Data are the solution.
As good as creativity is, and believe me it is good, there is an easy solution for keeping it in check. The solution is appropriate data, both competitive and consumer or constituent, to drive the creative process. Michael Behe said, “The conclusion of design flows naturally from the data; we should not shrink from it; we should embrace it and build on it.†Data are the first step toward making marketing accountable as well as making it perform significantly better.
Data should be obtained on constituent/customer preferences, competitors’ marketing strategies and tactics, industry conditions, and your organization’s internal assumptions about how it markets itself and why that may or may not be successful. These data can be obtained by conducting formal market research or by simply observing your competition and talking with customers.
You can conduct this research yourself or hire an agency like Serfwerks. The advantage to doing it yourself is, of course, cost. Do-it-yourself researching is not free though. If you are a small business owner there are lots of things that make you money that you have to do yourself. The advantages of hiring an agency are two-fold: the research gets done right and you might save some money when you factor in productivity and opportunity cost. Decide which is best for you, because not doing the research can be the costliest option.
These data will show the path that creativity must follow and significanlty increase the likelihood that your marketing will be successful.
