Magic Numbers: Why Nick Boyce Is Inspired by Creative Data Visualisation

Nick Boyce is a marketing strategist and entrepreneur with a talent for fusing data, technology, and creativity. As Spin’s data and insights director, he shapes strategies that leverage data to drive business incrementality.

Previously, Nick founded Pollenary, an ad agency that applied agile software development techniques to digital marketing, before its acquisition by Spin. As King & McGaw’s E-Commerce Director, he played a pivotal role in navigating the company through a period of substantial growth and transformation.

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?

Nick> The most common challenge I see is that clients struggle to measure the impact of their campaigns at all. Either they don’t trust their data or they have a misconception that brand advertising shouldn't need to be measurable and performance marketing needs to be 100% measurable. In truth, there are just different methods we can use to measure different types of activities.

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?

Nick> We need to be creative about how we measure creative. This comes down to understanding the role of each creative concept. We have to be careful that excellent creative ideas are not discarded because of the difficulty to measure its impact.

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?

Nick> As a fast-moving social media agency measuring the direct impact of our efforts is vital to figuring out what we do next. That's why we developed a stack of tools and systems that ensure that creative teams have the day-to-day need to make decisions rapidly. 

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? 

Nick> It really depends on the business, but in general, I would advise to start with commercial outcomes first. Even the craziest, most creative ideas, should still be expected to have a positive commercial outcome, even if it's difficult to measure.

LBB> We talk about data driving creativity, but what are your thoughts about approaching the use of data in a creative way?

Nick> I'm inspired by all sorts of creative data visualisation. We've all seen them shared on social media. But for me it's about clarity, and a lot of that relies on mercilessly editing down the information to get to the insight.

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?

Nick> It starts and ends with commercial outcomes. Typically we’ll measure commercial outcomes within a controlled environment like a lift test, or use econometric modelling to evaluate historical data.

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?

Nick> In the past I've been guilty of prioritising ideas because based on how easy they are to measure. PPC campaigns? Yes. TV campaigns: no. But this approach risks leaving some of the strongest ideas on the cutting room floor. 

These days I advocate for a balanced approach that takes into account measurability, best practice and, yes, instinct. I'm confident in this approach, because I know that not everything could be measured in the same way.

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?

Nick> Regulations, consumer privacy demands and technology providers will all eventually ensure that it’s virtually impossible to track individual users in the way we’ve become used to. There is no returning to the good old days, so we need to get comfortable measuring the impact of our efforts without the need for tracking individual users.

LBB> What does a responsible data practice look like?

Nick> Responsible means reducing our dependence on tracking individual users and embracing the use of blended metrics and statistical modelling. We can optimise at the micro level, but we should be steered by the macro level.

LBB> In your view, what’s the biggest misconception people have around the use of data in marketing?

Nick> I think we've all been sold the idea that there can be a single source of truth that can track a user’s users entire journey. Yes, multitouch attribution made some of this possible it was never the whole picture. Many of the ways that people interact with the brand are inherently impossible to measure by tracking an individual user. Influencer marketing, word-of-mouth outdoor, TV… the list goes on. 

And yet here we are, still assuming we can use Google Analytics as our singular source of truth.

LBB> In terms of live issues in the field, what are the debates or developments that we should be paying attention to right now?

Nick> The eradication of third-party pixel tracking in Google Chrome is a big one as well as ongoing government intervention to prevent use a level tracking, especially in the EU.