When small data becomes integral to a campaign's success

By Geff Harper on Aug 23, 2018

A recent educational campaign we undertook for the Cancer Council to promote the correct application of sunscreen attracted one of the highest completion rates we’ve ever seen for a 55-second video. Why? It was all about the data. The small data.

By analysing the results of test campaigns and comparing them to external factors such as weather, we found a pattern that increased the likelihood of video completion by nearly 100%.

As it turns out, if you look hard enough, and you know what to look for, there are data patterns everywhere. In this instance, the patterns related very specifically to media platforms, channels and the weather.

Now, linking the weather to consumer spending is nothing new. You advertise ice creams when it’s hot and snow boots when it’s snowing. You don’t have to be a genius to work that out. Another Australian agency, Affinity, won several awards for its campaign for Narellan Pools with a campaign on those lines.

However, taking it a step further to identify how weather patterns affected engagement on specific media channels, is something different.

What we found was that, when the weather started to heat up, people were more engaged on some channels than others. When the weather was at its hottest, this changed again. It wasn’t just the devices being used that reflected these changes but also the platforms. Social on mobile worked better when it was hottest whilst paid ads on desktop worked better on the build-up to peak temperatures. And these were just some of the examples we uncovered.

- Our article was picked up BandT and published on their website.  If you'd like to find out more about how we used data to improve campaign impact then read it

here.

If you don't have the right systems to be able to interpret your campaign data and create a campaign plan set to maximise your ROI, get in touch and we'll happily help you identify the systems and resources you need.

Geff’s been in design for nearly 20 years, in digital for the last 10. Geff uses User-Centred Design principles to develop CX and UX that delivers for clients. He loves problem solving, leading design sprints and prototyping. Geff advocates strongly for user feedback and enjoys the challenge of creating solutions that positively impact user behaviour and interaction with technology.

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