Storytelling With Data
No one has ever said “I feel like there’s nothing more heartwarming that looking at numbers and data.” Another sentence that has never been uttered, “Pictures of children playing on a playground yield no emotions from me.” Data has a place in marketing. Strong emotional images and messages have a place in marketing. In today’s marketing environment neither of them should be used without the other.
When we let data lead and forget to capture our target’s heart then we’ve already lost. Use your data to better tell your story.
The data scientist should help the account leads to create the story, answer questions, and find priceless nuggets, but there is rarely an occasion when we need to have them lead a client meeting (no offense intended). Most brand managers want to know about consumer insights, business goals, and the next big idea.
Too many agencies have fallen under the data spell and have forgotten to turn those results into stories that speak to the client in a language they understand – and that aligns to their objectives and strategies. It’s like talking to a customer about product features (empty of emotion) without selling them on the benefits (the emotional hook).
(via Clickz)