1. December 4, 2015
How Big Data Enhanced the “Art” of Marketing
http://insidebigdata.com/2015/12/04/big-data-enhanced-art-marketing/
Daniel Gutierrez
In this special guest feature, Jessica
Hawthorne-Castro, CEO of Hawthorne
Direct, explores the situation that with so
much information at their fingertips, and
a growing mandate to determine which
metrics matter most (and then harness
those metrics), are marketers still
allowed to be creative in their campaign
efforts? Or, has big data completely killed
that aspect of marketing in its attempt to
get down and dirty with the numbers at
the expense of stretching creative limits
and experimentation? Jessica is the CEO
of Hawthorne Direct, a leading
technology-based advertising agency
specializing in analytics and accountable brand campaigns for over 30-years.
Throughout her tenure with Hawthorne Direct, she has fostered long-standing
relationships with the company’s expansive base of diversified clients resulting from an
unwavering commitment to unparalleled service. Prior to joining Hawthorne Direct,
Hawthorne-Castro was a successful TV literary agent with William Morris Endeavor
(formerly Endeavor). Hawthorne-Castro holds a Magna Cum Laude MBA degree from
Loyola Marymount University, with a double emphasis in Management and Marketing.
She also holds a Cum Laude Bachelors degree from UCLA’s School of Arts and
Architecture.
There are many different ways to define “Big Data.”
Authors Viktor Mayer Schonberger and Kenneth Cukier define big data as something
that one can do at a large scale that cannot be done at a smaller one. They say it’s

2. about extracting new insights or creating new forms of value in transformative
ways.
Research firm Gartner defines it as “high-volume, high-velocity, and high-variety
information assets that demand cost-effective, innovative forms of information
processing for enhanced insight and decision making.”
By any definition, big data has pushed marketers to think more about how their
advertising investments and campaigns translate into meaningful results. The most
successful marketers today are those who can identify the most relevant data and
use it to make smarter decisions, advance their brands’ positions and capabilities,
engage new customers and operate more efficiently.
The marketing profession gets more data-driven every year. With so much
information out there and increasing pressure to let metrics be the guide, this begs
the question: has big data crushed the creative side of marketing?
Marketers should strive to strike a balance between the demand for accountability
and data-driven results and the demand for creating compelling content that
engages our clients’ customers. Data and creativity do not have to be mutually
exclusive. In fact, data can fuel creativity by pointing marketers in the right direction
and freeing them up to do what they do best — create campaigns that resonate with
consumers. Big data and creative do not have to be kept separate.
As Advertising Week Social Club’s Heather Taylor put it,“the more creative steps
outside of the marketing pool and wades into others – including design, research
and development, and customer service – the more it becomes just as vital to
contributing to the support and growth of a business as analytics.”
The possibilities for big data are endless. To start, it can help marketers more
accurately target a specific consumer group that needs their product. Today’s
consumer is inundated with advertising, messaging and content. Amidst all this
chaos, they primarily (only) respond to the messages that are relevant to them. They
days of launching a general advertising campaign that speaks to everyone in the U.S.
are long gone.
Marketers can use big data to more precisely define their target demographics,
pinpoint the regions where those consumers live, and identify the most impactful
TV, digital, or other media placement opportunities. Once a marketer has used data
to nail down this audience, then it’s time to generate creative that speaks to that
audience. Big data makes marketers “smarter” and allows them to get even more
granular with their messaging. They can use the insights from the analysis to make
better decisions about media and distribution.
Big Data as not killed the “art” of marketing. Far from it. The most effective
campaigns are those that reach consumers in a meaningful, memorable way.

3. Capturing attention and eliciting a response requires more than the right offer at the
right time. The tone, words, and design matter. The most powerful campaigns are
those that stimulate an emotional response in the recipient, whether it’s
amusement, ambition, anger, fear, pride, hope, etc.. For that, you need creativity. Big
data can point you in the right direction, but “art” is required to drive a campaign
home.