Digital agencies need tech agencies, just like Bond needs Q
James Bond’s gadget guru, Q, describes how he adds technology to Bond’s armory in the latest movie, Skyfall:
“I can do more damage on my laptop
sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey,” Q says to Bond,
“than you can do in a year in the field.”
At Cannes this week you’ll see all those wannabe-Bonds, without Q; storytellers without data; digital agencies without (more…)
Data-led creativity deserves more than just hype
The futures of data and creativity are fundamentally connected. While this eventuality seems inevitable and the statement may be even something of a platitude nowadays, the stark abyss between data and creativity is present across many industries – but none more than the advertising industry.
It has been noted by close observers of the many famous advertising awards ceremonies that effectiveness is now key to success, but still there are too few examples of data-driven creativity.
This post first appeared in Marketing Magazine, Oct 2012.
There are five reasons that data – for the moment – might be removed from the creative process:
First, data mining is often too arduous and complex. As a result, it’s expensive to make data useful, hence there are many sophisticated data analysts who can charge like a wounded bull. Their outputs might be impressive, but their hourly rates scare off too many potential clients.
Second, data mining teams are often unglamorous and lack the cool-factor found in creative agencies. Or so the creative agencies believe. One creative director recently used the oil and water analogy, saying “we’re better off at opposite ends of the creative engine”. (more…)
Big Data Made Small: Automation and Gamification to the rescue
Taken from the intro to our presentation to the Market Research Society of Singapore to be held on 20th November.
Data represents a big business opportunity for the creative industries. In this presentation James and Graham examine how and why data should be embraced.
How do you photograph an elephant?
Just as the old saying goes, “What’s the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time”, we will look at some cases where data has been used to build business and drive communications.
Many brands are now feeding data-driven stories to consumers who are hungry for relevant content. We will discuss just three examples. (more…)
The future of digital is divisible by the seven simple tenets
Taken from the intro to our speech at Digital Asia Festival to be held in Beijing, 7&8 November.
The speakers announced at the Digital Asia Festival, Beijing. Nov 2012.
James and Paul, collectively, know what the future of digital needs. And it’s in seven parts. eMarketer tells us that this year, global digital ad spend is forecast to top $105 billion, with Asia-Pacific accounting for $27.63 billion after North America ($40.3 billion) and Western Europe ($28 billion). So how should we maximize this expenditure?
To this end, James and Paul will bring to life the seven simple tenets needed to succeed in today’s world of data-driven digital communications. The seven simple tenets are: (more…)
Data-led creativity: more than just hype, it’s the future
Taken from my intro to the Media Innovation Group’s Spikes Forum:
Overview: Data represents a big business opportunity for the creative industry.
Talking about the light at the end of the tunnel…
“Big Data” is just a euphemism for “too much information to know what to do with it all”
When media teams became independent of their creative agency siblings, not only did the media revenue walk out the door of creative agencies, so did much of the detailed customer and media knowledge. Only the smarter creative agencies are working closely with audience data insights gleaned from media planning and buying across all sizes of project.
Meanwhile, marketers are finding all data slipping into the “Big Data” category; most marketers have access to masses of data and not the resources to do anything with it.
Soon in Asia Pacific, we will all be given much more access to data in more forms. But will we know what to do with it to make our communications more engaging, more exciting, more successful? Or will we just use data to push product more effectively? (more…)
James Welch Has Moved On
James Welch, new business consultant, shopper marketing consultant, author of the “occasional blog” listeningtostories.com and host of The (slightly elitist) Next Dinner Party (TNDP) has moved on…
Moved on. Not passed on.
Moved on. Not moved away.
Hell, no! My new world is not even removed from my past. Indeed, it’s geographically and figuratively in the middle of everything I hold dear.
Singapore is a hub for a reason. It is easy to get to around the region. Hey, it’s only 8 hours from Sydney. It is a vibrant opportunity to relocate to a place which plays host to many a multinational business. From Singapore, I’ll conduct my business as Regional Director, APAC. (Let me know when you are passing through Singapore!)
It’s still an adland role. The business I’m joining entails me using the skills and expertise that I’ve built up over the years. Media planner turned brand consultant turned path-to-purchase advocate. And it builds on this, by adding a cutting edge technology platform created over the last few years under the awning of a big advertising group. This business is all about getting the best level of engagement with an online audience, whether the audience is at home, at work or out shopping. And it’s about getting more sales for ever tightening budgets. It’s about great acquisition rates. (Let me know if you want your digital media budgets to go further, smarter, brighter. And that’s everyone, I believe.)
Goodbye, Sydney. Thank you for being gorgeous.
PS. An announcement regarding the APAC launch of this business will be made mid July.
If Content is King, Awesomeness is King Kong via @faris #CIRCUS2012
With inspiration comes perspiration. And not always your own perspiration. This could be the mantra of an event organiser as much as a presenter at a conference. If nobody has sweated to make the event great – and each presentation within – inspiration is unlikely to follow.
At Circus2012, an event put on by The Communications Council*, Faris Yakob was the first to speak. From the energy that he put into his presentation, he might well have been perspiring! On this occasion, with perspiration came inspiration. There was a lot to be inspired by in Faris’ talk.
If Content is King, Awesomeness is King Kong
First, who is FARIS YAKOB, Chief Innovation Officer at NY agency, MDC? He’s a well educated Brit who comes across as part Tigger, part gorilla: bright, bouncing and hairy.
Personalisation: it’s time to put the consumer back in the driving seat
Back in the 90s we had presentations given to us regularly about the power of direct mail. Funnily enough, the direct mail that worked best was personalised. It wasn’t revolutionary, it was just that “Dear Homeowner” was to become a thing of the past.
If the shop sign says "Irrelevant Bargains Within" the novelty soon wears off.
Of course, the un-tailored communication is still omnipresent: it still spams (more…)
The All-New Path-to-Purchase
Many shopper marketing consultants are wrong. The path-to-purchase is not linear. The path-to-purchase in days gone by was just a tool “to drive consumers from the couch to the shopping mall to the aisle.” The line was:
we’ll turn consumers into shoppers and shoppers into buyers
…often where “integration” meant a “matching luggage approach” to the creative work by a range of agencies.
Yesteryear's Path-to-Purchase
Putting the matching luggage issue aside, this Path-to-Purchase, which we might call “yesteryear’s p2p” only works now for TOTALLY NEW products. You see, for the majority of products – from recognised brands – social media has changed the path-to-purchase for ever.
Today, we’re all familiar with the idea that there exists a myriad of new channels for consumers to communicate to each other. Brands now can thrive or die because of these interactions.
New channels should be considered as springboards for conversations, for the frequent, lightweight interactions that are vital in today’s socially networked society.
The path-to-purchase now starts with your current, engaged audience. Your current buyers. (more…)
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