“The guy who invented poker was smart, the guy who invented the chip was a genius” - Julius Weintraub
Of all the quotes about insight, the above is my favourite. It pinpoints precisely what it means to uncover a deep understanding of human behaviour and apply this in a way that changes people’s perception and actions. The observation that people are less reluctant to gamble with plastic chips than real money is revelatory (particularly if you are a casino), and has the power to influence the approach and success of a whole industry.
When marketers talk about insights, they usually mean more than just a piece of information or a truth about their subject - they mean something that’s new; an observation that reveals the previously hidden nature of its subject. Something that is simultaneously both revelatory and obvious, something deduced from smart consideration but also self-evident.
Insights are highly valued in our industry. Without the search for insights and the new understanding they bring, marketing would be a much more evidence based pursuit - a process of analysing what has worked historically, what people think about a concept, and planning by numbers. The search for new insights is the alchemy of marketing - the art amongst the science.
And yet, the conflict between the importance of finding insights to build our strategy upon and the rarity of true, revelatory insights mean we can be guilty of settling for second best in the face of insufficient time, information or inspiration. For this reason, we need to be protective of insights – we must be clear about how we define them, subject them to proper scrutiny and take care not to settle for cheap imitations.
Insights tell us something new, and lead us to approach a task in a new way. A good insight goes further, it reveals something that is not only actionable, but motivating. Most importantly, it reveals something potent that has the ability to be hugely beneficial.
The most frequently quoted example of a ‘great marketing insight’ is probably Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. The notion that the image of beauty portrayed in the media is not reflective of reality is not particularly revelatory or new. It is however hugely motivating, actionable and beneficial to Dove, in that it gives them a counterpoint that taps into the zeitgeist whilst also appearing to go against the grain of wider media and advertising. It also allows Dove to stand for something meaningful, rather than trying to find a motivating USP to promote.
This last point is particularly important. Very few brands have a truly unique selling point (if yours does, communicating that well should be enough to drive success). In the absence of a unique reason to buy their brand, marketers look instead to the audience for some inherent, undiscovered truth that can connect them to the brand; a point of difference they can create and own for themselves through making a cultural connection.
The admiration Dove’s campaign has received is itself proof of the rarity of such actionable and beneficial insights. But while every brand naturally wants their own equivalent, we can easily forget that they are not always essential for a brand to succeed. For example, there is nothing really insightful behind LYNX’s advertising - the idea that humour plus attractive models will connect with young men is pretty straightforward, but is no less effective or successful for its lack of revelation. The annual treat of the Christmas John Lewis ad does not derive from a freshly unveiled truth about them or us. Much like alchemy, the search for insights can sometimes be a distraction. The notion that “we need an insight” can be a barrier to great campaign ideas that don’t start with one, and can even lead to half-baked, generic observations being heralded as the spark from which great campaigns can flourish (how many times have we all heard the line ‘we all lead increasingly busy lives’ without questioning whether this is true or valuable?). Fool’s gold exists in marketing too.
However, while great insights might not be essential or easily discovered, they are worth spending time looking for. Where they can be discovered, they can change a brand’s fortunes radically. We must also accept though that such prizes are rare. “We need an insight” is neither true nor a helpful starting point, but investing the time to search for insight will invariably pay off - in the 99% of cases where a game-changing revelation cannot be uncovered, the time spent analysing, researching, pondering, theorising and learning will itself lead to better understanding and fresh perspectives. While this might not spark a revolution, it will undoubtedly bring its own benefits.
So where does this leave us? Like the alchemists, we must work hard to look beyond previous experience if we are to find a new articulation of the world. We must be selective and not be fooled by cheap imitations of our prize. Sometimes, this search will be fruitless and frustrating, but the successes make the effort worthwhile. A new understanding of human behaviour, attitudes or cultural trends can reveal unseen opportunities and be truly transformational. Just think of the poker chip.