What do you do if your logical reasoning skills are not delivering successful advertising campaigns?

I agree, but so-called “gut feeling” must be cross-checked with the data. Logic and emotions can certainly help, but only when layered on top of the data driven insights. Those times when marketers solely relied on logic, emotions, and experience are long gone, hopefully for good. A couple of prominent examples would be Liquid Death, or GEICO. Their commercials are completely illogical, yet generate extraordinary engagement rate!

If logic’s not hitting the right notes in your campaigns, it’s time to remix with creativity. Dive into what emotionally connects with your audience, sprinkle in some storytelling, and experiment with different angles. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected beats that make the biggest bangers. Keep testing and tuning until you find that chart-topper.

Sell Futures not Features. Your logical self wants to tell people all about how great your product or service is, but the buyer only wants to know what is in it for them. For example, if you are selling a weight loss product, all people really want to know is how much weight they can lose in a week or month. That's what's in it for them. Get them emotionally invested in what you are selling, and they will justify the purchase logically.

If logical reasoning skills aren't yielding successful campaigns, focus on empathizing with the audience. Dive deeper into their needs, desires, and pain points. Conduct thorough market research, gather feedback, and iterate campaigns accordingly. Utilize emotional intelligence to create resonant messaging and connections that drive engagement and conversions.

Understanding an audience starts with research and focus groups. All great campaigns can dig down to 1 or 2 "truths" that connect the campaign message to the audience they want to reach. This is the magic of great campaigns. They tug at us in ways that we don't understand, and that is due to them hitting us with an insight that connects. I would highly recommend working closely with your insights or research teams and look closely at the questions you are asking your potential audience. Most times the answers we don't like or find insightful or due the wrong question being asked.

You Never Change Things by Fighting the Existing Reality. To Change Something, Build a New Model that Makes the Existing Model Obsolete. – Buckminster Fuller, Architect, inventor & futurist The iPhone made regular phones obsolete. GPS made maps obsolete. Uber made cab companies obsolete. Servant leadership is making command-and-control leadership obsolete (we hope). Whether it’s technology or philosophy, true change rarely comes through incremental change. You have to test assumptions. Offer something better. More importantly, you have to offer something different. Surprisingly, when it comes to leadership, culture and innovation, the Creative Industry is amazingly uncreative. What a great opportunity for you!

If logical reasoning skills aren't yielding successful ad campaigns, reassess assumptions and hypotheses. Experiment with different approaches, gather data, and analyze results meticulously. Seek feedback from peers and clients. Invest time in understanding target audience psychology. Embrace creativity while maintaining analytical rigor.

I remember when I first got into advertising with O&M. Our client, Mattel, would test every ad, from storyboard all the way to near completion. They were always looking for insights and trying their best to make sure the "story" they were telling was connecting. Unfortunately, I feel as though that has now become a lost art. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so much bad creative in the world.

Embrace creativity and flexibility as your allies in crafting compelling campaigns. While logic provides structure, it can stifle innovation. Stay open to novel ideas and perspectives, even if they challenge your reasoning. Techniques like brainstorming and storytelling unleash creativity, setting you apart, engaging your audience, and enabling agile adaptation to evolving scenarios.

If logical reasoning alone isn't yielding successful advertising campaigns, pivot towards creativity and flexibility. Experiment with unconventional approaches, embrace feedback, and collaborate with diverse perspectives. Analyze data for insights, but also trust intuition and imagination. Iterate, iterate, iterate, until finding the winning formula.

I Like Nonsense, it Wakes Up the Brain Cells. – Dr. Seuss Innovation thrives on nonlinear left-brained ideas. Ideas shaken out of stimulated imaginations. Always appreciate and nurture those who contribute this vital energy to your team. Creativity creates new solutions.

If logical reasoning skills aren't yielding successful ad campaigns, seek mentorship from seasoned advertisers, analyze successful campaigns for insights, attend workshops or courses, experiment with different strategies, and gather feedback from clients and colleagues. Embrace a growth mindset, learn from failures, and continually refine your approach to achieve better results.

If relying solely on logical reasoning isn't leading to successful advertising campaigns, seek to learn from others by studying successful campaigns within and outside your industry for creative inspiration and new approaches. Engaging with a mentor or collaborating with peers can also provide fresh perspectives and insights that might enhance your strategy and execution.

If logical reasoning skills alone aren't yielding successful advertising campaigns, focus on balancing logic with emotional appeal. Analyze audience psychographics, craft compelling narratives, evoke emotions, and use data to refine strategies. Collaborate with creatives to infuse campaigns with engaging visuals and storytelling. Experiment, gather feedback, and iterate to find the right balance that resonates with your target audience.

If logical reasoning skills aren't yielding successful advertising campaigns, pivot to creativity. Emphasize brainstorming sessions, divergent thinking, and out-of-the-box ideas. Collaborate with creative minds, conduct market research, analyze competitors, and gather feedback. Iterate campaigns based on insights, focusing on emotional appeal and innovative strategies to engage audiences effectively.

Consider that your attempts at "logical reasoning" might be getting in the way of persuasion. Humans are not rational creatures -we make irrational, emotional decisions, but are so very very good at post-rationalizing that we see ourselves as rational (see Kahneman et al). Remember Benjamin Franklin's dictum: "If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect."