7
Advertising &
Promotion
Research
Objectives
1. Purpose/Methods of Ad Research
2. Secondary Data Sources (Yahoogle?!)
3. Purpose/Methods of Copy Research
Key Definitions
1. Advertising & Promotion Research:
Any research that helps in the development, execution or
evaluation of advertising & promotion.
2. Account Planning
A broader view than traditional research that introduces data
earlier in the development process & relies on a wider variety of
research techniques.
Advertising & Promotion Research
Used to assist in determining market segments
Plays a key role in helping creatives understand the
audience
Used to make go/no go ad decisions & when to pull
ads
Used to evaluate agency performance
Key Issues in Advertising &
Promotion Research
1. Reliability: The research method produces
consistent findings over time
2. Validity: The information generated is relevant
to the research questions being investigated
3. Trustworthiness: Usually applied to qualitative
data; does the data seem to make sense?
4. Meaningfulness: An assessment of limitations of
the data
Purposes of Developmental
Advertising Research
Idea Generation. An agency often invents new,
meaningful ways of presenting a brand to a target
audience
Concept Testing seeks feedback designed to screen
quality of new ideas or concepts
Audience Definition. Once a target segment have been
identified, planning proceeds with developing a
meaningful message
Audience Profiling. Creatives need to know as much as
they can about the people to whom their ads will speak
Developmental Advertising
Research Methods
Focus Groups
Brainstorming session with 6 to 12 customers
May involve projective techniques
Allow consumers to project thoughts & feelings
onto neutral stimuli
May also use association tests
Ask consumers to express thoughts or feelings after
hearing a brand or seeing a logo
An Interesting Focus Group
I like the Green I think the bottle
Bottle- it speaks to should be more
me. Its not easy yellow.
being green.
Developmental Advertising
Research Methods
Other methods include
Projective Techniques
Association Tests
Dialogue Balloons
Story Construction
Sentence & picture completion
Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique
(ZMET)
Developmental Advertising
Research Methods (cont)
More methods include
Field Work
Embedded consumption: Learn from the experiences
of the consumer through direct observation
Creative brief: outline of essential creative ideas
Cool Hunts
On the prowl for what is cool
Developmental Advertising
Research Methods (cont)
Internal company sources
Government data sources
Commercial sources
Professional publications
The Internet
Copy Research
Research on the actual ads
Used to judge the ads against a
standard
Sometimes a source of agency
conflict
Motives & Expectations in Copy
Research
Account team wants assurance that the ad does what it is
supposed to do
The client wants to see how well an ad scores against average
commercial of its type
Creatives dont like message testing because it creates a
report card & artists resent getting report cards from people
in suits (Who wouldnt?)
Despite the politics involved, message-testing research is a
good idea most of the time--it can yield important data that
management can use to determine the suitability of an ad
Check your Spelling. Twice.
Evaluative Criteria in Copy
Research
Getting It
Do consumers understand the ad?
Knowledge
Tests of recall & recognition
Attitude change
Determine where a brand stands
Feelings & emotions
Physiological changes
Changes in eye movements or respiration
Behavioral intent
Do people say they will buy the product
Actual Behavior
Did people buy the product?
What sort of feelings &
emotions do you think
research would uncover
for this ad?
Copy Research Methods
Communication Tests
Are consumers getting the message?
Resonance Tests
To what extent does the ad ring true?
Thought Listings
Determine the thoughts that occur during exposure
Recall Tests
How much does the viewer remember from the message?
Copy Research Methods (cont)
Recognition Tests
Do people remember seeing an ad or sponsor?
Attitude Change Studies
Measure attitudes before & after exposure
Frame by Frame tests
Tracks emotional responses within an ad
Physiological Tests
Eye tracking, psychogalvanometer, voice response analysis
Copy Research Methods (cont)
Pilot Testing
Split cable, split run, split list
Direct Response
Track consumer inquiries or direct responses
Single Source Data
Use UPC product codes to track behavior from the TV to the
checkout counter
Account Planning versus
Advertising Research
Planning differs from traditional research in 3 ways:
Account Planner Ad Researcher
An account planner works Research handled by the ad
with an account executive research department
Researchers put in more Researchers involved when
prominent role needed
Emphasize qualitative & Emphasize quantitative
naturalistic research research
Another thought on testing
No single method is perfect
Researchers are employing more naturalistic
methods to understand how people use
media (& products)
What we need
Ad research could do with some changes
West coast agencies & British agencies
have embraced qualitative methods
Ads are now often viewed as complex
social texts rather than equivalent of high
school debates
Audience definition is an important part
of the advertising/promotion research
process. Any ideas on the audience for
this ad?
Review/?s
1. Purpose/Methods of Ad Research
2. Secondary Data Sources
(Yahoogle?!)
3. Purpose/Methods of Copy
Research
