IS MARKETING A SCIENCE OR AN ART?

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Is marketing a science or an art? According to Alan Schulman, managing director of brand and creative content at Deloitte Digital. it is both. At this year's &then conference, he says that we must understand that marketing is still in the behavioral economics business and not the finite economics business. Hence, we still have to account for human behavior. However, with the insights we gain from data, we are talking about the science of marketing, rather than the art of persuasion. 

In today's environment marketers can leverage data to inform and validate ideas before they produce them. However, according to Schulman there is a distinction between data and insights. Data is the collection of information, while insights are the research and findings and interpretations that build the core of the creative idea.

It is fair to say that marketing is no longer the domain of the right-brained, but has become an exercise in multiple disciplines. Today, it takes a diverse team to create the right marketing campaigns. It requires data-backed creativity. Whilst the science of marketing arises from data and research, the art of marketing comes from the creative doing. Some marketers are scientists. They test and measure. They do the maths. The other marketers are artists. They inspire, challenge and connect. These marketers are creating experiences and trigging emotions. In the end, to achieve the best campaign results it requires a subtle blend of art and science.