11.10.16 | posted by Joe Hice |

Creativity Trumps Big Data

Some marketing execs are having a hard time dealing with Donald Trump’s win and it will take time for the nation to come to grips with change. But as we all know, change is inevitable and it’s generally a good thing.

Change is not always easy. For those of us in the marketing & communications business change is constant. New tools and analytics, big data, small data, snapchat, instagram, sprout, vine . . . not, there’s that change thing.

And this won’t make you feel any better: A Forrester Research Report says at least 30% of CEOs will fire their CMO’s for “not mustering the blended skill set they need personally to pull off digital business transformation.” The report cautions CMOs to “develop their art and science acumen to survive.” Because, the report states, companies “with analytic-focused CMOs underperform, while marketers with both analytic and creative skills helm the strongest companies.”

Forrester just confirms what we all know, creativity is king when it comes to brand development and differentiation.

The report comes on the heels of a great article by brand guru Bob Hoffman which he titles:

The Opposite of Data (http://adcontrarian.blogspot.com)

You don’t need an MBA to figure out that most of the really big marketing successes of our time did not come from data analysis or business models or strategy briefs or professional marketers. They came from daydreamers with a hunch:

Steve Jobs
Walt Disney
K. Rowling
Mark Zuckerberg
The list could go on for weeks.

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