If you read Part 1, you already know that defining “thinking” at B&Y is no simple task. That’s because it’s both a feeling and an idea. It’s hard to define something that is in our DNA and happens without us really even thinking about it (pun intended). If we had to sum it up into one sentence, however, we’d say it’s the art and science of using both art and science to create a meaningful impact.
We’ve already talked about how art is our driving force and inspiration to creating impactful creative. Here, we’re focusing on the role science plays to give our clients results that keep them (and their audience) coming back for more.
Science
- Psychology of audience
We take understanding the mental position of our target audience personally. We always keep in mind that these are real people with real challenges and needs. They have families, jobs, bills, birthdays, kids, commutes, opinions and the overall chaos life can bring. It’s estimated that people see between 6,000 and 10,000 ads EACH DAY. While there are no official numbers, this estimate seems accurate given all the ads we see on social media, digital display, pre- and mid-roll video, email, streaming, outdoor, TV, etc.
Why does this matter? We know people are tired, don’t have a lot of time and their attention is spread razor thin. By keeping this in mind, we are able to put together targeted campaigns that deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. We do this both to serve our clients’ goals and to serve the recipient of the ads. We hope that our real-life focus will help eliminate some of the “noise” and instead replace it with relevant ads that actually help them achieve their goals or present them with a product they want to see.
A simple example? If a person has no interest in running, why fill their feeds with ads for running shoes? Instead, let’s make sure the people who see these ads are the ones who will value its content and (hopefully) take action.
- Psychology of client
This is an often-overlooked step in a marketing relationship but is something we take seriously. Just like the audience focus above, we focus on the needs of our clients on a personal level too. Many of our clients stay with us for 10+ years (nearly 5 times the industry average for client/agency relationships), and we think this is because we treat them like people, not projects.
We understand the stress and expectation that comes with being a marketing executive. Today’s executives are part strategist, part creative, part business analyst, part data analyst and part sales executive. We know how demanding it is to wear that many hats. So, we assemble a strategic solutions team that brings various skills to the table to help make life a little easier for our clients. We have their careers and their day-to-day challenges in mind just as much as we do the campaigns we’ve been trusted to execute.
- Business acumen
Many of our strategists and account people have spent some time in large organizations or leading small businesses. This experience gives them the knowledge of the inner workings of corporations and also the understanding of day-to-day concerns of smaller organizations. This hands-on experience is invaluable to our clients as they pitch new ideas to executive leadership or simply navigate maximizing smaller budgets.
That’s why we’re able to integrate ourselves into the core of our clients’ operations — keeping teams on track and initiatives in-step with the macro view for the organization. Company boardroom presentations, legal/compliance navigation, and internal strategy and communications are all part of our skillset.
- Data
ROI, CPM, CPC, CTR, conversion rate, video completion %, session duration, bounce rate, cart abandonments. These are all indicators of campaign performance and audience preference. All agencies use this data to optimize digital ads, A/B test creative, adjust audience targeting and decide which platforms to spend money on. We are no different. We are constantly watching ad performance and making tweaks or recommendations to our clients as we seek to maximize their ad spend.
We also look for other associated trends that aren’t as “concrete.” Some of our clients use radio, TV and outdoor to maximize awareness or target specific demographics. While these outlets can’t be measured the same way digital ads can be, we can still see associations and response. For example, did we see an increase in searches or website traffic for topics we promoted on TV? Did overall brand preference change on industry surveys? Did our social media campaign result in more search ad clicks or web traffic from relevant keywords?
Paying close attention to this information gives us the knowledge to continuously improve our client campaigns and make better recommendations to each new account as well.
- Research
Research goes hand in hand with data. Whether we need qualitative or quantitative information, we start with research. Knowledge is power when it comes to creating marketing campaigns that convert and show measurable results. Often, this research sets an accurate baseline to measure results against based on the goals of the campaign.
We’ve done research at all levels from national brand preference studies to local “man-on-the-street” surveys to make sure we understand the scope of the challenge presented to us. This data can inform so many elements of campaigns from what outlets to use, to the frequency we need to achieve, to the most influential segments of the market, color and font choices, and types of media to create.
All in all, what makes B&Y different is thinking — real, tangible critical thinking that uses science/data and creative experience with all of the energy focused on driving ROI. The result is creative and campaign strategies that are smart, people-focused and result-driven.
Remember to check out Part 1: Art to get the other half of the story.
If you’re interested in talking with the B&Y team to have our thinking applied to your business’s goals, this is where you start!