5 Ways Data Can Be Great for Creativity

Let’s start with a story that seems to have nothing to do with data, but actually does. 3,000 years ago at Sumer, a stone designer was nearing the end of a busy workday, etching pictographs on a wall. (The Sumerians invented a kind of writing that’s considered the first in the world.) As he chipped away, his boss, who was likely some dull bureaucrat put in place by his uncle, leaned in and said. “You know, Ekur, I really don’t like the way you’re doing that pictograph for mountains. It just leaves me, how shall I say it, flat. I want more verticality in that pictogram. We’re talking mountains, Ekur. It should be bigger than the others, shouldn’t it?” 

Everyone is a critic at heart, but few are actually qualified for the task.

Likely Ekur argued that while, yes, the pictogram could be spiked up a bit, the overall composition of the piece would suffer, and the excessive focus on the mountain didn’t reflect its minor role in the narrative. He also probably lost the argument. Luckily, in addition to developing the first system of writing, the Sumerians also invented beer. As a result, Ekur could to do what creatives have done ever since: order a round with his friends and bitch about his boss.

What does this have to do with data? Well, the poor man could have used some. You’re probably surprised at this. After all, creatives everywhere are bristling at the arrival of data in their lives. They hate being hamstrung by tests and fear that numbers will reduce their craft to a series of decisions made by a machine. 

They couldn’t be more wrong. 

Imagine if Ekur had data and testing. In the first place, he could propose creating multiple variants of the layout and putting them to a test. And he’d probably win. But that’s not the real promise of data and creativity. If his team used data correctly, Ekur might never have had that conversation about mountains in the first place. He might have been doing something more interesting and daring than he was. Let’s see how this can happen.

1. Understand data is for more than evaluation

When most creative people think about data, they think of tests. Put up a variant, test it. If it does well, keep it. Poorly, yank it. That is certainly one way we can use data, but not the most interesting way. You can also use data to find out what your audience loves. Netflix famously did this when they queried their massive database to determine that its customers would likely enjoy a political revenge drama starring Kevin Spacey and directed by David Fincher. The result was the highly successful House of Cards series.

2. Focus on big ideas

You can’t micromanage creatives. It doesn’t work. For example, last year Yahoo developed a new (and widely panned) logo. To do so, management smartly decided to survey employees and find out what they thought. Unfortunately, one of the questions asked if they liked serif typefaces (on the assumption that serifs are old fashioned, which they are not). The employees responded ‘no,’ thus taking almost half of the typographic world out of play. Creative people need more freedom than this.

The Netflix approach was far better. It set three broad data points, and let Fincher take it from there.

3. Empower creative people

For all of its promise, data provides insight into problems, not creative solutions. Designers still have to design, writers still have to write, and strategists have to come up with ideas. You should use data to establish the contours for success, and then give creatives the freedom to do what they do. In fact, because you have data-driven creative intelligence, you should have more confidence in them than otherwise. Netflix did not lean over Fincher’s shoulder with a spreadsheet. It got out of the way while he made a TV series.

4. Justify creative risk taking with data

Most of the time, digital creative teams provide three possible solutions to a problem, and the client picks one. This is the best way imaginable to ensure that good ideas end up in the trash. Instead, you should try multiple approaches and see which one works. In other words, testing is not merely about seeing whether blue is more effective than red. You can also use it to lessen the risk of trying a daring approach. Instead of discarding a bold idea, test it. Go crazy. You’ll find that data is not inherently conservative.

5. Use data to defend good ideas

Everyone is a critic at heart, but few are actually qualified for the task. If you have a great idea, you can also use data to shield it from the personal opinion of others. We once had a client who had hired a big celebrity to endorse their products. Our creative team felt he was wrong for the brand and wrecking the page. So what did we do? We performed some analysis that indicated that our team was likely right. When we showed this to senior management, our better ideas prevailed.

It’s time to stop saying that data is good or bad for creative people. Sure, it will occasionally tell you something you don’t want to hear (we call this a ‘learning opportunity’). But it can also give you the freedom and flexibility to try out new approaches that you know your audience will love.

In other words, since Sumerian times, people have been killing creative ideas for dumb reasons. With a smart use of data, we can now make sure they’re the ones crying in their beer. Wondering what you think.