The struggle to\u00a0bring measurement discipline to marketing\u00a0continues. This statistical\u00a0Moneyball\u00a0approach to marketing\u00a0\u2014 all forms of communications \u2014 flies in the face of pop\u00a0social media culture and its focus on conversations and creativity.<\/p>\n
Just look at AMC\u2019s \u201cThe\u00a0Pitch,\u201d and its over focus on creative and shiny object duels winning marketing\u00a0campaigns.<\/p>\n
Can another agency win The Pitch because it included \u201csocial media\u201d in its offering?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s\u00a0no excuse\u00a0to avoid measurement. Corporate marketers can go beyond\u00a0measuring long-term program goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to use\u00a0these tools as a diagnostic indicator.<\/p>\n
Understanding how your community reacts to new initiatives can almost always be\u00a0measured through your web site and monitoring tools. This is regardless of medium\u00a0\u2014 print, broadcast or interactive.<\/p>\n
Gini Dietrich\u00a0and I wrote a book called\u00a0Marketing in the Round\u00a0that discusses the integration of marketing disciplines in the post digital era. A\u00a0crucial part of that discussion includes three chapters on measurement.<\/em><\/p>\n No aspect of modern marketing should remain a mystery, including monitoring\u00a0competitive initiatives, measuring how stakeholders act on the web site after\u00a0getting an email versus a blog versus responding to an ad, or\u00a0determining your product\u2019s\u00a0weaknesses\u00a0through online feedback.<\/p>\n Finding, measuring and analyzing data becomes a crucial skill set for today\u2019s\u00a0marketer. Like the book and movie, Moneyball analysis should show strategists\u00a0how to approach branding, campaigns and individual moments in time.<\/p>\n In my opinion, if someone masters measurement they can at worst become a very\u00a0good marketer. This should encourage anyone who feels they can\u2019t succeed because\u00a0they lack design or copywriting savor faire. Sooner or later you need to write and\/or create, but analytical skills have become the third core skill of marketing.<\/p>\n Will creativity no longer matter in the coming Moneyball era?<\/p>\n Far from it. Great creative still compels the human heart.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s\u00a0a direct marketing campaign\u00a0or\u00a0a Super Bowl ad, case study after case study in\u00a0Marketing in the Round<\/em>\u00a0highlighted incredible creativity.<\/p>\n But now instead of Wild West Pitch like shoot-outs where creatives spar with\u00a0imagination guns, we have informed approaches to developing campaigns.<\/p>\n Creative briefs take on a new dimensions with strategic intelligence. Copywriters,\u00a0creatives, and strategists alike can see what paths are most likely to produce\u00a0results. Entrepreneurs can inform their business and marketing decisions based on\u00a0measured data.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean a strategist must take the road most traveled. Many\u00a0companies succeed by king just the opposite. Consider how\u00a0Five Guys\u00a0generated incredible word of mouth for its\u00a0brand through employee training and incentives. Understanding the creative path\u00a0and approach can still break open markets.<\/p>\n In fact, while analytical skills may make a marketing organization very good, a\u00a0combination of strategic analysis and creativity skills delivers a lethal punch.<\/p>\n What do you think about balancing analytical and creativity skill sets in the modern\u00a0marketing?<\/p>\n Geoff Livingston (geofflivingston.com) is an author and marketing\u00a0strategist, and serves as VP, Strategic Partnerships for Razoo. A former journalist,\u00a0Livingston continues to write, and most recently he co-authored\u00a0\u201cMarketing in the Round\u201d, a book that shows you how to get more value from all your marketing and\u00a0communications channels integrated together.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The struggle to\u00a0bring measurement discipline to marketing\u00a0continues. This statistical\u00a0Moneyball\u00a0approach to marketing\u00a0\u2014 all forms of communications \u2014 flies in the face … <\/p>\nWhat About Creativity?<\/h2>\n