The long-fabled dream of digital advertising and, arguably, a fundamental step to achieving the promise of programmatic, is the effective combination of creative and data. So, why are there so many sticking points and how do you become unstuck? ExchangeWire speak exclusively with Michael Andrew (pictured below), GM, data science, AKQA, about what combining data and creative actually looks like and how we can join the two harmoniously.

ExchangeWire: When we talk about combining creative and data, what do we really mean?

Michael Andrew: Data can drive creative experiences in two core ways:

1. As a way into the insight, or 'big idea', that uncovers the kernel of truth or human insight that inspires great campaigns and products.

2. As fuel for the experience itself, whether through direct data feeds from the consumer, or through algorithmic-powered experiences. 

The first is, arguably, what great brand planners have always sought to achieve through consumer research, ethnography, and similar approaches. The only difference is they are now armed with vast data sets generated from all the human activity that is now recorded, stored, and quantified. Much of this data is useless, but there are real nuggets of truth within these data sets that can lead to surprising insights and sparks of creativity. 

The second is new and emerging as a powerful force for expression of creativity. Today, it has largely taken the form of relatively simple matching systems, such as product recommendations on Amazon or retargeting banner ads for a items you left in the cart, but it is moving in a bigger direction. The rise of chatbots, conversational interfaces, facial recognition, and emerging machine-learning-driven creative projects, such as Google Deep Dream, provide an indication of where this is headed.

Soon, the author of creative experience for a consumer may no longer be fully in human hands.

How connected are creative and data currently? Is there a sticking point with data being used effectively to inform the creative process? 

It's beginning to come together, but I would not say it has advanced far among all the agencies and brands. The 'way we do things' is often a powerful inhibitor to change. For far too long advertising has been a medium largely built around mass messages to mass audiences. It's changing, but it takes time to build new habits and ways of working between creative teams and brands. 

Michael Andrew, General Manager, Data Science, AKQA

At AKQA, our founding principle is the imaginative application of art and science in order to create the future. This belief and approach has led an open cultural embrace of data and creativity. Duan Evans, our International ECD, and I have had many great late nights discussing the blending of artificial intelligence and creative experiences. 

Duan, and the rest of the leadership at AKQA, have been incredibly supportive of the power of data science and algorithms to shape creativity and experiences. The active dialogue between creatives, data scientists, and technologists is what generates the most interesting spaces for creativity. 

Often a sticking point that limits the connection of creative and data is the availability and access to the data. For many brands, there are understandably concerns around data access and that can quickly become a show stopper. Also, the data teams often sit in different parts of the organisation from the marketing and brand teams, which can make access and activation more difficult. It's important to have safeguards, but this can also be a major inhibitor from the insights and access needed to fuel powerful creative ideas that can resonate with consumers. 

Where should the responsibility lie for ensuring data and creative are connected?

Fundamentally, brands own the experience they deliver to consumers. Great brands enable data-fuelled creativity by buying the concepts great shops sell them and by enabling access to the data and technical infrastructure needed to deliver these experiences. Of course, great agencies and future-forward media companies bring data-driven ideas and innovations to the table but, in the end, the brand needs to own the responsibility.

How do automation and RTB impact the creative process? 

On one level, automation and RTB have mostly been used today for transactional efficiency, with very little impact on the creative. The vast majority of media dollars being put into programmatic are being used to find efficiencies in CPMs as primary motivators without a deep interrogation of the creativity possibilities available.

Fundamentally, having real-time channels, where you can reach a consumer on a one-to-one level, has been the dream of marketers since technological-based marketing began. The major platforms, like Facebook and Google, use this en masse to personalise newsfeeds and webpages for consumers and have driven a lot of innovation in the space. 

Some brands, especially within e-commerce, have built efficient systems of matching creative experiences on a one-to-one level with consumers based on behavioural triggers. Creatively, it's mostly used today for harvesting intent at the bottom of the funnel, but it can be used for much more. 

I believe we'll see more and more of these systems being used in the future to drive experiences based on the automation and optimisation of engagement over pure commerce activations. The technology enables this possibility. It's up to the brands to maximise what the technology makes possible.

How can data be used to inform the creative process and what data sources/metrics are most effective?

Data can inform the creative process through insights, which can derive from a number of data sources and metrics and, through the direct use of consumer data, to power the experience. The best experiences emerge when data from the consumer can be used in a relevant way to provide value and inspire through data-fuelled creativity. 

As an example, when AKQA created Nike 'Your Year', we sought to reward the athletes who had given their heart and body to sport. The data on their running activities – how far they ran, where they ran, what conditions they ran in, and their personal milestones – were the raw data fuel used to create a personal film to reward them for their drive and ambition. 

Any data, properly understand, can be fuel for insight and creativity. It's up to the creative individuals around the world to see the potential in how that data can be used to tell a story that resonates with humanity, at large and personally. 

Does measurement exist to effectively harness the power of creativity and delivery combined? Are advertisers utilising this as much as they could?

The best measurement of impact is the engagement and attention gained from data-driven creative versus 'flat' creative that tells one story to everyone. If a brand is managing to earn the attention and engagement of consumers, this share of mind will usually translate to share of wallet and brand love.

That said, powerful stories are still powerful stories, so sometimes a single story will resonate with everyone at the same time. But more often than not, brands need data-powered narratives that can break through the personal media feed of the consumers they are trying to reach. 

Getting to robust measurement, however, can be a challenge, as one needs to design appropriate control groups, A/B and multivariate testing, and other mechanisms to demonstrate the power of data-fueled creative variation versus the standard approach. The measurement systems are getting better, but there is still a lot of overhead and specialism required to properly set them up and prove the value.

What examples are you seeing in the market where marketers are effectively using data in the creative process? 

One of the best examples I've seen recently is the campaign Spotify ran generating unique outdoor spots based on their user data and playlist activity. They were funny, self-aware, and tailored to local audiences. 

Riding the tube in London, I saw a billboard that said: "Dear 3,749 people who streamed It's the End of the World as We Know It the day of the Brexit vote, hang in there." These illustrate a humorous, relevant, and fun way to surface a truth about human behaviour in a way that grabs your attention and builds a connection to the brand.