Magic Numbers: Davis Jones and Finding The Art in Data Science
Davis Jones heads unified strategic processes for The Many, which include branding, communications, social, digital, media strategy and analytics. Jones’s primary focus is expanding the agency’s media group and creating a well-rounded mix of traditional and non-traditional media experts who embrace the agency’s collaborative culture.
This growing business unit works closely with the creative team to introduce a media mindset early in the creative process to develop innovative solutions that embrace the company’s history of pushing boundaries.
With his experience in healthcare, technology, financial services, CPG, automotive, and B2B, among other categories, Jones thrives in marketing disruption. He joined The Many in 2018 from Crossmedia where he served as group media director.
Jones spent 12 years at various full-service agencies such as Swirl, Doremus+Co, Colle McVoy, and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Jones’s previous clients include Tillamook, Juniper Networks, eBay, Salesforce, ZICO, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Clorox, and Saturn Automotive.
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?
Davis> It’s some variation of “how will we know it worked?” A close second is, “how will we ensure that we are continuing to get smarter?” Answering these questions starts with a holistic measurement strategy and learning plan. This is not something that should be built in isolation by an “analytics person”. It is a collaborative process that incorporates the different strategic disciplines that are shaping the work.
The diverse strategic inputs ensure that the measurement and learning plans are workstreams the integrated team feels accountability to execute. Also it requires different thinkers to contextualise the performance and learnings to ensure the insights are sharp and incorporating knowledge from the various perspectives on the project.
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?
Davis> Data is useful for validating intuitions. Numbers are passive information, it’s the insights that make them actionable and the creativity used in the analysis that allows them to elevate the work. In that way working with data is similar to many other strategic processes.
Data are inputs to inform, not necessarily dictate decisions. It’s not the data that hurts the creativity, it’s the rigidity in how the team is using it. Too much rigidity or overengineering is when the work loses its humanity. The data make the work more informed, the humanity makes it more distinct.
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?
Davis> Most often the insights that come from deeply understanding communities, competitive and category landscapes or a brand’s health can be some of the most compelling to boosting creative outputs. These are the areas that help illuminate business opportunities, cultural truths, positionings and tensions that can change the way a team or whole organisation views their business.
And it’s not just boosting creative output. Getting to the right strategic insights early in the process helps ensure that the work progresses in an integrated way into rich executional spaces that include: creative, media, PR, experiential and more.
LBB> More brands are working to create their own first party data practice - how can a brand figure out whether that’s something that is relevant or important for their business?
Davis> The better any business understands their consumers, the better positioned they will be to serve them. This remains a truth and incorporating first party data on your brand’s consumers can be a useful tool in that process. So is talking to them. Or observing them. Or hanging out with them. Data are seductive in that they give us numbers and numbers often feel like truth. Especially when they’re organised and set to narratives.
This is where we have to be very careful of our own biases, limitations and desires to have explanations for everything. The point is deep understanding that is actionable and getting to that requires many different types of inputs, of which 1st party data are one.
Data are big business and we are still at a point where brands have to rely on gatekeepers or 3rd parties to understand their consumers. However, there are real transitions happening in culture and technology (privacy, web3, etc.) that are creating opportunities for brands to have more direct relationships with their consumers and communities. Most organisations find value in having access to first party data insights.
The other question that comes up for me is has the company invested to build out a strategic analytics function that can make it part of a bigger whole so that the whole organisation gets smarter as a result.
LBB> We talk about data driving creativity, but what are your thoughts about approaching the use of data in a creative way?
Davis> I think analytics is often treated as a siloed discipline as opposed to a strategic, collaborative and creative one. I find that working with data is about following curiosity. There is an openness and possibility to that that is inherently creative. And curious people whether they’re in the analytics function or not, often ask some of the most compelling questions. I’ve always loved the definition: creativity is connecting the seemingly unconnected. This is when working with data become transformative. It’s the art in the science.
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?
Davis> There is so much pressure on marketing to drive impact and fast. I think the ruthlessness of “results or else”, creates a culture in teams to be selective or overly optimistic in what information is shared. The irony is that nothing builds trust like telling the truth.
In fact, we often learn more from things that don’t work than things that do. But does the team or organisation have a culture of embracing the whole truth? Do the leaders set that tone? Learning is success! As long as the learnings are applied to making better quality decisions.
LBB> What are your thoughts about trust in data - to what extent is uncertainty and a lack of trust in data (or data sources) an issue and what are your thoughts on that?
Davis> Trust but verify. It is critical to understand methodologies, use statistics and work with people and teams that are trustworthy, internally and externally. This means asking questions to get clear on a team’s or individual’s process, relationships, incentives, reputation. Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. Analytics is integral to any project, however it must be built in as part of a larger strategic system vs a standalone and siloed operation.
Only then do you get questions that push for the clarity and confidence necessary to make better decisions.
LBB> With so many different regulatory systems in different markets regarding data and privacy around the world - as well as different cultural views about privacy - what’s the key to creating a joined up data strategy at a global level that’s also adaptable to local nuances?
Davis> We have access to more data than we’ve ever had in the history of the world and we’re still grappling with the boundaries of it. How much is too far? How do we protect people? What limits feel safe for people and fair for business? This is different across the world and sometimes within the same country. The nuances are not going away anytime soon.
Data strategies flow from the values of the company. There are companies that trade integrity for short term gain and others that have privacy and protection at the centre of their business strategy. Data strategy needs global structure and yet must be flexible enough to adapt to local nuance. This is a leadership challenge that requires a clear values system, consistent communication, a solutions based mindset for what we know and a nimble culture for what’s to come.
LBB> What does a responsible data practice look like?
Davis> Data can be dehumanising. A responsible data practice is one that keeps humanity at its core. That respects the people choosing to engage with their brand (internally and externally). That engages in a dialogue with them about how they use data. That sees them not just as transactions but as part of their community. And that takes the care to invest in ways to ensure their data are protected.
LBB> In your view, what’s the biggest misconception people have around the use of data in marketing?
Davis> That it is not creative work or is somehow separate from the creative process. Data are an integral input that has the power to help everyone that uses it to be smarter about their work, this especially includes creatives. Working with data in marketing require following intuition, developing ideas, impactful visualisations, collaboration, storytelling. It can be enlightening, unlock new opportunities, change perceptions.
These are creative qualities. And working with data have the power to be very human work, we just need humans to want to collaborate with it.
LBB> In terms of live issues in the field, what are the debates or developments that we should be paying attention to right now?
Davis> Privacy and AI are perhaps the biggest and are related. AI has taken everything to another level and is moving faster than we can keep up with it. This will put us in situations where we will need to trust things until we have reason not to. This is frightening to think about as we actually are in uncharted territory.
