The Art and Science of Marketing Effectiveness: Insights from Les Binet

Les Binet was Head of Effectiveness at Adam and Eve DDB. At the end of 2024 he left DDB after 37 years and ventured out as a freelance. For most of those 37 years Les worked on advertising effectiveness, helping advertisers understand whether their campaigns were effective and how they worked—not as straightforward as you might think. In this blog, we explore some of his key insights, from the importance of balancing short-term and long-term strategies to the role of creativity and scale in driving success. (This article is based on an interview between Nick Hague of the World’s Greatest Business Thinkers and Les Binet and a link to the blog is given at the end the script).

The Role of Effectiveness in Marketing

At the heart of Les Binet’s philosophy is the idea that marketing effectiveness is about selling. For commercial campaigns, success is measured in terms of sales, cash flow, profit, and shareholder value. His role has always been to help advertisers understand whether their campaigns are working, how they work, and how to improve them. This isn’t always straightforward. Marketing effectiveness isn’t just about immediate results; it’s about creating sustainable growth over time.

The Changing Landscape of Marketing

While the fundamentals of marketing haven’t changed—people are still people, after all—the tools and channels we use have evolved dramatically. The media mix has become more complex, and new technologies have transformed how we reach audiences. However, the basic rules of marketing remain the same. What has changed is the way we measure and interpret data.

One common argument is that marketing has become more short-term due to the churn of senior marketing personnel. However, Les challenges this notion. He points out that CMO turnover has always been high, and there’s no evidence to suggest it’s increased significantly. Instead, the real issue lies in the data itself.

The Problem with Data Overload

In the past, marketers relied on bi-monthly or quarterly data, which provided a long-term perspective. Today, data is more granular and frequent, with reports available weekly or even daily. While this might seem like an advantage, it has led to a phenomenon Les describes as “not being able to see the wood for the trees.”

Short-term data often leads to short-term strategies. For example, price promotions may create immediate sales spikes, but they don’t contribute much to long-term growth. The less granular data of the past provided a more accurate picture of what was really driving success.

The Long and the Short of It

One of Les’s most influential contributions to marketing is the concept of balancing short-term and long-term strategies. In his book The Long and the Short of It, co-authored with Peter Field, he outlines two broad ways marketing can work:

Short-Term Activation: This involves targeting people close to the point of purchase, giving them a reason to buy, and making it easy for them to do so. It’s highly efficient but has no long-term carryover. Once the campaign ends, the effects decay quickly.
Long-Term Brand Building: This approach focuses on building memory structures and emotional connections with a wider audience. It’s about ensuring that when people come to market, they think of your brand first and feel good about it.

Les Binet argues that both approaches are essential. Short-term activation closes the deal, while long-term brand building warms people up. The optimal balance for most B2C brands is around 60% brand building and 40% activation, though this can vary by category.

The Power of Creativity and Scale

Creativity is often seen as the domain of artists, but in marketing, it’s a critical driver of effectiveness. Les emphasizes that emotions, not rational messages, are the primary driver of marketing success. Creativity is about using the techniques of art—music, storytelling, humour, and visuals—to make people feel something. This emotional connection is what builds brand loyalty and drives long-term growth.

However, creativity alone isn’t enough. Scale is equally important. Les points to the John Lewis Christmas ads as an example. These campaigns are not only highly creative and emotional but also achieve massive exposure, with hundreds of millions of views. This combination of creativity and scale is what makes them so effective.

Measuring Success

When it comes to measuring the success of a marketing campaign, Les advocates a triangulated approach:

Linear Attribution: While useful for tracking clicks and likes, this method is flawed because it assumes the last click drove the sale.
Econometric Modelling: This is Les’s specialty. It uses multivariate analysis to disentangle the impact of different factors, such as advertising, pricing, and promotions.
Experiments: Controlled tests, like turning campaigns on and off in different regions, can provide valuable insights.

Les Binet is sceptical of tracking data unless it’s proven to link to actual behaviour and sales. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of long-term metrics like sales and profit.

Rules for Growth

For small brands looking to grow, Les offers three iron rules:

Expand Your Customer Base: Growth is primarily driven by penetration, not loyalty.
Improve Brand Loyalty: While secondary, loyalty still plays a role in sustaining growth.
Think Carefully About Pricing: Pricing power is crucial for profitability.

These rules align with the principles of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, which emphasize the importance of reaching new customers rather than focusing solely on existing ones.

The Future of Marketing

As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, Les believes that brand building will become even more important. Despite the rise of digital marketing and short-term activation, the data suggests that the optimal balance is shifting toward 70% brand building and 30% activation. This is because efficiency gains in activation have made it easier to execute, reducing the need for as much investment.

Conclusion

Les Binet’s insights remind us that marketing is both an art and a science. While data and technology have transformed the field, the fundamentals remain the same: creativity, scale, and a balance between short-term and long-term strategies. By focusing on these principles, marketers can create campaigns that not only drive immediate results but also build lasting brand value.

In a world where data overload can obscure the bigger picture, Les’s work serves as a guiding light, helping marketers cut through the noise and focus on what really matters: selling over the long term.

Watch the podcast on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77FJH7ZupT4