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Advertising Research: by Jerry W. Thomas, Decision Analyst
Advertising Research: by Jerry W. Thomas, Decision Analyst
Advertising Research: by Jerry W. Thomas, Decision Analyst
tweaking. Pretesting each com- mercial and a couple of old ones, ing finished commercials, you will
mercial is a laboratory experi- and ask some consumers which not be very open to any research
ment, an opportunity to learn how one would most influence their which questions the effectiveness
to make the next commercial interest in buying the brand. If you of those commercials. Testing at
even better. can’t afford that, then ask your the rough stage can help you refine
spouse what he/she thinks of your the creative before spending the big
Big egos (creative egos, client advertising. The method is surpris- dollars on production. The more
egos, research egos, and agency ingly accurate, but often leads to a rough executions you evaluate, the
egos) are barriers to the creation of bloody divorce. greater the probability the winning
effective advertising, because big execution will be effective.
egos tend to substitute wish and Once you have chosen a testing
emotion for thinking, reasoning, system, stick with it so that you Testing at the finished stage can
and objectivity. If your agency (or (the agency, the creatives, the help guide final editing or re-edit-
your client) is unwilling to make brand managers, and the research- ing of commercials or pool-outs,
creative adjustments—based upon ers) all learn how to use and how help determine how much weight
objective consumer feedback—to to interpret the test results for your should be put behind the creative,
improve the creative product, then product category and your brand. and provide understanding to help
you have the wrong agency (or the “Sticking with” and learning a guide campaign evolution and the
wrong client). testing system is more important creation of subsequent commer-
than which system you select. No cials.
Test your advertising. Show it to testing system is perfect. No testing
members of your target audience
and see how they react. No one
(not the client, the agency, or the
system can be used blindly. A large
dose of intelligent human judgment
must always be incorporated into
A couple of final suggestions.
Be sure your advertising
puts enough emphasis upon your
researcher) is smart enough to the advertising evaluation process. brand name so that consumers will
know how consumers will per- remember it. And, don’t forget to
ceive and react to a given commer- If budgets permit, test at the rough, give consumers some positive in-
cial. If you can’t afford one of the as well as the finished, stages formation about your product (i.e.,
advertising testing services, test of creative development. Once a reason to buy it). Good luck at
it yourself. Show the new com- you’ve spent $300,000 produc- the supermarket.