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At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

 Discuss how research helps advertisers locate market segments and identify target markets.
 Explain the basic steps in the research process.
 Demonstrate that you understand why and how advertising research and evaluation is
conducted.
 List and explain the stages of copy testing.
 Identify the key areas of media evaluation.


›


 ›
 

 
› 
 6.1.1 What is Advertising Research?



 

 
› ›
 6.2.1 Five basic steps

 
 
 

 
 6.3.1 Definition
8.3.2 Methods for Pre-testing Ads

 
 
 
 

 
 6.4.1 Definition
6.4.2 Methods for Post-testing Ads

 


› 
6.5.1 Definition
6.5.2 Media research evaluation


›
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Every year, companies spend millions of dollars creating ads and promotions that they hope their
customers and prospects will notice and relate to. Advertising is expensive. In the United States, the
cost of a single 30-second commercial on prime-time network TV averages around $100,000. That is
too much money to risk unless advertisers have very good information about who their customers are,

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what they want and like, and where they spend their media time. And, that¶s why advertisers need
research. Research provide information that drives marketing and advertising decision making.

 ›
 


 
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Before developing any advertising campaign, a company needs to know how people perceive its
products, how they view the competition, what brand or company image would be most credible, and
what ads offer the greatest appeal. To get this information, companies use advertising research.

 
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 to help
×

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, individual ads, and whole campaigns.

ü Advertising research serves various purposes, most of which can be grouped into four
categories :

i) ×


     Used to help define the product concept or to assist in the
selection of target markets, advertising messages, or media vehicles.

ii)  

    Measures the target audience¶s acceptance of different
creative ideas at the concept stage.

iii)   
 ×Used to diagnose possible communication problems before a
campaign begins.

iv)   
 ×Enables marketers to evaluate a campaign after it runs.

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#"%(""#& ""#& #""$% )"$%
 Before creative work Before agency Before finished After campaign has
+$% begins production begins artwork and run
photography
 £ Product concept
""#& definition £ Concept testing £ Print testing £ Advertising
*#),-"+ £ Target audience £ Name testing £ TV storyboard effectiveness
 selection £ Slogan testing pretesting £ Consumer attitude
 £ Media selection £ Radio commercial change
£ Message-element pretesting £ Sales increases
selection
 £ Consumer attitude £ Free-association £ Consumer juries £ Aided recall
"&$./" and usage studies tests. £ Matched samples £ Unaided recall
 £ Media studies £ Qualitative interviews £ Portfolio tests £ Attitude tests
 £ Statement- £ Storyboard test £ Inquiry tests
comparison tests £ Mechanical devices £ Sales tests
£ Psychological rating
scales

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Now that we understand the various types of decision-related information that marketers seek, let¶s
explore how they gather this information by looking at the overall research process and some of the
specific techniques they use.

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£ Many large firms have in-house research departments. Often the marketing department
also ^
 
^
 
^
 ^ ± a sophisticated set of procedures
designed to   
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^
 
^
 × 

. These systems ensure that managers get the information they
need when they need it.

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£ The step to  ^    ^   ^

, and  
  

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and to better × 
    ^. Researchers may discuss the problem with :-

- wholesalers, distributors, or retailers outside the firm;

- informed sources inside the firm;
- customers,
- or even with competitors.

£ There are two types of research data :

i) 
^×  ; information   ×^  ^  about a specific
problem. It is typically  

and
^ ^
 

ii)  ××  ; information 

  ×
 ×, usually for some
other purpose, by the firm or by some other organization. This information is
 ×


  either internally or externally, and can be    ×^  

and
  

 than primary data


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£ A 
 
  ^       ^×! 

 should be
formulated at the beginning of any research project. A company must be clear about
what decisions it has to make that the research results will guide. Once it knows the
application, it can set down clear, specific research objectives.

£ For example; a department store, noticing that is losing market share, might write its
problem statement and research objectives as follows :

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Market Share
Our company¶s sales, while still increasing, seem to have lost momentum and are not
producing the profit our shareholders expect. In the last year, our market share slipped
10 percent in the men¶s footwear and department and 7 percent in the women¶s fine
apparel department. Our studies indicate we are losing sales to other department stores
in the same malls and that customers are confused about our position in the market. We
need to make decisions about how we position ourselves for the future marketplace.

