better has shown that creative quality must data and research to inform the creative be a priority; to get more growth from process. That’s why the ARF’s Creative Insights advertising, better creative is vital. And Council came together to interview and better creative depends on strong, trusted, survey marketers, creatives, researchers, and well-communicated data, research, and strategic planners on their attitudes and insights. toward and experience with data and research in the creative process. One might expect the recent data explosion to yield greater and deeper Our findings suggest that the biggest insights, empowering collaboration barriers to the effective use of insights between researchers and creatives. revolve around language, trust and system Unfortunately, this has not been the issues. Read on for a deep dive on these case. We often hear that the use of issues, plus recommendations you can research and data in the creative pilot in your own organizations to bridge process causes creative teams to feel silos, improve collaboration between disenfranchised, breeding tension between teams, and fuel more powerful creative. creatives, researchers, How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 5

NOTE ON RESEARCHERS TERMINOLOGY Are those who work in research, insights, and data science roles primarily at ARF Most of the analysis presented here is member companies. based on comparisons between three groups — researchers, creatives/strategic OTHERS planners, and others. These groups are Include those who do not work in defined as follows: research, insights, data science, creative, or strategic planning roles. Most of them CREATIVES are employed in marketing, sales, account Work in creative roles at agencies management, and corporate management and brands, primarily at non-ARF roles at research and analytics companies member companies. and agencies.

STRATEGIC PLANNERS Work in strategic planning roles at agencies and brands at both ARF- member companies and non-ARF member companies. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 6

There is one thing players across the advertising industry can agree on — “OVERALL, WE WANT TO Whew! At research, data, and insights are critical PUSH OUR CREATIVE TO to getting to great creative. Across WORK HARDER THAN Least We marketers, creatives, researchers, and EVER BEFORE, AND strategic planners, our survey results demonstrate research and data are THAT MEANS HAVING All Agree: valuable to all industry groups, with at STRATEGIES LED BY least 65 percent of respondents across all RESEARCH AND DATA.” Insights cohorts finding research and data to be — Researcher Are Really important in the creative process. “THE BEST CREATIVE “FROM DATA COMES Important COMES FROM THE BEST TRUTHS, FROM TRUTHS INSIGHTS.” — Creative CAN COME GREAT CREATIVE.” — Creative

Creatives and researchers alike agree that “INSIGHTS ARE LIKE understanding and feeling connected GOLD. GOOD INSIGHTS to a target audience and to a brand’s LEAD TO GREAT perceived position in the marketplace CREATIVE, WHICH are crucial to creation. However, the LEADS TO GREAT process by which we use data, research RESULTS. IT’S THE MOST and insights in creative development VALUABLE WORK WE is problematic. The following are three CAN HAVE.” — Creative primary challenges we’ve identified in our interviews and surveys, which we believe can be addressed through improving communication between partners. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 7

These challenges become more apparent process, compared to 65 percent of when comparing the value placed on creatives and strategic planners. research and data across different groups in the advertising community. Perhaps How do members of the advertising unsurprisingly, the survey findings show community even define research, that researchers place greater importance data, and insights? Our interviews on research and data in the creative suggested a need for alignment on process than do creatives and strategists: what these terms mean and room for 85 percent of researchers found research improvement in how they are employed and data to be important in the creative in creative development.

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK RESEARCH AND DATA SHOULD BE IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS? (TOP 2 BOX 6-POINT SCALE)

RESEARCHER 84 % OTHER 83 %

CREATIVE/ STRATEGIC PLANNER 65 % MR FIRM 86 % NON-MR FIRM 84 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 8

FINDING 1 One pattern that arose in our interviews Copy testing also came up as a term with and surveys is the absence of agreement differing interpretations, corresponding to on the use of research terms. Certain the diverging ways it is used. definitions of insights are broader Say What?! than others, for example, while some practitioners use the terms “data” and “insights’ interchangeably. “SOME THINK OF COPY We’re NOT TESTING AS PROOF THAT YOU CAN CASH THAT CHECK, Speaking “THE WORD ‘INSIGHT’ TO MAKE SURE THAT THE IS VERY MISUSED CREATIVE DOESN’T BOMB. the Same AND MISUNDERSTOOD. ON THE OTHER EXTREME, THERE ARE LOTS SOME REGARD IT AS A TOOL OF OBSERVATIONS FOR EXPLAINING ‘THE WHY’ Language DRESSED UP AS OR USE IT TO INFORM THEIR INSIGHTS.” NEXT CAMPAIGN. AND SOME Here — Strategic Planner DO IN-MARKET TESTING AND CALL IT COPY TESTING.” — Researcher

