On the latest episode of Campaign Middle East’s On The Record podcast, Daryl Lee, Global CEO of McCann WorldGroup, makes the case for creativity and its effectiveness for brands. He also shares how marketers – and the agencies supporting them – must prioritise data to tell better stories, not just more targeted ones.
In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Lee also delves into how the economic strength of the UAE is catalysing creativity, beyond being a hub for talent and an incubator for creativity, given that the GDP growth has averaged 4.8 per cent between 2021 and 2024, and non-oil GDP growth averaged 6.2 per cent.
Speaking about the effectiveness of creativity and its impact on brand growth, Lee begins the discussion making the argument that “You can’t grow without a brand.”
He explains, “Given the world that we live in today, whatever region we live in, whatever category you’re in: your competition is more widespread, there are more smaller entries into your category and there are bigger players that are innovating at pace. It’s fairly hard to come up with a product that is differentiated, truly unique and never be copied. And so, in order to grow, you’ll need some unfair advantage – and that’s what a brand is. It’s emotional and, some might say, spiritual. It’s a promise that your relationship with a product is more than just a transaction.”
Lee explains why ‘Truth Well Told’ is McCann WorldGroup‘s core brand promise, but how at its heart it’s a very simple idea that you find the truth and you tell it well.
Discussing the path from data to intelligence and on to insights, he adds, “We do sit in a moment in history where we have more data than marketers and brands have ever had in the past, and the opportunity to either be inspired by that data or be overwhelmed by it. It can be a tsunami or it can be a wave that you surf. I think the key is to think of it as intelligence rather than data – we refer to it as artificial intelligence for a reason. What we’re looking for is data to give us more intelligence about people, not ‘targets’, and to gain insights about people. So, if the data shows that people with pets are most likely to buy their first home or that people with garden furniture are most likely to buy their first luxury car – that’s an insight. So, we use data for intelligence, and intelligence for insights. Data in the creative space is about an intelligent search for insights.”
Lee then goes on to share why demographics are no longer insightful, but behavioural patterns, lifestyle segments and emotional preferences are very insightful.
For more such insights from a very intriguing conversation, watch the full video above.
CREDITS:
Guest: Daryl Lee, Global CEO of McCann WorldGroup
Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East
Videography, studio and production: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group
Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
