FP7 McCann's Tarek Miknas: 'Data

In the early days of advertising, data was a relatively straightforward tool. Agencies would gather hard metrics from clients, coupled with qualitative metrics, typically through focus groups, to analyse and predict consumer behaviour and take some of the risk out of advertising investment.

Agencies didn’t have the luxury of tracking every click, analysing every interaction, or gathering data about audiences in real time. If we wanted to understand consumers, we had to talk to them, study them and, here’s the kicker, trust the experience and intuition of seasoned practitioners. But now, the game hasn’t just changed, it’s been completely reimagined. From the moment you unlock your phone to the last late-night online purchase, you’re not just a user. You’re a data point. A story waiting to be understood.

Data isn’t enough

We are living in an era when the abundance of data allows us to decode, with frightening accuracy, and apply it in ways that we never thought possible. But here’s the thing: data isn’t enough. It’s just the starting point.

Creativity is what brings data to life. And here are the statistics to prove it – according to Go Globe, when data is combined with storytelling, information retention increases from 5-10 per cent to 67 per cent.

Let me explain. Data is vital, it tells us the who, what, when, where, and how often, but it fails to enlighten us on the most important question – why? It’s unable to capture the essence of a person’s experience, their feelings, their context. And this, right here, is where creativity becomes the heartbeat that breathes life into the skeleton of data.

While we continue to invest significantly in data, it’s important to recognise that creativity doesn’t live or die by it. Rather, data serves as an essential tool to enrich, inform, and amplify the creative process. It provides the building blocks to craft messages that truly resonate.

Ultimately, all of this is in service of either selling a product or shifting an attitude, so, let me drop another bit of data for you – according to Leap Mesh research, effective storytelling can lead to a 30 per cent increase in conversion rates.

Creativity makes data personal

Take a step back to the late ‘90s. McCann ran a campaign for Marriott that used customer behaviour, not through data-driven models, but through simple human observation and understanding. ‘Room 232 wants to speak with you’. ‘Room 217 has a surprise waiting’.

I remember the campaign resonating with various ‘audiences’ because the lines were insightful and true to various ‘personas’ with stories that felt authentic to each one. Fast forward to today, and the flood of data available to us can be overwhelming. We now have access to behavioural data, predictive data, real-time data, sales data, anything and everything. And sure, it helps a great deal, particularly when a person sifts out the most relevant bits to unlock the most powerful and relevant of truths. At the heart of every piece of effective communication, there’s a human being who needs to be convinced, who needs to feel something and be moved.

An initiative that I love sharing is a truth hunting exercise we did as a network a few years back. We called it the ‘The Truth About the Street’. Across 14 countries, on the same day and at the same time, every FP7 McCann office was evacuated.

Everyone, from seniors to mid-level talent to admin staff, hopped into cabs to speak to taxi drivers with a set of curated questions. It wasn’t just about gathering insights; it was about connecting with real people, experiencing their world, and understanding the truths that were shared deeply and personally.

Blending data and creativity in the day-to-day

Data is everywhere. To ignore it is not just a missed opportunity; it’s a mistake. As our industry evolves, we must continue to be agile and be able to adapt

What does this all mean to us on-the-ground in our day-to-day? Quite simply, it means fostering a culture of collaboration within creative teams, where data analysts, strategists, and creatives aren’t working in silos but are seamlessly connected through shared capabilities and platforms. It’s about constant interaction, real-time adjustments, and a willingness to pivot based on a meaningful insight. It’s not about waiting for the perfect brief; it’s about making every piece of data work as fuel for something innovative and engaging.

And if you’ve made it this far, here’s a little advice from someone who’s been in the trenches: don’t overthink it. Data and creativity are like any good relationship. They don’t need to compete; they need to complement each other, respect one another and ultimately come together to create beautiful, meaningful ideas.

By Tarek Miknas, CEO, FP7 McCann – Middle East, North Africa and Turkey