“INSIGHTS’ ARE TOO GENERIC, AND NOT POINTED ENOUGH TO “SOMETIMES CREATIVES PROVOKE PROVOCATIVE ARE IN THE ROOM CREATIVE.” — Creative WHEN COPY TESTING IS DISCUSSED, BUT THERE ARE ALSO CLIENTS WHO USE IT AS A REPORT CARD.” — Researcher How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 9

There were major discrepancies This discrepancy may relate to the lack between creatives/strategic planners of agreement across the industry on the and researchers in perceptions of use of copy testing. Is it a diagnostic tool, the helpfulness of copy testing, in a development tool, or a decision- developing core creative concepts making tool? and assets, with researchers placing far greater value in copy testing than their creative counterparts.

HOW VALUABLE WOULD YOU SAY COPY TESTING IS IN HELPING TO DEVELOP ... (TOP 2 BOX 6-POINT SCALE)

Actual creative assets Core creative concepts of an ad campaign

RESEARCHER 75 % 65 %

OTHER 65 % 63 %

CREATIVE/ 44 % STRATEGIC PLANNER 44 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 10

FINDING 1 RECOMMENDATION We now have a creative process that is RESEARCH IS: so focused on the back end, we’ve lost a process of investigation or sight of how insights are the foundation of experimentation undertaken to discover ALIGN ON THE everything we do and are truly business facts about consumers’ attributes, CRITICAL ROLES OF critical. Our interviews also suggest the attitudes, experiences, and behavior RESEARCH meaning of copy testing, as well as other and the relationships between these research terms, has eroded. To combat phenomena. Research is not the discovery this opacity, we recommend aligning or insight itself, but the process that leads internally and developing standards to the discovery or insight. around key research terms that inform the creative process. AN INSIGHT IS: a person or group’s understanding Below are some examples of commonly of individuals’ motivations that drive accepted uses of these terms: their actions and understanding of relationships, often cause and effect DATA IS: relationships, between consumers’ raw information used as a basis for attributes, attitudes, experiences, and analysis or developing insights. Data behavior. An insight is not data or an alone is not the insight. observation but often comes from the analysis of data or observations. DATA SCIENCE IS: the collection and application of techniques to data, usually very large volumes of data, to provide meaningful insights or understanding in industry, research, and life contexts. Data Science can include techniques which utilize various forms of machine learning, advanced statistical models and, in the case of qualitative data, natural language processing. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 11

COPY TESTING IS: The key is to use copy testing as a a research approach used to gather developmental tool to make improvements consumer feedback during the to creative in a manner that helps drive the development of an ad, undertaken in creative development process, rather than order to help determine how creative as a purely diagnostic tool that “grades” can be optimized to be more effective. creative against benchmarks or “kills” It should inform strategy throughout the an idea. When conducting copy testing creative process. It should not be used to support decisions about selecting only at the end of the creative process or prioritizing creative ideas, it is best as a pass/fail test to simply validate practice to keep the human element in the creative. The process of copy testing may process in order to allow for exceptions for include techniques such as neuroscience early concepts that haven’t fully evolved. and biometrics, eye-tracking and even traditional measures, such as ad recall and purchase intent. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 12

FINDING 2 One theme that rang loud in our surveys and interviews was the belief “NO ONE LIKES TO that research, data and insights are SHARE WITH THE often used as a stick, breeding fear CREATIVES. THEY HOLD We’ve Got and mistrust among creatives. This has bred tension between researchers THE DATA AS SACRED and agencies, agencies and marketers, AND RARELY SHARE Some Trust planners and creatives — deterring THEIR FINDINGS.” trust and collaboration within and — Creative Issues across organizations at every step. In many cases, such adverse experiences have contributed to an erosion of trust throughout the entire ecosystem. “[CLIENTS CAN] WIELD THEIR DATA AS A WEAPON.” “OFTEN TIMES RESEARCH — Strategic Planner HAS DETERMINED FINAL DECISIONS FOR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT. I BELIEVE These sentiments may explain the THAT RESEARCH SHOULD BE divergence among members of the USED AS A FORM OF advertising community in the value REFERENCE. IT SHOULD BE placed on different research methods in INFORMATIVE RATHER THAN developing the core creative concepts THE FINAL SAY. THE FINAL and creative assets of an ad campaign. Our survey research found copy testing to DECISION SHOULD BE MADE be viewed much more favorably among FACTORING IN ALL ASPECTS.” researchers and others than it was among — Creative creatives and strategic planners, while the divergence was not as great for A/B testing. This suggests that creatives value measurement when perceived as additive and transparent (A/B testing) vs. black box (copy testing). How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 13

