Andy Wheatley wrote a bog post titled On instinct, empathy and brand strategy (19 June 2023).
« As much as others try to insist that brand strategy is a science, I know in my heart that it isn’t. There is science in it, but that’s not the same thing. »
« Claire Strickett captures the key point brilliantly in her conclusion:
“Businesses are, ultimately, just made up of people, and people are complex, layered and often vulnerable creatures, no matter how big their title. That goes for me and for you too, of course. No matter how acute our analytical approach, how learned or expert we are, or how solid our strategy, paying closer heed to the human undercurrents that shape decision-making can pay dividends, and smooth the path to influence.” »
« If I look back over my 25 years, most of the strategies that have worked best and, coincidentally, I enjoyed working on most have two things in common: gut instinct on the course of action and empathy, firstly with the client to get it signed off and secondly with the target audience that needs to be engaged by it. Data does not deliver instinct or empathy. Humans do.»
« This is not to say that data isn’t important. Clearly it is but I subscribe to the John Hegarty school of thought, which is that brands have become risk-averse, that ads are often boring and that our industry needs to lose its obsession with data and get back to its roots. The older and more experienced I get, the more I look at data analysis and insights as barriers to good strategy. They feel like a safety catch and a crutch that client and agency can lean on, just in case it all goes wrong and they can say that they followed the science. »
« I’d like brand strategists to stop over-thinking and obsessing with data. Instead observe, experience and absorb what’s going on around you. Watch how people react to events and circumstances and how they interact with each other. Apply it to your work and the relationships you have with your clients. Sure, check the data and use it to minimise mistakes, but have the courage to lead with the way you feel because that’s what your audiences will do when they meet your strategy out in the real world. If you can’t feel it, then neither will they. »
Articles of Interest 