At DRPG, it’s creativity that sets us apart. Our world-leading creative solutions deliver results for our clients, but that’s not down to innovation alone. It’s not based on ‘gut feeling’ or guesswork. The key to our very best work? Data.
According to a recent study from Forrester Consulting, it’s that combination of data and creativity that will now set leaders apart from laggards. In fact, it’s creativity that allows us to respond so quickly to the changing world around us. McKinsey note that creative companies make choices faster – 74% of the most creative businesses it surveyed were used to making fast decisions – and when those decisions are based on solid research, they can deliver incredible results.
Having a good view of all necessary data and a comprehensive research process makes that simpler. That’s precisely why 61% of high-performing marketers develop a single view of their customer by unifying data across many touchpoints. With in-depth research, we get to know our audience. With the insights we can draw from that research, we notice opportunities. Those opportunities then make up our strategy.
As Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard, notes: “The goal is to turn data into information and information into insight.” How have we used that insight at DRPG? Let’s take a look…
Internal comms at ITV Good data isn’t only useful when looking outward. Hoping to make internal branding match shiny, new external branding, ITV first undertook some in-depth research with us, drawing on the knowledge and insight of its own colleagues.
We dove in, gathering input and feedback in a series of focus groups and drop-in sessions. With all that valuable information, ITV was able to get a real picture of what people within the organisation wanted to see and could form a strategy based on real data and, vitally, real opinion. That meant it included an accurate representation of everyone at ITV, not just those in the team creating the comms strategy.
Now comms is much more effective as the entire team have come to understand the value of two-way communication – that’s the power of good research.
Social media campaign with Oakwrights. Nowhere is useful data more effective than in developing social media strategies. Luckily, it is also relatively straightforward to gather data about users’ online habits and brand interactions in the social space. Oakwrights wanted to increase those interactions, growing traffic, increasing conversations with online customers and inciting more action, such as brochure downloads or likes and shares on social platforms.
To deliver just those results, we first got stuck into the numbers. After assessing their offering, and finding a few new opportunities in the insights, we developed them further, using Brandwatch surveys and our own mystery customer enquiries to uncover a need for more touchpoints. Then we built the strategy around that. Enquiry rates from social increased, link clicks soared, and social interaction continues to climb. Without that all important research, this campaign might never have landed on the direction that proved so effective.
Lead generation for SCC. As an IT and technology provider that works on a truly global scale, data was vital to understanding SCC. When we started working together, the company was struggling with visibility and often found it just wasn’t seen by decision makers who might choose SCC as a partner. To find out why, we looked into perception data. How was it performing in online polls? What discussions were happening about SCC online? But we didn’t stick to data about SCC. Our dedicated Research & Insights team investigated competitors too and that allowed us to build a comprehensive gap analysis detailing where new opportunities lay.
Our strategy was borne out of that research process. SCC was, as a result, able to align its sales practices and lead generation strategy with the wants and needs of the public sector clients that it had wished to target. All because we were able to pinpoint those precise wants and needs.
Digital marketing at BT Barefoot. Though BT Barefoot is an established part of BT’s corporate social responsibility strategy to help teach children about IT, it needed a new strategy to help create buzz and raise awareness of the programme. To understand its existing visibility and where to best promote the brand, research was vital.
Using all available data, our team built a clear picture of the brand’s target audience and the type of content that specific group of people were most likely to not just click on, but really engage with. That insight then shaped the entire social media campaign, dictating the content we needed to create and where it should be launched. Astute use of data, in this case, led to increased awareness (as desired) and massively increased engagement between the target audience and the Barefoot team. Targeting as narrowly as possible really does work, and it is research that allows us to get there.
It’s been said time and time again that we are now part of a data culture. While that remains true – data sharing, capturing and analysis are all a bigger part of our professional and personal lives than ever before – building a true data culture within your organisation requires work. It won’t happen without a push.
Here at DRPG, we’ve already done that work. Our dedicated Research & Insights team exists to dig into that all-important data and ensure it’s not siloed in our organisation. That means we can work across teams, while keeping your data at the centre of everything we produce.
Come and chat to us about all things data and discover how our experienced research team could bring some insight to your next project. Just drop us a message at anythingspossible@drpgroup.com to get started.