It is also notable that there are several Ethnography, social listening, and online research methods that creatives and communities stand out as favorite strategic planners regard as more helpful methods among creatives, indicative of than do researchers in developing core the value this group places on deeply creative concepts and creative assets. understanding their target audiences.

HOW VALUABLE WOULD YOU SAY EACH OF THE FOLLOWING ARE IN HELPING TO DEVELOP THE CORE CREATIVE CONCEPTS OF AN AD CAMPAIGN? (TOP 2 BOX 6-POINT SCALE)

Researcher Other Creative/Strategic Planner

65 % Social 33 % Copy Testing 63 % Listening 45 % 44 % 49 %

Analysis of 44 % 40 % Digital Media 60 % Ethnography 33 % Response 48 % 50 %

46 % System 1 / 44 % A/B Testing 58 % Neuro Tests 48 % 46 % 26 %

In-context Analysis of 48 % 29 % Testing Within 50 % Syndictated 35 % Platforms 45 % Research 41 %

Survey 48 % Online 27 % 58 % 28 % Research 43 % Communities 43 %

Implicit Focus Groups/ 52 % 29 % 30 % Association 15 % IDI’s 49 % Tests 27 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 14

Our in-depth interviews provided some clarity behind the preference “CREATIVES DON’T WANT for ethnography over copy testing for TO SEE THEIR WORK creatives and strategic planners. While JUDGED BY A BLACK these cohorts appreciate ethnographies for getting closer to human BOX OR ANY KIND understanding, copy testing often gets a OF ARBITRARY bad rap for its black box effect. ASSESSMENT, AND THAT’S WHAT OFTEN OCCURS WITH COPY — Creative “IN THE WORLD OF DIGITAL TESTING.” DATA, THE BIGGEST MISPERCEPTION IS THAT WE We also observed a disconnect in ASSUME ALL THE DATA WE ownership of the research process: SEE IS TRUE. AND WE GIVE Creatives and strategic planners tend TOO MUCH CREDIT WHEN to think the creative agency should be SOME OF IT ISN’T HUMAN responsible, while researchers and others DATA. THE BEST TYPE OF tend to think the marketer/advertiser DATA TO HELP ME DO or market research firm should manage MY JOB WOULD BE it. This indicates a desire to oversee ETHNOGRAPHIES ON research and insights. It also suggests that everyone in the ecosystem could benefit STEROIDS: APPLYING DATA from shared ownership and accountability TO REALLY IMMERSING of insights, as opposed to having them YOURSELF IN THE DAY-TO- controlled by only one discipline. DAY WORLD OF A HUMAN BEING, HOW THEY MAKE DECISIONS, AND WHAT DRIVES THEM.” — Strategic Planner How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 15

WHO DO YOU THINK SHOULD “OWN” (BE RESPONSIBLE FOR) THE RESEARCH PROCESS WHEN DEVELOPING CREATIVE?

Researcher Other Creative/Strategic Planner

MARKETER/ 38 % ADVERTISER 50 % 17 %

MARKET 38 % RESEARCH PARTNER 13 % 10 %

CREATIVE 13 % AGENCY 20 % 38 %

MEDIA 5 % AGENCY 3 % 7 %

DIGITAL 1 % AGENCY 8 % 4 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 16

