December 17, 2019

Today’s application of an age-old and unlikely partnership — art and science.

Carter Weitz, Chairman/Chief Creative Office

In the battle for incremental increases in market share, it’s interesting to see two unlikely partners in the middle of the dust cloud. Namely, art and science. One is thought to be based on fiction… the other, fact. Two worlds separated by the distance between the expressive and the analytical, the visual-spatial and the logical-sequential, the infinite and the finite. Exactly when art and science decided to place their differences aside and join forces is unknown, but a look back might provide a few clues.

I immediately think of the beautiful design and remarkable engineering of the Pantheon as well as other architectural wonders. But, perhaps the union can most clearly be seen in the genius of Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), who brought art and science together to shape innovations that, to this day, astound us. His studies of biology and astronomy, anatomy and engineering, were used to refine his art and inventions. Those scientific studies and observations led to creations that changed human perspective and inspired future generations.

The connections Leonardo da Vinci drew between art and science were as game-changing then as they are in the field of advertising today.

Since art and science have always been used to describe and understand the world, it only makes sense that they are uniquely equipped to describe and bring understanding to the goods and services we get paid to promote.

1. Science kicks off the process through research that generates data that is used to identify the target audience and behaviors, as well as a compelling insight.
2. Art then jumps in and works the insight into a creative idea that grabs attention, delivers a relevant message, and paints a lasting impression.
3. Science enters back into the picture and measures the effectiveness of the art.

So, it’s a continuous-improvement approach, shared by art and science—create, measure, optimize, repeat.

There’s an interesting collaboration between art and science that is driven by a combination of today’s increasing ROI demands and the important role brands play in the formation of personal identities.

Today’s media landscape provides brands with many targeting opportunities to create person-to-person engagement with those most-likely customers. When art and science hit the bullseye, the needle moves—sometimes exponentially.

At a time when political divisiveness separates the nation, and when philosophical differences polarize us, it’s nice to see the magic that can happen when unlikely and incomprehensible unification occurs.

Maybe opposites do attract after all.

To get in touch with the Chief Creative Officer of Bailey Lauerman, Carter Weitz, email [email protected].