Research, Data, and Content: How to Build and Expand Your Brand

Allen Martinez, founder of Noble Digital and MarketMuse Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Jeff Coyle, examine how to analyze and assess data to extract human insights and identify untapped audiences.

Using a real-world example, they walk through the process of how to develop a new brand, new product launch, PR activation, or a new campaign. Here are the webinar notes.

The Right Message is Key

Proper messaging is paramount; it’s the primary determinant of the success or failure of any campaign. The best way to achieve brand recall is through story. Most campaigns employ creative at the very end of the process, typically as a set of define deliverables. A better approach is to start with creative problem-solving to help define the problem and craft an appropriate solution at the beginning.

Determine Position

In this example, Allen talks about a startup that had no data of its own; they were starting from scratch and had no brand identity. However, using industry data and asking some questions about the figures, they were able to gain some unique insight. In this case, they were initially trying to understand the market size and sales cycles.

Develop Strategy

Before developing any strategy, it’s essential to confirm any brand research findings based on the data. Validation is vital at this phase as it will drive the entire communication strategy, the story, the messaging, the UX, and website flow to minimize friction.

Creativity

The message platform, strategic content, acquisition, retention, and win-back campaigns, and funnel nurture all depend on creative execution. A data-validated brand story sets the stage for creating unforgettable and irresistible original content. Often in-house creative teams are working to manage crises and pressing problems instead of focusing on strategies and values.

Creative Testing

Creative testing isn’t changing colors or composition. That’s superficial testing that wastes time and merely provides the illusion of testing. Real creative testing is based on the data collected and analyzed at the very start of the project.

Getting Results

Synthesizing all the data to figure out the proper direction requires significant skill and resources. It’s always tempting to jump ahead right into campaign-mode, but that’s often a fatal mistake. The success is a result of an ensemble of things working together in harmony. Data is key to informing creative direction if done right. Data insights lead to data synthesis, which results in creative execution.