FINDING 2 RECOMMENDATION To overcome barriers of trust between cross- KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: functional teams, we must use research Creatives and strategists are looking for a and data for inspiration, refinement and more qualitative feel in their research. At the USE RESEARCH improvement throughout the creative same time, researchers must be mindful of TO INSPIRE, process — not just for validation. how to transform their numbers into a useful and usable narrative for this audience. NOT AS A STICK ENSURE DIVERSITY OF EXPERIENCE: In this way, the researcher’s job is We can achieve trust through inclusivity. less about reporting, and more about Bringing together a diversity of informing and influencing an audience experiences and stakeholders in each of strategic planners and creatives. advertising initiative allows different Researchers must “market” the data and constituents to have access to data and know what type of output will affect the research, and to share their perspectives creative and strategic audience they’re throughout the process. Empowering trying to influence. everyone in the creative process with ownership over insight tools will fuel their production. One of the ways to “WHILE PLANNERS, bring this diversity to life is through STRATEGISTS AND CREATIVES a scrum framework. LIVE IN A PERPETUAL ATMOSPHERE OF CONSIDER A SCRUM: NEGOTIATION — AND HAVE To break down silos and help build TO USE DIFFERENT LEVERS trust, some teams have found success TO LISTEN, INITIATE, in establishing a scrum framework that PERSUADE, PUSH BACK OR includes representatives across the ABSORB AND ‘PIVOT’ ... different groups of the creative ecosystem RESEARCHERS ... ARE in regular communication. Having a USUALLY RESPONSIBLE dedicated team with a shared mission FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF of creating the best work possible, that is accountable for insights sharing and THE ONE THING — AND ARE implementation in current projects, has LIKELY TO PLACE AN UNDUE helped these companies provide greater WEIGHT OF EMPHASIS ON IT.” access to insights across all stakeholders. — Strategic Planner/Reviewer How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 17

FINDING 3 Our research has highlighted the misalignment of goals between different “A LOT OF TIMES I’VE groups in the industry, the practice of FOUND RESEARCH IS gatekeeping, and the creation of silos. USED TO AWARD All Systems We’ve observed gaps in how and when research is used in the creative process BONUSES, WHICH and communicated to creatives. DOESN’T HELP MAKE Are (NOT) AN EFFECTIVE CREATIVE PRODUCT THAT WORKS a Go ... JUST ONE THAT “QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS WORKS TO PASS THE ARE NOT FLOWING FROM TEST.” — Strategic Planner ORGANIZATIONS TO THE CREATIVE AGENCIES. THERE IS A DISCONNECT IN ORGANIZATIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE DEVELOPING “ADVERTISERS HAVE BECOME INSIGHTS AND ‘HISTORICAL VERY SAVVY WITH THEIR INTERNAL CLIENTS,’ EVEN OWN DATA, ESPECIALLY AMONG INTERNAL ANALYSTS IN QUANTIFYING THE AT BRANDS. I’VE HEARD OPPORTUNITIES. HOWEVER, MARKETERS TELL THE IT’S NOT IDEAL IF THEY AGENCY ‘THESE ARE THE ARE TOO DATA RELIANT. WE INSIGHTS WE ARE ALLOWED WANT TO BE CONFIDENT TO SHARE WITH YOU.’” AND DATA-INFORMED, — Researcher BUT NOT DATA-DRIVEN. SOMETIMES WE GET TOO MANY IRRELEVANT DATA.” — Strategic Planner How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 18

Much of this misalignment stems from “INSIGHTS ARE BETTER the role that research, data and insights EARLIER IN THE play in the validation of creative. While researchers, non-researchers, creatives PROCESS, AS IT SETS and strategic planners all agree that CREATIVE IN MOTION. research and data are most important INSIGHTS AFTER ARE in the optimization step of the creative BAD BECAUSE MANY campaign, creatives find research and GOOD CREATIVES ARE data less important in the validation and RUINED AFTER ONE exploration process. PERSON IN A FOCUS GROUP DOESN’T LIKE IT.” — Creative

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE FOR RESEARCH AND DATA IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS?

