More Than a Number: The Difference Between Data and Insights
It’s no secret our world of marketing and advertising relies on the power of insights. But what exactly qualifies as an insight? Are numbers and statistics enough?
Since the arrival of Google Analytics and ubiquitous access to dashboards and other data sets, we’ve continually heard the refrain that “data-driven insights” are what truly matter. And as we hurdle ever-faster into the world of AI, we now hear that the promise of digging even deeper into data to unearth ever-greater, more powerful insights is nigh.
Information is great. And AI’s ability to reveal information in new ways adds an exciting dimension to what we can know. But ultimately, this mindset gets the equation wrong. Insights aren’t revealed by scouring data and plucking out numbers. They’re about seeing what makes those numbers meaningful and how adding layers of perspective reveals new meaning.
Information vs. Insights
While data and information feed insights, on their own they don’t quite reach the finish line. That’s because crunching numbers from a spread sheet isn’t an insight. It’s a starting point.
Take, for example, an online fast fashion retailer. Mining the data one might learn that female customers far exceed male customers. They might further find that this is especially true in the nighttime hours between 8–10 pm, and that this dynamic holds true across geographical regions. That, right there, tells you a lot. But is it an insight?
You still don’t know what those customers are doing before and what they do after. Did most just put their kids to bed? Are they doing something else simultaneously, like streaming video on their TV? Is browsing your site the last thing they do before waking up at 5:30 to run a household and a business? Is there are a larger cultural movement at play to avoid multitasking during work and focus on personal pursuits in your off-hours?
In other words, what’s going on behind the number? And how can we connect that knowledge with other things we know about the world?
Ask those women and they might tell us those few minutes on the e-tailer’s site serve as their “me moment” in a day full of thinking and acting for others. That it’s really an act of release, whether they’re buying or just doing a little aspirational daydreaming (albeit at night, of course).
A strong insight applies a unique perspective to connect information in ways that provide context and bring the world into focus. At their best, they illuminate a whole new angle on how to see a challenge. Other times, they may sound obvious. But even then, they’re speaking a truth that often goes unspoken.
Your female customers like to shop at night is information. Your female customers feel overtaxed by responsibilities and seek out your brand as a moment of escape and self-care is an insight. The next question is, what do you do with that?
Insights influence the future. Try measuring that.
The science of marketing has made amazing strides over the last decades, especially in terms of understanding consumers and measuring effectiveness. But it’s important to remember that both these elements look backward. They’re indicators of what has been not what will be.
In between understanding who you’re speaking to and measuring if your marketing worked, there needs to be something of a leap of faith. A willingness to follow a unifying idea to fruition. The past can point in the general direction. But rallying around a strategy is a bet on where it leads.
That’s not to say insights are strictly based on a marketer’s gut feeling. They’re backed by information and data. Lots of it, actually. But not a single data point or even one 90-day report of user flows through your site. If that sounds risky, remember, there are no guarantees in advertising and marketing. No dashboard can predict what tomorrow brings.
Insights are about understanding the physical and emotional context within which a statistic (or group of statistics) occurs. They’re about seeing connections to other truths that may seem unrelated but serve as a decoder ring for unlocking the meaning of the moment.
In other words, insights add a layer of perspective and synthesis to the equation that no raw or algorithmic data set can provide. It’s an act of creativity powered by facts. It’s lateral thinking that sets a path for how to proceed. It’s 1+2+ D.
How do you know if you’ve landed on an insight? An insight begs you to act on it. To create work that embodies it. An insight charts a course for what’s next. And you’ll only know how that turns out if you’re willing to follow its call.
You can learn more about our strategy and creative agency, Experiences For Mankind, on our website or contact us. We’re always looking for brilliant clients and teammates.
