Qantas marketing boss: Marketers too focused on math at the expense of great ideas
Tully
Too many marketers are failing to get the best out of their creative talent because they lack the ability to inspire them, Qantas’s new marketing boss has claimed.
Stephanie Tully, executive manager group brand and marketing, and former CMO of Qantas Loyalty, said the industry has become too sterile with an over emphasis on data and how to reach consumers, rather than the end message itself.
It was time for the “mad men” to take over from the “math men” and to get more creative, she told the Ad Tech conference in Sydney today.
Terrific stuff Stephanie Tully.
Idea’s, no matter how innovative and cutting edge and relevant to the client, are almost always never signed off without substantial backing. Without mountains of case studies, historical performance evaluations, predicted ROI’s and hundreds of lines on a spreadsheet it is doomed to be an afterthought.
The people who won’t sign off activity unless they have this much certainty play a big part in hampering true innovation.
Math? What’s that I wonder?
The numbers people have managed to sterilise the advertising world of charm and creativity. Bravo Stephanie Tully! I’d love to work for you.
So very true and well put Stephanie
nice preaching to choir/feeding the chooks but i’d like to see this point of view championed at a senior executive or Board level
“What’s the ROI, Stephanie?”
“Well, Alan the agency ECD is feeling pretty chuffed that his idea got up”
“Really, well, how could i ask for more? Here’s another $5 million”
Hi Tully,
Agree with your statements, however I believe Qantas hasn’t really done anything overly creative of late. A recent view of your YouTube account clearly shows this – less than impressive creativity (and views).
Why not let a young and creative team take control of your YouTube account for a month with a realistic budget and see what they come up with?
Its one thing to say it in front of delegates to actually agreeing to take a risk on creativity.
Look forward to action.
Cheers
Interesting that Stephanie and the above would like free reign to spend marketing spend without any scrutiny over effectiveness…
Easy way to hit KPI’s when you don’t have any targets.
The great campaigns that win Effies are driven by marketers who seem to have the balance right.
I like the title of “Mad Maths Man” though.
Might have to go on the odd LinkedIn profile or two….
Pity that creativity doesn’t exactly shine in the current Qantas work but hopefully Stephanie can change that.Good luck!
I think Air New Zealand demonstrate the point here, particularly their in-flight safety videos which often get airtime in mainstream press for their relevance and humour. Qantas sort of capitalise on this by getting Marc Newson for the cabins and lounges, and this ‘analog’ user experience is just as crucial in sustaining customer satisfaction as any ‘creative’ ad would be in initiating it. Of course, there’s more to it than a Neil Perry meal. It’s interesting to see Air Asia announce a new pricing model;
http://www.news.com.au/nationa.....7237150863
Truth is, data is here to stay. It’ll be the creative agencies who know how to harness it with efficacy who succeed in the long run. But right now, data seems to be the solution ‘in and of itself’. And for the most part, I don’t think there is much convergence between the data people and the creative people. Creatives sometimes kneejerk that ‘data’ means testing the concept, whereas what it could really mean is defining engagement pathways and, for the most expert among us, finding genuine insights. Once data has played its part, it then becomes the responsibility of the creatives to enliven these pathways or insights.
Unfortunately, the work is only as good as the person that signs off on it. Having worked both agency and client side, there is an abundance of fresh and innovative ideas. But making ideas that work depends so much on the numbers, but more so on the ultimate decision makers.
Your out of touch
‘Brand’ marketing, like socialism, is good until you run out of other people’s money.
I used to work on major brand in Australia that wasn’t doing too well (will remain nameless). The GM of Brand once told me that their team was basically interested in building a big shiny car that looked really hot. The problem was that the data people were only interested in building a great engine.
Sadly I don’t think they ever figured out they were building the same car…
Well said Tullers!
Thank god someone is saying this. Investing in brand is critical (see Byron Sharp).
That’s not to say there isn’t value in numbers. We just need to make sure we are looking at the right ones.
This assumes mad men cannot be math men. Data is part of what we do now and is something we all have to balance. Let’s not talk about creativity VS data, it’s creativity + data.
I give her 12 months. Absolute drivel.
Definitely! Agencies and marketers nowadays focus too much on reach and figure that they almost forget the basic of marketing is to be creative and to generate attention. A well-tailored creative would lead to massive attention and especially word-of-mouth, which can cover so much of what we are trying to get to consumers. Eventhough wom is hard to control, but it builds far more credibility and trust than normal channels that we are using. The normal stuffs inside of the box actually dont do much.
Humm I tend to agree with ” I wonder” if the qualifications as the the former CMO of Qantas Loyalty is anything to go by. As lowly bronze member of Qantas loyalty programme the communication of getting me revitalised in brand Qantas via the emails was very to say the least very understated.
Infact I am not convinced of the value of a bronze membership to me other than a data base to ply products too.
@ I wonder : me too, perhaps less.
I agree that their is currently too much focus on ‘big’ data to the detriment of idea, however, that doesn’t mean you forget about data and revert to just the idea. If you want tot be successful you need to have a total grasp and understanding of both. Its very cliched but Mad Math Men is where we are at now.
Problem + Data + Idea = Solution
I get what she’s saying, but it’s hidden behind a click-bait headline.
Proof will be in the pudding. And her tenure.
Sad old groucho, you never have anything positive to say do you.
I’m certain that companies and agencies alike would like to ‘ignore the math’ and focus on nothing but creativity.
Unfortunately, the reality is that KPIs and ROI is becoming more and more critical as marketing budgets shrink and the advertising space becomes more crowded and complex.
@keep on hanging I wish you would.
Hi Fraser,
I’d like to put forward a variation on your simple but excellent formula.
Problem + Data + Insight + Idea + Execution = Solution
I’m a big believer in breaking even the most complex of business problems into as few simple moving parts as possible; work out what’s not working with each part; fix it, and then re-build. It’s a bit like motor vehicle maintenance!
Agree with Mike, I Wonder & Groucho…. talk about head in the clouds!
When ROI is discussed in 10 months time, I’m sure her pretty pictures will save her from the chopping block (rolls eyes)
Ah the plaintive last gasp of an old way of marketing that avoids accountability at all costs, hiding behind the smoke and mirrors of “data is no substitute for creativity”. OK, well let’s see some real fresh, creative execution. In your own time then.
Grrrr being preached at by Qantas. At Hearfelt were currently working on a campaign spraying logos under park pidgeons wings.(harmless dye)
You reckon Qantas would do that?