Marketers rank targeting above creativity, and the data says it is the other way round
WarningBrand Strategy
68% of American and 62% of European marketers rank creativity's impact on profit below the level Dyson's modelling found, while 61% of American and 45% of European marketers rank campaign targeting above it. The industry systematically undervalues its biggest controllable lever and overvalues one of its smallest.
Source
The Creative Dividend - a partnership between Effie and System1 (2026)
Andrew Tindall (System1), with Effie Worldwide; ESOC advised by Les Binet
p. 6, The Creative Dividend (Effie x System1, 2026), Global Marketer Survey, N=386
Go to the originalMore from this source
StatCreative quality and media support together explain most of what a campaign achievesPrincipleCreative Dividend and Excess Share of Creativity - creative advantage, then creative advantage at scaleStatCreative advantage backed by media raises the odds of market share growth in a straight lineStatThe profit payoff from creative advantage compounds rather than accumulatesPrincipleDistinctiveness turns spend into revenue, emotion turns revenue into profitStatDistinctive and emotional work multiplies profit hardest on the smallest budgetsStatCreative quality is the largest profit multiplier a marketer actually controlsStatCampaigns that deliver several business outcomes are dramatically more likely to deliver profitStatRevenue is the easy result, profit is the rare oneWarningStacking short-term objectives onto a campaign drives its chance of profit to zeroStatThe rise of short-term campaign objectives tracks platform revenue almost perfectlyStatConsistency multiplies profit likelihood more than emotion, showmanship or distinctiveness