Researcher Other Creative/Strategic Planner

84 % OPTIMIZATION 88 % 76 %

80 % EXPLORATION 60 % 57 %

72 % VALIDATION 73 % 57 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 19

Specifically, there is a disconnect between creatives and strategic planners and the “RESEARCH HAS BECOME rest of the advertising community in the PRESCRIPTIVE AND IS NOT helpfulness of research, data and insights USED TO OPTIMIZE. IT in deciding on the final creative to roll out DICTATES IDEAS, SCRIPTS, with: creatives and strategic planners do AND CREATIVE CONTENT not find research and data as helpful at INSTEAD OF HELPING IT. WE this step, while researchers and those in non-research and non-creative/planning ARE CONSTANTLY MADE TO roles believe research and data to be the INCORPORATE SUGGESTIONS most helpful at this juncture. This hints at FROM ONE OR TWO why copy testing is not CONSUMERS. CLIENTS TREAT loved by the creative community — IT TOO MUCH LIKE AN EXACT that it is seen as providing a report card SCIENCE AND USE RESEARCH on their work after completion. AS A TOOL TO CREATE A FORMULA FOR CREATIVE. RESEARCH HINDERS THE “MARKETERS USE RESEARCH CREATIVE PROCESS.” TO DETERMINE WHAT THEIR — Creative END CREATIVE PRODUCT SHOULD BE (VALIDATION) INSTEAD OF USING IT AS At steps of the creative process where AN AID TO OPTIMIZE WORK. researchers place less value in the CREATIVE IS DEVELOPED helpfulness of research and data (review of prior creative, defining campaign TO BEAT A CERTAIN SCORE objectives, and channel planning), INSTEAD OF WHAT COULD creatives and strategists tend to find ULTIMATELY GROW A research and data to be the most BUSINESS.” — Creative important. This once again indicates that creative teams do find insights beneficial — when used much earlier in the process to inform creative development, rather than to approve or reject final creative. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 20

IN WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS IN THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS DO YOU THINK RESEARCH AND DATA ARE MOST HELPFUL?

Researcher Other Creative/Strategic Planner

DECIDING ON FINAL 79 % CREATIVE TO 75 % ROLL OUT WITH 51 %

DETERMINING ALTERNATIVE 67 % CREATIVE 70 % APPROACHES 55 %

CHANNEL PLANNING 63 % 68 % 61 %

DEFINING THE CREATIVE 60 % CAMPAIGN 58 % OBJECTIVES 59 %

REVIEW OF PRIOR CREATIVE 57 % 70 % 56 % How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 21

FINDING 3 RECOMMENDATION To improve collaboration, we must ALIGN ON GOALS: improve the system and create common High-performing teams are aligned on workflows that leverage data, research, goals and common evaluation metrics. ALIGN ON COMMON and insights throughout the campaign Having the same goals, incentives and WORKFLOWS process — from ideation to validation, responsibilities can help reconcile the and at as many stages as possible in divides across different groups. Teams can between. This includes... also benefit from greater transparency and agreement on how to use research, data, START EARLY: and insights throughout the exploration, To help alleviate the black box effect, optimization, and validation steps of the it is important that teams collaborate research process. on insights earlier in the process, with creative teams at the table. “IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THE BRAND AND AGENCY ALIGN ON WHO “THE VERY BEST CREATIVE THE BRAND IS, WHAT IT STANDS RESULTS FROM THE FOR, AND WHAT IT REALLY HAS MARKETER/RESEARCH TEAM TO OFFER CONSUMERS GIVEN AT THE CLIENTS PARTNERING THEIR NEEDS AND WANTS. IF WITH THE CREATIVE AGENCY BRANDS AND AGENCIES CAN AND THE STRATEGISTS. WHEN ALIGN ON THAT SWEET SPOT WE APPROACH ASSIGNMENTS BEFORE THEY GO INTO WITH COMPLETE CANDOR RESEARCH, THEIR RESEARCH AND THE RICHEST INSIGHTS, OUTCOMES WILL BE BETTER. WE UNITE AROUND WHY? BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT POWERFUL IDEAS AND SEE GOING INTO RESEARCH THEM THROUGH.” SEARCHING FOR IT. YOU’RE — Strategic Planner GOING INTO RESEARCH TRYING TO LEARN WHAT MIGHT BE THE BEST FEELING OR TONE OF THE “IT.” — Strategic Planner/ Reviewer How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 22

AUDIT GAPS: from creative should be collected for It is also best practice for marketers and continuous improvement and scaled for agencies to perform data/research/ future programs. Since someone needs insights audits, to understand where gaps to own this documentation, one possible may exist or where critical insights are not owner could be the scrum team, which can readily available to all teams. help the organization stay accountable for continuous learning and knowledge sharing. These learnings can also serve DOCUMENT LEARNINGS: as the foundation of an agreed-upon Finally, there must be documentation and strategy for testing and experimentation sharing during — and at the conclusion that all teams can follow moving forward. — of an advertising project. Learnings How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 23

The ARF Creative Council — comprised TRUST of researchers, marketers, creatives, and • Do you have a diversity of experiences and Where Do strategic planners — explored the three stakeholders in each advertising initiative? issues of language, trust, and workflow in • Do all stakeholders have access to data and our creative ecosystem, and have provided We Go from research throughout the creative process? recommendations on how to address these challenges in each of the above • Do you have a scrum with a shared mission of creating the best work possible, that is Here? sections. We’ve compiled these findings accountable for insights sharing? into a series of diagnostic questions that you can use to assess where there may be room for improvement in your own PROCESS/SYSTEM organization and the actions you can pilot • Do your teams agree on which types to drive stronger communication of insights belong in which parts of the and collaboration. creative process? • Do all teams on a project collaborate on data, research, and insights at the beginning of the YOUR GPS TO BETTER creative process?

