Kijamii’s Zeyad Salem puts an emphasis on using data to create narratives that move people. It doesn’t feel that long ago when insights were gathered over coffee-stained tables, scribbled notes, and the occasional focus group – a time when the loudest voice in the room often held the ‘truth’. Back then, data was scarce and instincts filled the gaps. It was raw but undeniably human. Decisions were made based on what we felt, observed and debated face-to-face.
Fast forward to today, and we’re drowning in data. Metrics, dashboards, analytics reports – endless streams of numbers claiming to know our audiences better than we do. It’s like standing in the middle of a data storm, with every figure shouting for attention. But here’s the catch: despite having more data than ever, the creative process hasn’t necessarily become easier. In fact, it can be paralysing – automated, clinical and stripped
of emotion.
Data doesn’t kill creativity; the way we read it does. Because data alone is just that – data. Without context, without narrative, it’s the blind leading the blind – or, worse, the bright blinding the bright. We risk mistaking activity for insight and confusing noise for meaning. That’s where the difference lies: between data and a data story.
Find the stories in the data
A data story isn’t just about numbers; it’s about what those numbers reveal when strung together with purpose. It’s the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. A data story connects patterns to people, trends to emotions and metrics to meaning. It’s not the raw engagement rates or click-through percentages that inspire groundbreaking ideas – it’s the story those numbers tell about behaviour, emotion, and culture.
For a campaign we worked on recently for Gillette in Morroco, the data showed a surge in user-generated content during the 2022 World Cup, celebrating the Moroccan national team players’ performance with a focus on Yassine Bono. But instead of focusing on the metrics, we dug deeper and discovered part of the conversation has been about his beard – or the lack thereof – and that was our entry point into turning a functional product into a culturally resonant narrative, garnering unprecedented results.
However, not every data story is immediately clear. We once launched a campaign where early data suggested moderate engagement, falling short of expectations. The initial reaction? Tweak the creative. But pausing to analyse, we uncovered that the audience was engaging in other ways – sharing content in private groups, sparking offline conversations, creating ripple effects that standard metrics missed. It was a success. The lesson?
Data is always there, but what matters is how you read it.
Use data to shape creativity and community engagement
This approach isn’t just for big campaigns; it applies even more to social media posts. In 2019, on the day of HBO’s Game of Thrones’ final season launch, we posted a simple tweet for Netflix MENA: “I’d love to discuss the episode, but I’m embarrassed.” Fans instantly got the reference, flooding the post with reactions that turned a simple tweet into a cultural moment for Netflix on a day when HBO should’ve dominated. On the surface, it was just a clever post, but beneath it was an understanding of the emotional investment people had in the show.
That post wasn’t driven by data points alone; it was powered by the story behind the numbers – the collective anticipation, the shared excitement and the cultural zeitgeist of that moment.
Globally, brands have unlocked surprising insights by reading data differently. As one of the world’s biggest skincare brands, Olay took an unexpected approach. Instead of focusing solely on skincare data, they explored search and content consumption insights to understand their audience’s interests beyond beauty. Two trends stood out: horror movies and football. This intersection led to the creation of Killer Skin – a campaign that not only broke the mold for skincare advertising but also generated tens of millions of views.
What truly sets impactful campaigns apart is cultural relevance – work that resonates because it speaks the audience’s language, mirrors their experiences and acknowledges their values. Cultural relevance isn’t just a creative layer; for us, it’s the foundation. Data helps us identify what people care about, but it’s cultural insight that transforms that knowledge into work that works.
Creativity isn’t about being data-driven; it’s about being data-inspired. The role of a creative leader isn’t just to chase numbers, but also to chase the meaning behind them; to sift through the overwhelming and find the overlooked; to turn raw data into rich narratives that move people.
By Zeyad Salem, Executive Creative Director, Kijamii.
