Pinocchio wanted to be a boy more than anything in the world, but all he could ever be was a wooden boy with strings. Marketing wants to be an art, but is it really a science? So does the Right Brain or Left Brain control the messaging?
First, in all fairness lets lay out exactly what the difference is in art & science.
Science according to Wikipedia is a systematic knowledge or process based on methodical research and predicting outcomes. There is experimental science, which is changing of variables and applied science which is tied to application of human’s practical problems & needs.
Art by Wikipedia is deliberately changing elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. Art traditionally was referred to skill or mastery but art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.
Since marketing has really changed to SEO, Social Media and other interactive marketing vehicles, how does that change the approach? Interactive marketing has really put behavioral targeting at a premium. They can track your every move, your every like, your every dislike. They have your profiles, bios and conversations, which leans more to science….
Every marketer in the current economic state is being judged on ROI, ROI & ROI. Social Media in some ways is like direct marketing as it can have a lot of calls to actions, but definitely has its growing pains in determining ROI for brand loyalty, brand recognition etc. There may be more need for science.
The ultimate goal of the new marketing is to spread it horizontally. So if creating buzz & getting things to go viral, creative and artistic may be the foundation. Determining buyer behavior and managing call to actions, leads & sales, then science may be the root.
My take has always been that science is where you start and the foundational principles are based. It takes its stance from the historical approach and then changes variables and testing in different markets. The art is where the mastery comes in. Can look at the data with the fluidity and determine what process will work best in the given circumstances. Determining what will make the message sticky and shared is art and creative. The best marketers blur the line where you don’t know whether they are using art or science.
Let the debate begin. How does Social Media change this? Is it Art or Science?
Chad Rothschild
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