some point, you need to trust your intuition
and go with your gut.”
The translation, if you need one, is that
there is no substitute for experience. The
more you’re exposed to different marketing
strategies and tactics, the better you will
be at understanding what works and what
doesn’t. Oftentimes, the best way to achieve
success is to experiment and see what
happens. If something isn’t working, don’t be
afraid to pivot and try something new.
Ultimately, the goal is to tell a compelling
story that resonates with your audience.
For example, consider a scenario where
two brands are going after the same
customer segment. Brand A has extensive
data on this segment and knows exactly
what it wants. Brand B, on the other hand,
does not have as much data, but relies
heavily on intuition.
IF YOU THINK IT CAN,
YOU CAN…
During one of the hottest Julys in the history of New York City, the Midea
4 milkshake
brand, which is headquartered in China and was looking to break into
the U.S. market, reached out to the Pereira O’Dell agency for help.
Midea wanted to use creative ways to introduce New Yorkers to its air
conditioning units, specifically the Midea U model, which is designed to
have a window sill close over it.
Knowing New Yorkers’ penchant for escaping the heat via movie theaters, the
Pereira team conceived an idea that was a bit out there, even for out there marketing
campaigns—a 90-minute film starring the air conditioning. One shot. 90 minutes.
Nothing else, except for free popcorn and soda. Could it work? Was it worth a shot?
Moviegoers lined up in droves.
Robin Landa, Distinguished Professor
at Kean University and a globally
recognized ideation expert, says the film,
“A 90-Minute Film of an Air Conditioner,”
is what happens when intuition takes
control of the wheel. “Business people
might distrust intuition or creativity
since it’s not backed by facts until it is
produced and they see results. But if
you have a good creative team, you trust
them. Having an education in critical and
creative thinking is the foundation of
intuition because you’re basing an opinion
or thought on knowledge.”
Landa, known as a creativity guru,
is widely respected for her views on
branding, advertising, ideation, creativity
and design. She also is the author of
several bestselling books, including
“Strategic Creativity: A Business
Field Guide to Advertising, Branding,
and Design.” She believes that while
intelligently deploying customer and
consumer data is important, especially
as Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a
greater role, the role of a marketer’s or
creative’s intuition based on education,
experience and strategic creativity cannot
be discounted.
“If you think about some of the greatest
recent marketing successes, such as
‘Fearless Girl’ (McCann NY for State Street
Global Advisors), Burger King’s ‘Whopper
Detour’ (FCB NY for Burger King), the
Crane paper rebrand (Collins for Crane)
or ‘Ageless’ (created by BETC, Lacoste’s
recent print and commercial campaign),
it was strategic creative thinking that
landed results,” Landa says. “Trusting
one’s intuition means you’re good at
certain things, such as pattern recognition,
metaphors, having insights into audiences
and brands, and being able to deliberate
on your thinking.”
One of the allies Landa believes
marketers can use more of is print. “Paper
provides an opportunity for people’s tactile
sense to be engaged, activating different
parts of the brain. The various textures of
December 2022