This document provides guidance on identifying high-quality insights for advertising. It discusses that insights should [1] provide a penetrating observation about real human behavior that can drive growth, [2] compel a change in consumer behavior through an astonishing disclosure about people or the world, and [3] defy convention by articulating what consumers intuitively feel but can't express. The document cautions against insights that [1] describe consumers in overly simplistic or unrealistic ways, [2] state shallow surface-level truths rather than deeper drivers of behavior, or [3] present observations about human nature that aren't unique. Effective insights are presented as felt truths that get to the core of human nature and consumer motivations.

1. A HUNTER’S GUIDE TO
BULLSH*T-FREE INSIGHTS
Tom Morton, chief strategy officer, Havas Worldwide NY
@tommorton

2. “Miserable is what your
whole crew will be,
if you‟re not original and
you show no strategy.”
A Tribe Called Quest
Word Play

3. INSIGHT IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE
CURRENCIES IN ADVERTISING

4. “Nothing is so powerful as an
insight into human nature . . . what
compulsions drive a man, what
instincts dominate his action . . . if
you know these things about a
man you can touch him at the
core of his being.”
Bill Bernbach

5. LIKE ALL CURRENCIES
INSIGHTS CAN BE DEVALUED

6. HOW TO SPOT A BAD INSIGHT

7. “Natalie is “She is a busy, on-the-
an ISFJ.” go mom who is always
looking for me-time.”
THE TARGET CONSUMER
WHO ISN’T AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING

8. “Teens want the ability “People feel that
to customize and inner beauty is
personalize food in their most important.”
own way.”
THE DEEP TRUTH
THAT DOESN’T SCRATCH THE SURFACE

9. “Flossing regularly makes “People get tired
my teeth cleaner and by the end of
makes me feel more the day.”
confident about my mouth.”
THE UNIQUE TRUTH
THAT ISN’T UNIQUE (OR TRUE)

10. INSIGHTS NEED TO BE
TRUE FLASHES OF INSIGHT

11. Insight: a penetrating observation about
consumer behavior that can unlock growth.
Diageo
Insight: an astonishing disclosure about real
people, the brands they use or the world they
live in that compels a change in their behavior.
Richard Huntington, Saatchi & Saatchi

12. INSIGHT HUNTING MEANS
DEFYING CONVENTION

13. “All great truths begin as
heresies.”
George Bernard Shaw

14. INSIGHTS AREN’T JUST SAID, THEY’RE FELT

15. When the intellect articulates what the gut has
always felt.
Unilever Consultant
Insight (n.) The act of apprehending the inner
nature of things or of seeing intuitively.
Webster’s dictionary

16. Axe: every guy pines for
„the one that got away‟
Axe – Fear No Susan Glenn

17. THE QUICKEST WAY TO INSIGHT IS TO
REFRAME THE PROBLEM

18. UK Road Safety: the 30mph speed limit
is the highest speed at which most
pedestrians will survive a collision
UK Road Safety – It‟s 30 For A Reason

19. Milk: most people don‟t even notice
milk when it‟s there, but they really
miss it when it‟s not
Got Milk – Aaron Burr

20. THERE IS MORE INSIGHT IN THE NEGATIVE
AND CONTRADICTORY SIDE OF HUMAN
NATURE THAN THERE IS IN THE SUNNY SIDE

21. Nicorette: most attempts to quit
smoking are unplanned and
chaotic, so quitting sucks
Nicorette – Shark

22. BGH Air Conditioners:
heat makes us undignified
BGH Air Conditioners: Dads In Briefs

23. “Out of the crooked
timber of humanity,
no straight thing was
ever made.”
Immanuel Kant

24. LOOK BEYOND THE CONSUMER
AND OUT IN TO CULTURE

25. The Beetle is a humble alternative
to the excesses of Detroit

26. Every generation of young people thinks it can change the world

27. LOOK TO THE DEEP TRUTHS OF THE BRAND

28. Johnnie Walker: an individual entrepreneur
who strides across the bottle
Johnnie Walker: The Man Who Walked Around The World

29. Dos Equis: Vienna-style beer brewed
by Germans in Mexico to celebrate
the dawn of a new century.

30. Ritz Crackers: offering ordinary
people a taste of the good times
Atlantic City: a city built on freedom

31. Q. What are the greatest hits of the brand?
Q. What was the magic of the brand when it was at
its peak?
Q. What are the truths of the brand that are staring
us in the face?
THE MAGIC QUESTIONS

32. AND FINALLY… NOT EVERY GREAT IDEA
DEPENDS ON A GREAT INSIGHT

33. Budweiser – Whassup?
Burger King – Subservient Chicken
Guinness – noitulovE
Honda – Cog
Ikea - Lamp
Nike – Tag
Orange – Film Board
Sony – Balls
CANNES GRAND PRIX WINNERS
NOT BASED ON INSIGHTS
Courtesy of Simon Law, Fabric Worldwide