In branding, science and creativity go hand in hand

“Perhaps we need to reframe creativity less as a discipline, and more as an action – cracking the code. Because, whether strategists or creatives, that’s what we all are. We’re codebreakers that can understand what will make a brand last, what can drive growth, standout and fandom no matter the commercial climate, no matter how technology or culture evolves.” – Andi Davids , global head of branding @ Bulletproof

Science and creativity are often thought of as opposites–left-brain vs. right-brain, analytical vs. intuitive, data vs. design, etc. But the imperatives of branding are uniquely suited to both creative and scientific thinking. This week, Brandingmag contributors assert the benefits of a scientific approach to branding. 

First, Andi Davids breaks down the value of scientific thinking in the strategic and creative process, reminding us that some of the most brilliant thinkers in history were both scientific and creative. (Have you ever seen Da Vinci’s helicopter designs?) By mandate of the scientific method, scientists must be deliberate, objective, and scrupulously consistent in their work. Rather than always going with their gut, quick-thinking creatives and strategists can benefit from slowing down and getting scientific. (1) 

Next, Kevin Perlmutter , a leader in the field of neuromarketing, argues for reimagining the creative brief, a staple of creative development that may be stuck in the past. By applying principles of neuromarketing, which measure the brain’s emotional and behavioral responses to ads, messages, and products, we can make the briefing process more precise and scientific, which will greatly improve the creative development that follows. (2) Last, learn what evolutionary biology in bird species can teach brands about standing out from the flock. (3)  

Read on for insights on how scientific thinking can serve your brand. 

Scientific Superpower: The Importance of a Scientific Mindset in the Creative Industries

By Andi Davids 

“I’ve come to learn that, in the creative industries, a scientific mindset can be a real strength.

While branding may seem lightyears away from astrophysics, creativity and science aren’t that far removed from one another. All you need to do is look at Leonardo Da Vinci, one of history’s greatest artists who also happens to be one of its greatest scientific minds (not only did he make discoveries in neuroanatomy, but he was also the first to pith a frog). Both disciplines involve experimentation. Both attempt to understand reality. And both are fundamentally rooted in ideas. 

Often there’s a misunderstanding of what creativity is and what science isn’t. But science is absolutely creative. In fact, I’d go as far as to argue that it’s a scientific mindset that makes brands truly successful.

The scientific superpower

At the core of this conviction is the balance of credibility and creativity that a scientific mindset affords. Too many brands fail because people fall in love with a creative execution first and retrofit the strategy to justify it, rather than leading from a strategically sound idea at the outset.

Through the scientific process, however, you’re always asking yourself, ‘Does this methodology address the challenge’, ‘Will I be able to prove this out?’, ‘Do we have evidence to back this up?’. Those questions can apply so beautifully to ideas in the creative industry too. It’s not about putting together an 80-page deck of evidence, but about asking whether something has been properly thought through and grounded in insight.

One key aspect of the scientific mindset is the ability to check your biases. When you write a piece of research, part of the process is reflecting on and spelling out your presumptions.

At its core, branding is about understanding audiences, and that involves setting aside one’s own preconceptions and approaching others with a sense of wonder rather than judgement. In the creative industries, this couldn’t be more important – especially since there’s still so much work to be done, both in developing more inclusive design and in encouraging a truly diverse workforce. So, it’s important to evaluate work from the perspective of objectivity as much as possible – otherwise, you can risk distorting the relevance or missing the mark on a human truth, the holy grail of any successful brand.

The rush of rigour

We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘slow down to speed up’, and while it may be cliché, there’s truth in it. There’s a reason doctorates take three to seven years to complete. Why pharmaceuticals take multiple rounds of testing to approve. Why Dyson famously took 15 years and 5,127 prototypes before creating a vacuum cleaner that worked perfectly. That’s because great ideas take time. Something we’re often short of in the creative industries, where the deadline for everything is yesterday. 

And while the industry loves a ‘they cracked the brief on the back of a napkin in less than three hours’ myth, it’s just that. A myth. Strokes of genius are often the result of years of cumulative insight, knowledge, and experience, not to mention the hours of research that went into the brief in the first place.

Just as you wouldn’t expect a print-ready design within three days, you can’t expect an impenetrable strategy within the same time frame. It’s worth building time into project scopes to fully flesh out ideas. To shape them, to challenge them, and, of course, to give them room to evolve. Because they inevitably will. And I can promise you, the more rigour you apply upfront, the easier the sell-in will be down the line, and the less revisions you’ll have slowing you down at the end.

Celebrating the idea

I challenge everyone in the creative industry to nurture a scientific mindset. To take the time to unearth the insights that unlock great work. To dig up your conceptual backyards, if you will, because you never know what treasures might be buried there.[...]”

Applied Neuromarketing: Improving the Creative Brief

By Kevin Perlmutter 

“Key takeaway: How can we improve people’s lives?

