In marketing and creative industries, we spend much time building narratives to capture attention and building meaning. Yet many of these narratives are shaped less by audience understanding and more by our own assumptions. We assume we know who our audience is based on trends, demographics, or our own creative instincts. Unfortunately, assumptions are often shaped by our own bias.
As creators and marketers, we bring our own experiences, values, and intentions into the creative process. We communicate in ways that feel meaningful to us, believing we are taking the right approach. But what resonates with us does not always align with how the audiences actually experience the message we try to deliver.
This is where marketing research plays a critical role. Not as a validation, but as a way to deepen our creative understanding.
Our recent project working with a family-themed film illustrated this clearly. When the client first approached us, they already had a trailer and promotional materials prepared. The initial narrative focused on the journey of a young boy and positioning his story as the emotional core of the movie. While logical, this approach reflected the creators’ perspective more than the audience’s.
The film itself explored a broader family dynamic where a father and son relied on the mother as a bridge between them. When the mother passed away, the family structure collapsed. In an attempt to fill the void, an AI application was developed by the son only to reveal that technology cannot replace human relationships.
Through in-depth interviews in focus group discussions with parents and young audiences, we explored what truly stayed with the viewers after watching the movie. What surfaced was not primarily the young boy’s story or the AI, but a deeper and rarely discussed reality: emotional fatherlessness.
The audience reflected on fathers who were physically present but absent in connection. When mothers are not present, families are shaped by silence and children grow up without emotional dialogue. This issue resonated deeply in the Indonesian context, although rarely being openly discussed. More importantly, viewers also recognized that this emotional distance impacts not only the children, but also the parents.
This insight fundamentally shifted the marketing direction. The narrative moved away from the young boy plot-driven storytelling towards themes of family relational responsibility. It also strengthened the AI narrative as technology that cannot replace the emotional needs of a family. The campaign invited audiences not just to watch a story, but to reflect on their own lived experiences.
Marketing research enabled this deeper narrative to emerge. Without it, the campaign might have been visually compelling but lacked emotional depth. Research did not limit creativity, but expanded it. It effectively built a bridge between the message we wanted to share and what truly resonated with the audience.
This is the true value of marketing research. It fuels creativity to move beyond assumption and bring your message closer to unspoken cultural truths. When utilized this way, research transforms marketing communication from message delivery into meaning-making.
Ready to move beyond assumptions? Reach out for a free consultation at hello@cothink.id
