Do analytics improve or destroy great creative?  That is the debate I’ve seen raging in the headlines of industry media and blogs.  The truth is this: if the creative and analytics teams are properly integrated and know how to work together from the get-go, campaign results can improve by as much as 50%.  Want do to learn more about how to make this happen?  Read on.

From the moment a new digital campaign brief arrives, both teams need to work together.  The analytics team needs to provide insights, not just data, on how similar campaigns have performed in the past.  What have we learned from our past experience?  Some of these insights can be simple yet powerful; examples for direct response oriented creative insights include: 

1.      Website landing pages in horizontal formats perform better than vertical ones. 

2.      There should be a balance of iconography and descriptive text

3.      Flash modules perform better if they are booked ended with a call to action

Other examples for more brand oriented campaigns include:

1.      Consistent and prominent branding improves recall

2.      Rich experiences that incorporate playful interactivity improve engagement

At the beginning of the partnership, the Analytics and Creative teams must be unified when it comes to forecasting – and jointly decide what success looks like from a metrics standpoint.  Naturally what constitutes success will vary depending on what the objectives are for the campaign.  In this way, both teams have ownership in the results.  At this early stage, it is also important to gather input on metrics from the Strategy and Engagement Management teams as well as from senior-level client-facing team members.  These individuals can help you uncover more data on existing or historic metrics, which may inform the direction moving forward.

The Analytics team must forecast the results of the campaign before it is launched.  Considerations include the supporting media and search plans, campaign messages, creative execution and of course the strength of the product offering.  We believe that Analytics should play a role in campaign planning – so that plans reflect overall learnings, which should help drive more accurate forecasting.

Effective forecasting is difficult; it is equal parts art and science.  And sometimes, the Analytics team will forecast incorrectly and miss agreed upon targets – which has nothing to do with poor creative but has everything to do with poor forecasting.  By leveraging holistic data –not just web analytics – and applying more advanced models and problem-solving techniques, poor forecasting can be avoided, especially if your teams can build predictive forecasting models (which I’ve covered in previous posts).

This also forces the Analytics team to have skin in the game – and moves them from a role of just measuring to having a meaningful deliverable that impacts the final results.

My next posts will cover how the Analytics and Creative teams can team up to do campaign testing to truly leverage the power of digital and best practices for collaboration. Stay tuned for the next installment next week!