It’s time for a new creative brief, one rooted in the science of understanding human behavior, that will lead to more inspiring briefs and more effective creative work.

By applying neuromarketing, we know that we must refocus the perspective of the creative brief from brand-out, to consumer-in. In doing so, briefs will be rich with deeper insight into how this brand and its offering can improve people’s lives. Further, they will guide creatives to think more about the people whose attention they’re trying to capture, versus how to cram in all the proof points and mandatories.[...]

Emotional benefits: Why should people care?

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘we buy on emotion and justify with logic’. This refers to the idea proven by neuroscience that our emotions play an overwhelming role in the decisions that we make. While our conscious brain may take over to justify or overrule, our emotional instincts are the first thing that gets triggered.

Here’s why it matters, why we should be applying neuromarketing, and focusing on ‘reasons to care’ not ‘reasons to believe’:

• People are indifferent to our brands until they have a reason to care.
• Neuromarketing refers to the study of relevant human emotions and behavioral patterns associated with products, ads, and decision-making. By tapping into neuro insights, creative work will have a better chance of success. While it may sound complicated or expensive, it just entails bringing a new perspective to the work you’re already doing that will have a significant impact on the creative outcome.
• For creative teams, having neuromarketing insights as part of the creative brief means that they will be starting from a place of greater target audience understanding, with more nuances about how a brand fits into people’s lives and the emotional reasons why people should care. This shift will lead to more relevant brand storytelling rooted in the human experience.
• For clients, applying neuromarketing insights will lead to more effective marketing. We know from over a decade of confirming research studies that emotion is the largest driver of loyalty for brands, and how a brand makes people feel has the most impact on future business. Briefs will be better, and research techniques will be more reliably predictive.
• For customers, the fact that neuromarketing insights led to the brand communication will be invisible, but your brand will be more prominent, engaging, and considered because its messages and experiences will be more relevant.[...]

Improving the creative brief

Better inputs lead to better outputs. Bringing neuromarketing insights into the creative brief can inspire creative teams with deeper consumer insight, lead to creative work that’s more relevant to the people it is intended to reach, and have more successful outcomes for your brand.

It requires flipping the perspective from ‘about us’ to ‘for you’ and prioritizing ‘reasons to care’ over ‘reasons to believe’. 

So, what does a creative brief look like that is both inspirational and that leads to more effective creative work?

While it might not be the final draft of the singular brief for the entire industry, it is certainly a more effective way to start, rooted in how our brains process information, create feelings and associations, and trigger behavior.

Give it a try to see how it inspires your creative teams and leads to more effective creative work for your brand. That’s something we all care about.”

Brands of Paradise: Welcome to the Age of Salience

By Olaf van Gerwen

“Certain animal species have developed unique ways to achieve salience. Biomimicry takes inspiration from nature and applies 3.8 billion years of evolution to figure out a problem. Think of the aerodynamic shape of train engines modelled on a birds’ beak. The foundation of Velcro was laid down by ingenious plants. Natural selection has made failures into fossils and living organisms into survivors.[...]

Are humans any different? The average Kardashian doesn’t date the garbage man. An artist with maladjusted behaviour is more… remarkable. Noticeable. Salient. The term salience circulates throughout the marketing community as one of the most prominent metrics for a brand’s success. Salience is not disappearing in a sea of sameness, it’s about zigging when others zag, as John Hegarty elegantly put it. 

What can we learn from our feathered friends? How do they become the most sought after birdie?

Speak to the whole audience

Pretty much anywhere in nature, the females have options. Tons of options. A male’s ability to attract an audience is key – let’s get them to listen first right? But never get snooty. Much like in marketing, you better reach the whole audience of possible candidates in order to have a shot at any success.

Escape category codes

The loudest, craziest and most outspoken bird gets the prom queen.

Create and use distinctive assets

Transform into the shape of a heating iron. Make your eyes go popping yellow. Extend a feather collar or move like Michael. Whatever you do, be loud, different and consistent. Meaningfulness doesn’t matter much, just don’t be another loser following the latest TikTok trend. 

Long and short. And long. And short

Rococo-ish chest ornaments, kaleidoscopic plumes and fancy footwork make no rational sense. It’s like the Gucci pattern expressing luxury: repetitive patterns do not intrinsically say anything about price. They have grown to be perceived as such after long time use. It takes time to build something memorable. But never, ever forget to boast it when the heat is on. 

Grow the category together

Male Birds-of-paradise often gather in groups for a display. They dance, sing and yodel together like there’s no tomorrow hoping to attract a female. They recognise that there’s power in numbers and cooperation. A bit like brands working together to further a category. This happens sometimes in innovation categories: we see plant-based meats cooperate and try to grow together, combatting a common enemy.

See where I’m going with this?”

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