Getting big ideas approved has always been a battle of opinions. But big data has changed all that.

I spent 30 years standing in front of boardrooms convincing clients that the big ideas my team had come up with for their brand or campaign were a sure-fire way to accomplish the objective-of-the-day. Months of hard work went into those presentations, and a lot of cliched blood, sweat and tears.

I was very good at pitching. If I had a single useful skill other than my uncanny ability to attractively arrange a charcuterie platter, pitching big ideas was it.

But as anyone who has ever had to sell an idea is aware, there is an enormous power imbalance in these situations. The client has the money. It's their dime.  So ultimately, for whatever reason (and I heard some great reasons, including "my wife doesn't like it,") the client could just say no. And suddenly all the hours and late nights and enthusiasm we put into the project were for naught.

The worst part was going back to the office after getting a thumbs-down from a client. I had to tell the team and watch their faces fall. Being the bearer of bad news is never fun.

Also not fun was the effect on our earnings, because "doing it again" didn't equate to any more fees for our time.

After a third or fourth attempt to satisfy a client we found ourselves working for free. Subjectivity had ruled the day, and, as the company owner watching the bottom line, my ROI took a beating. 

My firm was a marketing creative company, but this same story will sound familiar to anyone who makes a living with big ideas. Architects, graphic designers, copywriters, digital agencies, product designers, strategy consultants, retail environment designers...the list is too long to try and include all the variations here.

But what if you could stand in front of a client boardroom and present your concepts with the confidence of 75,000 surveys to back you up?

What if you knew with scientific precision exactly what the target audience wants from your client, and the messages that will motivate them the most? What if you could say to the client that your ideas are based on six times more data than required for a Ph.D.? Well, now you can. Every time. 

Speaking as a retired creative director/copywriter myself, this is one of the most satisfying things about the Valuegraphics Database. Armed with a Valuegraphics Profile, creative professionals in any field can develop concepts guided by the personal values that the target audience shares. And since what we value determines what we do, well, you can create work that will be far more influential and more motivating than ever before.

In fact, your concepts will motivate the intended audience as much as eight times more effectively with Valuegraphics on your side. That's like magically having eight times more budget, just by using the shared personal values of your audience as your inspiration. You will have banished potentially hazardous opinions and guesswork, and given birth to a big idea based on big data and facts. 

Your client will get the results they need. You will look like a hero. Confetti canons will fire. Champagne corks will pop, and the aforementioned charcuterie platter will appear on the boardroom table.

But just between you and me? The best thing about using Valuegraphics to develop your work is standing in front of that boardroom full of clients, and knowing, with the certainty of a scientist, that what you are proposing is right. It's not a hunch. It's not simply a firm conviction. It's right. 

We've been actively engaged using the database for creative professionals in all disciplines, and the brands they work with, since 2016. Want to chat? We love meeting new teams! Drop us a note, or call, or – well – you know what to do.