This document discusses the differences between marketing insights and communication insights. Marketing insights, which define problems, can be precisely determined through research studies. However, communication insights, which provide solutions, are not always easily captured by research and rely more on observation and intuition. While research is important, advertising still requires intuition from strategists to develop creative solutions. Some examples are provided of famous ad campaigns where the communication insights were more intuitive than research-based.

1. Consumer Insight
Data vs Intuition
Notes to myself#5

2. How do you know it?
I, myself, hate to be asked for the datas of the consumer
insights that lead me to the communication objective and
communication proposition.
I don’t blame anybody. It seems to be right, theoretically. But,
it would be a perfect world if all the insights had came with
figures.

3. Consumer Insights by Researches?
• Problems can be precisely defined, mostly not the solution.
• A problem defining consumer insight needs a scientific solid
ground. But the consumer insight which leads us to the
solution, not necessarily.
• I call them Marketing insight and Communication insight
respectively.
• Let’s take a look to the differences between the two:

4. Marketing Insight
• Defining the problem/challenge
– This is usually duty of the client’s marketing dept.
– The core of the marketing problem and objective.
– It’s easy to find out via scientific researches and convert to
the figures
e.g: Our sales declining. According to the researches, 85%
of youngsters tend to categorize our brand as old
fashioned

5. Communication Insight
• Answer/solution to the marketing insight
– Duty of the agency’s planning dept.
– To be the core of the creative solution, the big idea
– Not easy to capture the human reality via researches.
Usually depends on observation, more intuitive and needs
more creative thinking to avoid the generic.
• Mostly lack of time and resource make people neglect researches
• Even when you have plenty of those, you have to come up with a
smart hypothesis -again- depending on intuitions that can be
proven and boost the creativity
• You can’t find a syndicated research that gives you the clue to the
golden award.

6. A Simple Demo
Marketing Insight-Problem
85% of youngsters feel that our brand is old fashioned
Communication Insight-Key to the solution
Retro became cool among youngsters
– Sure, you can go for surveys to concretise this hypothesis.
But if it’s obvious, why spend time and money?

7. Some Examples: Bests in Recents
I don’t know the challenges for these famous campaigns. But
we can deduce their communication insights from the
creative outputs
You tell me if the insights leading to creative solution are the
finding of any researches

8. Insight: Moms’ devotion
• P&G Thank You, Mom
• Can you imagine that strategy dept asking the sample moms if so?
• Maybe not a great insight, since it would be called as “so generic”

9. Insight: Going crazy when hungry
• Snickers hunger
• We asked 1000 hungry people Q1: How you feel?
• A nice example. A reality which doesn’t need to be proven; not generic yet

10. Insight: Natural is better
• Chipotle "The Scarecrow“
• Is that possible to find percentage of people who don’t think so?

11. Insight: “I’m a friend of my child”
• Robinsons "Pals"
• Again a beautiful insight. Needs proof?

12. Insight: Solidarity between the men
• Guinness "Basketball"
• Main theme of at least ten thousand Hollywood pictures

13. Insight: ???
• Volvo Trucks "The Epic Split feat. Van Damme"
• Most buzz creating work of the year 2013. Anyone can tell me what the
comms insight is here? Isn’t that impressive, though?

14. An intriguing reverse example
• Dove "Real Beauty Sketches“

15. I said mostly. “Not always”
• Here is the marketing insight in figures:
“Only 4 percent of women worldwide think they're beautiful”
• Ok, the comms insight seems to be “People are more beautiful than they
think”. And yes it’s proven in the creative output.
• But, before the creative process, you should come up with this brilliant
hypothesis, than go through some experiments. A long and smart process
that mostly we can’t afford.
• BTW, in this case, we can not be sure that the result is credible. Is the
forensic artist cheating, describers just doing what they are told? Who
knows…

16. Although I don’t refuse contributions of the science,
I believe advertising still needs to give a chance to
intuitions for strategic planning side.