Magic Numbers: How Data Informs and Inspires Creativity for Toby Walsham
Toby Walsham is the founder and CEO of Imagine This, a global creative studio bridging the gap between creative strategy, production solutions and artist representation. With a storied career as an executive producer, managing director and business owner, Toby has not just navigated but mastered the complex landscape of international production. His knack for nurturing remarkable talent and collaborating with top-tier creatives has marked him as a specialist producer of high repute.
Toby's production ventures read like an adventurer's diary, spanning the snow-capped Andes to the weightlessness of a zero-gravity plane soaring 35,000 feet in the air. His global footprint is underscored by a decade of international experience, bringing to life projects for a kaleidoscope of clients.
The art of producing, to Toby, is like an ever-evolving three-dimensional puzzle, each day presenting its own set of challenges and opportunities. His passion lies in crafting creative solutions that not only address but transcend client needs, making every project an exciting journey of discovery and innovation.
LBB> What’s the number one question that clients are coming to you with when it comes to how they can better use data to enhance the creativity of their content and experiences?
Toby> Despite the abundance of data at their disposal, clients often find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of information, struggling to distinguish between what is merely interesting and what is genuinely insightful and applicable to their specific objectives.
While data can provide a valuable foundation for understanding demographics, preferences, and trends, it is the human creative interpretation of this data that transforms these insights into compelling content and experiences.
Using data as a tool and using good old fashioned creativity as the operator. This ensures that our creative solutions are not only data-driven but also imaginative, authentic, resonant, and uniquely tailored to each client's brand and objectives.
LBB> How can you make sure that data is elevating creative rather than forming a windtunnel effect and knocking all the interesting or unique edges off that make something distinctive?
Toby> Echoing Sir John Hegarty's words, “data informs, creativity inspires,” we embrace a philosophy where data serves both as a foundation and a launchpad for creativity. By providing our creatives with data-driven insights, we set perimeters and guidance that encourage innovation without enforcing restrictions. Our creatives have the liberty to sidestep any or all insights shared by our data scientists, embodying the belief that data is everything as much as it is nothing.
I'd be very surprised if any data or insights were supplied to the creative team at Fallon for the iconic Cadbury ad, featuring a man in a gorilla suit playing drums. Films like this serve as a prime example of how sometimes creativity alone can lead to some of the most memorable and effective impressions on an audience.
LBB> Can you share with us any examples of projects you’ve worked on where the data really helped boost the creative output in a really exciting way?
Toby> A few years ago after a dreadful losing streak, I dove into a number of business books for guidance. One sentence stood out to me. It sounds very simple, but sometimes you need someone to point this stuff out you to allow you to super focus on it: “you have to win in order to win”.
Sales teams patting themselves on their backs because they have unearthed 20 new leads in a month is not a win. Not until that project lands and a lead is realised. So I embarked on a mission, not to improve our sales pipeline, but to improve our win rate. It’s generally considered as industry standard that most production company owners build our business plans on winning one in three pitches, or a 33% win rate.
Recognising that our agency and client partners had the challenge of selling director treatments to the ‘grown ups’ (CMOs or VPs) who really only care about whether or not the project they are spending company money on is going to be successful or not, I started obsessing around effectiveness of our creative output. This lead me down the data route, where I married data science, audience information and insights to our creative vision and integrated this into our pitches.
All well and good, but putting this into practice took some years to perfect. After working hard to perfect and implement this approach, we managed to convert that 33% win rate to a 98% win rate in 2022.
There is a reason my new venture Imagine This has integrated data scientist as a core capability and ensured this is reflected within our management team.
LBB> We talk about data driving creativity, but what are your thoughts about approaching the use of data in a creative way?
Toby> To approach data in a creative way demands a shift in perspective, seeing data not merely as a resource for informing decisions or targeting but as a canvas for artistic and creative expression.
A prime example of creative data comes from the amazing work of Jonny Dixon at Framestore. During my ten-year tenure at Framestore, one of the most captivating projects I witnessed was Jonny and his team's real-time visualisation of the London Stock Exchange data. This project, conceived nine years ago, was pioneering, showcasing the power of turning abstract numbers into compelling visual narratives.
LBB> "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" - how can brands and creative make sure that they’re really seeing what they think they’re seeing (or want to see) in the data, or that they’re not misusing data?
Toby> My experience has taught me that data can indeed be manipulated or interpreted variably, depending on the observer's perspective. Take, for instance, a project I worked on for the International Cricket Council: the data unsurprisingly indicated that the primary audience for cricket comprised mainly males from India and Pakistan, where the sport enjoys immense popularity.
This insight led to a debate: should our campaign focus on this core audience, mirroring their demographics in our film cast, or should we aim to broaden the sport's appeal by targeting other demographics, potentially yielding better engagement from untapped markets? Eventually, we found a middle ground, embodying the spirit of advertising by blending both approaches.
This example illustrates the dual nature of data: its ability to support divergent viewpoints. Ultimately, navigating this landscape requires a blend of informed gut decisions and critical discussions. It emphasises the importance of approaching data with a critical eye, recognising its potential biases, and understanding that data should inform decisions, not dictate them.
LBB> In your view, what’s the biggest misconception people have around the use of data in marketing?
Toby> The biggest misconception about using data in marketing is the belief that it constrains creativity, acting as a straight jacket that limits imaginative freedom. Contrary to this view, I see data as a catalyst for creativity rather than a constraint. In today's results-driven climate, our clients prioritise outcomes and performance.
Leveraging data not only offers a clearer pathway to achieving these goals but also enhances the creative process by providing insights that can inspire and inform creative decisions. Rather than replacing the gut instinct of creatives, data serves as a valuable tool to rationalise and support creative approaches, allowing for a more targeted and effective strategy.
