Abstract and concrete thinking in marketing
Each year, after the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the global benchmark for creative excellence since 1954, the marketing world is caught in a tug-of-war between creativity and data. Supporters hype up one side as the key to success while others are left in the shadows.
"Creativity is the key," "No, we should be more data-driven," "Not data-driven, but data-informed," as if one can exclude the other or as if in today's world, we have even the choice or luxury to choose one over the other. The "either/or" mindset overlooks a crucial aspect: successful marketing requires a fusion of both creativity and data or, more generally, abstract and concrete thinking.
Marketing is more complex and challenging nowadays than ever, and offering a data-driven/informed approach or creativity as a solution to everything is simply not wise. They should be part of your more expansive toolkit; you need to pick and choose depending on what kind of challenge you are dealing with.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity offers valuable insights into this debate. Each year, the festival showcases work demonstrating the power of abstract vision and data-driven execution.
Refrain from fighting for the approach; think, mix and match.
Abstract thinking allows us to step back and see the bigger picture. It asks fundamental questions: What are we trying to achieve with this initiative? Who are we trying to reach, and what motivates them? What emotions and aspirations do we want to tap into? This stage involves brainstorming, identifying target audiences, and defining campaign goals. It's like staring out at a vast landscape and figuring out where to go.
This year's Cannes Lions winners and stage talks revealed a shift in creative strategies towards relatability, heart, and humor. The introduction of a new 'Use of Humour' category, which attracted 798 entries, underscores the industry's recognition that well-executed humour can be a powerful tool in marketing. This trend reflects the abstract thinking process of understanding human emotions and crafting messages that resonate more deeply.
Concrete thinking, on the other hand, translates that abstract vision into actionable steps. Here, data takes center stage. We analyze customer demographics, buying behaviours, and past campaign performance. We experiment with different messaging, visuals, and channels to see what resonates most. It's like meticulously plotting the route on that map, accounting for terrain, weather patterns, and potential obstacles.
While creativity took center stage, the Cannes Lions Festival also emphasized the importance of measurable impact. For instance, the Creative Effectiveness Lions category celebrates work that demonstrates tangible business results, highlighting the crucial role of data in driving and measuring creative success.
Concrete thinking focuses on real, tangible things, while abstract thinking involves processing concepts and making connections, and seeing patterns. Imagine a marketing team tasked with launching a new fitness tracker. Abstract thinking might lead them to identify a target audience – young professionals seeking a healthier lifestyle. They might define the campaign goal as increasing brand awareness and driving sales.
Now comes the concrete phase. Data analysis might reveal that this audience responds best to social media influencers and aspirational imagery. Based on this, the team creates content showcasing real people using the tracker to achieve their fitness goals. They might utilize user-generated content and partner with relevant influencers.
This is the true synergy. Without data grounding, abstract thinking can result in beautiful but ineffective campaigns and strategies. Conversely, data-driven marketing without a clear vision might target the right people with the wrong message.
The Cannes Lions Festival itself embodies this synergy. While celebrating creative excellence, it also provides concrete benchmarks and data through its awards categories and the Cannes Lions Official Wrap-up Creativity Report. This report offers insights from jurors, winners, and rankings, providing marketers with tangible metrics to assess and improve their creative strategies.
Holistic thinking in action.
The most successful campaigns leverage both approaches. They start with abstract thinking to identify the "why" and then refine it with concrete thinking to define the "how." We unlock a powerful arsenal for tackling any marketing challenge by embracing creativity and data.
As highlighted at Cannes Lions, homogeneity is a creativity killer. The antidote lies in embracing diversity of thought, leading with empathy, and building new spaces for connection and collaboration. This approach perfectly encapsulates the need for abstract thinking (embracing diversity and empathy) and concrete action (building new spaces and collaborations) in marketing.
So, let's move beyond the artificial "creativity vs. data" debate. Instead, let's enable a culture of holistic thinking where abstract vision and concrete execution work hand-in-hand to push our marketing efforts to new heights.