INSIGHTS/ • Is your full team (marketer, agency, BETTER CREATIVE researcher, creative) aligned on common goals? Not sure where to start? Like all good research, let’s start by asking the right • Does your organization have an agreed-upon questions. Use these diagnostic questions strategy for testing and experimentation that to get started: all teams buy into and follow? • Are you all using the same LANGUAGE evaluation metrics? • Have your cross-functional teams agreed on • Have you performed a data/research/ how to use critical tools such as copy testing, insights audit to understand where critical insights, A/B testing etc.? insights information is not readily available to all team members? • Can your teams differentiate between data, research, and data science vs. true insights? • Does your organization document learnings throughout the creative process? • When performing copy testing, do you protect early concepts that haven’t fully evolved from being killed too early? How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 24

In our world of big data, companies better. We hope you’ll use this paper and are investing in data and research the diagnostic tool it provides to begin Who’s Up infrastructure to make smarter dialogues and generate micro shifts at advertising decisions. But if this data isn’t your own companies. for the transformed into meaningful insights, both quantitative and qualitative, to LET’S BRIDGE THE GAPS inform creatives throughout all phases BETWEEN OUR INDUSTRY SILOS, Challenge? of the advertising development process AND SHIFT FROM USING DATA — then these insights aren’t used to their full potential. Research and data — when AS A STICK, TO EMPOWERING used correctly — can inspire, unlock, TEAMS AND DRIVING CREATIVE and amplify creative thinking. Marketers, WITH BETTER INSIGHTS. researchers, strategic planners, creatives — we all have an opportunity to do How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 25

1. The ARF Creative Council Steering 3. There were 82 researchers who completed Committee developed a questionnaire the survey, and 40 in “other” roles who did so. Method- on the uses of data and research in the Due to the nature of the sampling, the data creative process. The ARF distributed this presented in this report should be considered questionnaire to all of its advertiser, agency, directional rather than projectable. ology and research company members in February and March 2018. A total of 217 individuals 4. The data shown here on “MR firms” (N=57) from member companies responded to and “non-MR firms” (N=70) are subsets of the survey, of whom 127 completed it. the ARF sample. The initial results of this survey were reported at the ARF’s 2018 CONSUMERxSCIENCE conference. 5. The ARF Creative Council also conducted 16 in-depth interviews with creatives and strategic planners who had responded to 2. The ARF then conducted the same survey the survey or who were invited to participate with creatives and strategists. It partnered by ARF executives or Council Steering with the 4As to distribute the survey to Committee members. These took place from individuals in their database in creative roles October 2018 through February 2019. and with Advertiser Perceptions to expand the sample further. In addition, members of the Creative Council Steering Committee distributed the survey to creatives and strategists in their networks. Altogether, a total of 82 creatives and strategists responded from both ARF member companies non-ARF member companies. How to Get Better Creative from Better Insights | 26

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARF For questions about the paper or a CREATIVE COUNCIL consultation on its topics, contact us. This paper and research were authored by If you’re interested in contributing to similar the ARF Creative Council, whose mission is research projects in the future, enroll in the to increase the understanding of the impact ARF Creative Council. of research on creativity from a variety of viewpoints and in multiple organizations. ABOUT THE ARF Since 1936, the Advertising Research ABOUT ADVERTISER PERCEPTIONS Foundation has been the standard- Advertiser Perceptions is the global leader in bearer for unbiased quality in research research-based business intelligence for the on advertising, media and marketing. Its advertising, marketing, and ad technology powerful knowledge, unifying standards industries. It delivers an unbiased, research- and best practices have benefited its based view of the advertising market with 400+ member companies many times analysis and solutions tailored to a company’s over. Only the ARF brings together specific KPIs and business objectives. These advertisers, agencies, media companies, insights provide clients with the confidence research companies and ad tech into one to make the very best organizational, sales, conversation about how to be better at and / or marketing decisions. what we do.