THE TRUTH SAYER
5 Principles of a Great Insight
by Emma Woodley
Insights are the fuel that drive great communication and innovation. They are a short sentence that
shows a deep understanding of the motives that drive consumer behaviour. They ensure everything
your brand does is grounded in a consumer truth.
Insight writing is one of the most exciting but most complicated tasks for Insight and Strategic
Planning professionals. It takes lots of practice and patience to encapsulate the insight in the
perfect sentence but when you do, it is the most rewarding and satisfying achievements. When you
see great insight (or Higher Order Insights as I like to call them) it is truly inspiring. My favourite
examples are the insights from Dove (real beauty) and Old Spice (be a Man). These are great case
studies to explore further. © Emma Woodley Truth be Gold 2016
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If you would like tips on writing insights please my article ‘5 tips to writing great insights’. When you
have your insight written, there are five principles that all great insights share, how does your insight
measure up to these?
1. It must have an edge
The insight must feel a little edgy and could almost sting at times. One way to give it an edge is to
focus on an uncomfortable truth, consumers don’t like to admit. It can’t be a vanilla sentence as it
needs to provoke a reaction from the those bringing it to life and your audience. 2. Based on a true human insight
First of all, it has to be based on the truth. That may sound basic but I have had people pass
phrases off as insights no consumer would agree with! The best insights are based on something related to human insights. There are lots of other types
of insights that are based on the category of business you operate in, your product and your brand.
However, human insights resonate most strongly with your consumers and create the connection
and engagement that you need. This happens when you demonstrate you know them even better
than they know themselves.
3. The brand must be able to own it
It seems obvious but there are many marketers I have seen that are totally enchanted by an insight
but it’s not in a space that the brand could own or has permission to play. Dove has done a great
job here, their brand is positioned beautifully to own the ‘real beauty’ space and there is no way for
another brand to muscle in.
4. Inspires action
This is my favourite principle. When I find a great insight I want to run around telling everyone! I
also begin to get ideas of how I can work with it immediately. If you can almost see the creative for
an ad or you start to think of ideas products or services, then you are really onto something.
5. Evokes Emotion
This is a must! You need to evoke emotion in those working with the insights in order to produce
great things and also in your audience in order to provoke a reaction in them.
I hope this inspires you to write great insight but you need an expert, we need to talk! To find out
more please contact Emma the Founder of Truth be Gold at [email protected].
Truth be Gold is an Insights and Innovation Consultancy based on the edge of London. We bring you
extensive expertise without the overhead. We are your virtual insights and innovation department that
provides support based on your needs.
© Emma Woodley Truth be Gold 2016
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