If you think data and creativity don’t mix, think again.
Many marketers see the rise of data-driven strategies as a potential threat to the creative processes that make campaigns stand out.
But Mariama Kamanda, Senior Manager of Data and Analytics at Barilla Group, offers a different perspective. She shows how data can support creative marketing efforts rather than hampering them.
In a recent episode of The Undiscovered Metric podcast, hosted by Jessica Cardonick, VP of Product Marketing at Adverity, Mariama shares her experience and insights on the evolving relationship between creativity and data.
The Misunderstood Role of Data in Creativity
From the off, Mariama addresses a common misconception: that data stifles creativity. “CMOs typically do have some sort of hesitancy towards data and creativity,” she says, explaining that this reluctance often stems from a fear that data will strip away the emotion that comes with creative work. However, she argues that data plays a crucial role in optimizing campaigns and inspiring creative direction.
Instead of seeing data as an obstacle to creativity, picture it as an amplification of your creative efforts to make your campaigns more effective.
If you have solid data governance practices, data can support creativity instead of hindering it.At Barilla, data is integrated into every step of the marketing process, including the ideation of assets. If you've sat staring at a broken spreadsheet long enough, then you know the initial stages of gathering and wrangling data aren't exactly glamorous. But it's the groundwork behind the end result of actionable insights that let marketers craft campaigns that resonate more deeply with their audiences. Mariama suggests that data can point marketers in the direction of new creative possibilities and insights that might otherwise be overlooked.
Trust and Collaboration: Building Strong Partnerships Between Data and Marketing
Mariama emphasizes the crucial role of trust and collaboration between data teams and marketing teams. “We all have to have very good processes. You have to have trust. And there needs to be a level of understanding,” she says.
Without this foundation, the relationship between data scientists and creatives can easily become strained. Data teams might overwhelm marketers with too much information. Creative teams on the other hand may feel that their vision is being constrained by metrics.
"It’s not just about giving them the data; it’s about helping them understand the 'so what'—the insight that makes it actionable."
Mariama Kamanda, Senior Manager of Data and Analytics, Barilla Group
At Barilla, strong processes and open communication help bridge this gap. As Mariama explains, “It’s not just about giving them the data; it’s about helping them understand the 'so what'—the insight that makes it actionable.” By taking marketers on a journey through the data and fostering a mutual understanding, data teams can support creatives in making informed decisions without stifling their creative freedom.
Ultimately, both teams need to work together towards a shared goal. “We want to go on the journey with them,” Mariama says, stressing that data teams should be partners, not critics. “When you present numbers that are quite stone cold, even if you think you’ve got the context, it feels like you’re marking their homework,” she notes.
Open communication and the willingness to offer feedback and context are essential for building trust. This collaborative approach ensures that both sides stay aligned and can leverage data to drive creative, impactful marketing strategies.
Metrics That Matter: Gauging Performance Through Data
Mariama shares that the types of data her team analyzes to gauge performance can vary significantly depending on the campaign and its goals. From media efficiency metrics like CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) to creative metrics such as view-through rates, each campaign offers a wealth of data points to consider. “Every campaign has different KPIs, but ultimately, it's about pulling them all together to see the full picture of performance,” she says.
Looking across all these metrics helps Mariama’s team see what’s really working. But more than that, they show how each element, such as media spend, creative quality, or market conditions, has contributed to overall success. And in fact, Mariama highlights that one of the key areas for measuring performance is creativity itself.
Quoting a Nielsen study, Mariama points out that almost half (47%) of sales contribution is affected by creative, making creativity a vital variable for driving business results.
Using Data to Optimize Creativity
Creativity and data may seem at odds, but Mariama points out that data can play a critical role in optimizing creative assets. A great example of this is tailoring ads for specific platforms. Mariama explains how the shift to full-screen formats on platforms like Instagram and TikTok forced brands to rethink their creative assets.
“Let’s say you’ve created an asset that was cut down from television, and now it’s intended for a mobile phone on Instagram. That experience generally is going to be poor,” she says.
By analyzing how audiences engage with content on different platforms, Mariama’s team can make actionable recommendations. For instance, assets designed for mobile should be short, snappy, eye-catching, and typically three seconds or less. Logos and hooks should appear upfront, so the brand is immediately recognizable. By optimizing for these factors, marketers can resonate more with modern audiences.
The Power of Marketing Mix Models (MMM)
Mariama also sings the praises of Marketing Mix Models (MMM), which help marketers understand how different levers like media spend, price reductions, and seasonality contribute to business results. “Within an MMM, you have several different levers you can look at,” she explains. These models offer a comprehensive way to measure the impact of marketing efforts on the bottom line, combining traditional marketing drivers with creative metrics.
Seasonality is just one of the variables that can impact your reporting and obscure results.Mariama emphasizes that creativity is one of the most powerful levers in an MMM. “MMM helps us put creativity on equal footing with more traditional levers, showing its direct impact on sales and ROI,” she notes. By feeding creative data into these models, marketers can better understand how their campaigns are driving sales. And from there, they can begin to understand how to optimize campaigns for greater impact.
AI and the Future of Data in Marketing
As AI continues to shape the future of marketing, Mariama discusses how her team is using it to optimize processes and improve efficiency.
“We want to do fewer, bigger, better,” she says, explaining that Barilla’s approach to AI is to focus on practical applications that can deliver tangible results. This could involve using AI to generate insights more quickly from numerical data, reducing a process that might take seven days down to just three.
"There’s nothing worse than being like a child in a sweet shop and wanting to try everything."
Mariama Kamanda, Senior Manager of Data and Analytics, Barilla Group
For Mariama, the key to success with AI is staying focused on optimization rather than chasing every new trend. She advises marketers to resist the temptation to try every shiny new tool, instead focusing on areas where AI can genuinely add value to the business. “There’s nothing worse than being like a child in a sweet shop and wanting to try everything,” she warns.
Conclusion
Mariama Kamanda’s insights from the Undiscovered Metric podcast show us there's a long way to go in the evolving relationship between data and creativity in marketing. Marketers need to stop seeing data as a barrier to creativity, and see it as a tool to shape ideas that land. By building strong partnerships, fostering trust, and deploying tools like MMM, marketing teams can achieve the best of both worlds: data and creativity.
About Jessica Cardonick
Jessica Cardonick is SVP of Marketing at Adverity, with over two decades of experience leading B2B marketing strategies across the enterprise software and SaaS landscape. She’s held senior roles at Lockheed Martin, Publicis Sapient, and SunGard—where she led the award-winning “TEN” campaign, recognized as Best International Campaign at the 2011 B2B Marketing Awards. Jessica holds an Executive MBA from the University of Greenwich and a BA in Communications from Penn State.
About Mariama Kamanda
Mariama Kamanda is Associate Director of Data and Analytics at Barilla Group, where she leads global strategies for data governance, performance measurement, and creative optimization. Named a DataIQ Future Leader, she brings nearly a decade of experience across FMCG, retail, and tech, including roles at Deliveroo, dunnhumby, and Tesco Bank, specializing in applied data science, audience segmentation, and marketing effectiveness.
