Why insight is a powerful brand tool

By Shivaji Dasgupta

That great insights lead to successful advertising still holds true, even if their sources and roles are rapidly evolving. From being revelations of human behaviour, unearthed by an exceptional imagination, they have become desirable elements of the brand experience. Insights are highlighted, in a manner both inspiring and 'ownable', through communication and delivery. And behind their origins lie product composition, the service process, business objectives and (most definitely) the consumer.

Both IndiGo Airlines and Domino's Pizza have quite famously owned the highly 'desirable' aspect of timely engagement, the former on their flights sticking to schedule, the latter thriving on a formidable platform of '30 minutes or free'. Their success is backed by a common consumer truth, presented with a mix of commitment and creativity.

For example, every premium automobile derives its appeal from power and performance, fundamental attributes whose uniqueness engineers and advertisers must seek to articulate. While the life insurance sector has latched on to an emerging climate of positivity, which is reflected in content design and experience, those that offer insurance more credibly and convincingly stand out. The thriving e-commerce sector, meanwhile, is built on the interplay of choice and value, a buyer's preference the consequence of the pulling power of the brand, whose eye-catching promotions rely on execution flair.

Insight, in its original avatar, was elevated by advertising strategists to a deep-rooted customer belief or desire, the brand working to break every barrier coming in the way of discovery, thus helping better our lives. While studying at MICA in the late 1990s, we were enamoured of many tales - like Cadbury Dairy Milk giving every adult the licence to consume chocolate by shedding truckloads of guilt. Many sleepless nights during mock exercises were spent looking for that 'inspirational' sentence, sounding perfectly simple yet never-heard-before. Such rituals were important for our imminent professional survival.

Certain brands were built on earth-shaking observations, some permanent, others necessarily seasonal. This was especially true when it came to the venerated 'youth' segment, in categories like colas and 'attitudinal' consumables. Clearly, such uniqueness became less common as the consumer economy boomed with an explosion of brands in every category, brands armed with serious ambitions and budgets to boot. Over time, insight degenerated into an enforced attribute or behaviour, lacking both credibility and inspiration.

Which is exactly why the current generation of communicators must redefine insight to reinstate its role as a valuable springboard to developing communication that engages, especially in the complex digital era. Insight matches the ability of the manufacturer, and needs to be articulated with imagination in the integrated advertising campaign (starting, ideally, with product delivery). Essentially, insight is a key element of the brand experience, one that is coveted by the customer.

Thus, insight is all about rigorous and Cannes-surpassing implementation. The strategist and creative director work in tandem for the benefit of our multi-sensorial consumption. The client must act as a toll-free expressway between the brand and the customer, not letting personal prejudices influence the determination of the insight - especially for eager agency teams hungrily seeking approval for the next campaign. In businesses at large, the key determinant of success is the bridge between thinking and action, a bridge that must be sustainable. This is certainly true of advertising campaigns. So, from being a point of conceptual inspiration, modern-day insight must become an abiding thread of attraction, one that hopefully makes the brand experience more distinctive.

(The author is founder of INEXGRO Brand Advisory, and former vice-president and branch head of Contract Advertising, Delhi)