Fuelling creativity with research

Let me begin by stating the obvious. Research right now is in a state of change – exciting change – driven predominantly by technology. And for those of us who use it to help build brands and drive businesses, that’s a great thing.

However, change tends to create a certain kind of conversation. New methodologies set the agenda. We’ve been presented with a shiny new box of toys, and there’s a temptation to spend all our time being dazzled by it.

That means that equally important conversations about why and how we use this new stuff may not be happening. And in many ways, these conversations are the more essential ones – because if we lose sight of why we are researching, we might never figure out the best ways to use all the new techniques coming down the line.

Research as a brand-building tool is at such a crossroad. How best can we employ it to unlock the creativity that builds brands and grows businesses? What kind of relationship should research and creativity have?

Currently, research and creativity seem to have two kinds of relationships in the world of marketing, and these are polar opposites. You could look at creativity as a car. In the first relationship, some use research as fuel. In the other, others use it as a braking system.

The former is surely the more preferable. No doubt creativity needs fuel, and the creative act can’t happen in isolation. Developments in both consumer understanding and also technological advances mean these inputs can be more meaningful than ever. We now have more fuel and, crucially, we have better fuel.

Breakthroughs in understanding about how consumers make decisions have given us a clearer view on how to structure and interpret research. We now know that us consumers are, fundamentally, irrational beings and if we tell you that we are planning to purchase something, frankly you can’t trust us an inch. Behavioural economics has made great strides in showing us that apparently rational decisions are anything but.

This may seem like a hindrance rather than a help. But in timely fashion, technology is here to help. We can now genuinely get under the skin of consumers. Analysing physiological and even neurological responses helps us understand what consumers are thinking and feeling, not just what they are saying.

More powerfully, we can simply observe what consumers do – how they behave – in real-time. That means we can set our goals and objectives more clearly. We can understand what works more quickly, and more accurately. Best of all, it means we can be more agile: we can experiment and learn.

The problem is, if we don’t remember why we are doing all this, the sheer quantity of new methods, the voluminous flow of new data available, may trip us up. It may become a brake applied on creative momentum. Worse still, it may become a replacement for creativity: when brands merely follow or mirror consumers rather than leading culture and establishing their own identity.

So right now is a good time to remember what all these shiny new toys are for. And the answer is pretty much the same as it has always been: to learn, to explore, to build. We have never had more tools at our fingertips to do these things, and with an ever-expanding arsenal available to us, the alliance between research and creativity can be more powerful than ever.

The writer is Michael Chadwick, director of brand strategy, Asia Pacific, Mondelēz Asia Pacific

Hear more from Chadwick on Research and Creativity at Research Asia Interactive. To book your seats for the conference contact Carlo Reston at carlor@marketing-interactive.com or +65 6423 0329, +65 9727 0291.

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Che Winstrom at chew@marketing-interactive.com or +65 6423 0329.

To discuss the agenda, enquire about presenting or to suggest topics, contact Preeti Varadarajan at preetiv@marketing-interactive.com or +65 6423 0329