Promoting products and services is an effort that requires a lot of creativity. Finding the perfect way to get your message in front of consumers, convince them to click, and finally make a purchase, is really more of an art form than a science. Despite that fact, most marketers today seem to be trying to take more of a scientific approach.
Lots of trial and error. Lots of measurements being taken. Split testing. And much more. While all this may make sense on paper (and at least some of it is very necessary) many marketers are reporting that it is killing their creativity, and may be hurting them in the long run.
According to a recent study (yes, I see the irony of citing a study in an article about the potential overuse of studies and measurements), 72% of marketers report that having to constantly measure everything kills their creativity.
The study was completed by Dotted, a digital agency that reached out to 250 marketing decision makers.
About half of the respondents also said that they are directed by their leadership teams to only focus on efforts that can produce measurable activity. As any marketer with experience knows, many brand-building efforts are difficult, if not impossible, to measure, but can produce great results in the long run.
While many people in this industry need to follow the directions of their management team, it is likely worth the effort to push back and demand more wiggle room on how things are done. Increasing creativity can, in many cases, produce far better results over time than would otherwise be possible.