Research Objectives
We must answer the following questions :
i) Who are our customers?
ii) Who are the customers of other department stores?
iii) What do these customers like and dislike about us and about our competitors?
iv) How are we currently perceived?
v) What do we have to do to clarify and improve that perception?


ü "*0›)$ /&$%)#+-""#&
£ When a company wants to collect primary data directly from the marketplace about a
specific problem or issue, it uses formal research. There are two types of formal
research :

 "


   : To   
^ 
  ^   ^ 
 ×  This enables researchers to gain

 
    

 


 ^ ××  !  ^ 
 This include
×  

 

× 

ii) "


  #To ×^  about specific marketing situations,
they may perform a 
 or use some other form of qualitative research. This
include  

^ ××  
^  .


ü "*0
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£ The final step in research process involves
 
 × 
   × . Research
is very costly, and its main purpose is to help solve problems. The final report must be
^  
    ^$^ × 
   
 ×
£ Tables and graphs are helpful, but they must be explained in words management can
understand.
£ The report should state the problem and   ! 

, ^^
%   
×
  and
×  
.
£ The researcher should make recommendations for management action, and the report
should be discussed in a formal presentation to allow management feedback and to
highlight important points.



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Testing is the primarily tool advertisers use to ensure their advertising dollars are spent wisely. Testing
can prevent costly errors, especially in judging which advertising strategy or medium is most effective.

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£ To
    
 
×  
   ^   

×


 ^  , companies use
 
 . Some agencies pretest all ad copy for communication gaps or flaws in message
content before recommending it to clients.
£ When companies don¶t pretest their ads, they may encounter a surprising reaction from
marketplace.
£ Most negative responses, though, are more insidious : Consumers simply turn the page or
change the channel, and sales mysteriously suffer.

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ü #$
!"#$%
£ ‘

3
. Asks specific questions about ads. Often use to test alternative ads
in early stages of development.
£ Ô3
. A moderated but freewheeling discussion and interview conducted with
six or more people.
£ 




3
. Respondents see two or more ads and arrange them in rank order.
£ ?

3
. Respondents compare each ad in a group.
£ ?

 
3
 One group sees a portfolio of test ads interspersed among other ads and
editorial matter. Another group sees the portfolio without the test ads.
£ c Test ads are µstripped into¶ a magazine, which is left with respondents
for a specified time.
£ ?

 3
 . Respondents see ads in timed exposures.
£ ‘

 
3
. Two or more alternative ads are mailed to different prospects on a
mailing list to test which ad generates the largest volume of orders.

ü ·#) & !"#$%
£ ›

  



3
 Respondents see test commercial films in a central
location such as shopping center.
£ u
 

3
 Respondents see TV commercials in trailers at shopping centers and
receive coupons for the advertised products, a matched sample of consumers just get
the coupons.
£ u 


3
 Electronic equipment enables respondents to indicate what they like and
dislike as they view TV commercials in a theater setting.
£ à
 3

3
. Test commercials are shown on closed-circuit or cable TV.
Respondents are interviewed by phone/sales audits are conducted at stores in the
viewing areas.
£ a 3

. Alternative commercials run in two or more market areas.
 
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£ It is also important to
     

 ×^
 
. Post-testing
provides the advertiser with   
× 
   ×


 .
£ Post-testing can be more costly and time-consuming than pretesting, but it can test ads under
actual market conditions.

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£ 
 



3  To jog their memories, respondents are shown certain
ads and then asked whether their previous exposure was through reading, viewing or listening.
£ M
  Respondents are asked, without prompting, whether they saw or heard
advertising messages.
£ 



3
3 Direct questions, semantic differential tests, or unstructured questions measure
changes in respondents¶ attitudes after a campaign.
£ m

3
3 Additional product information, product samples, or premiums are given to
readers or viewers of an ad; ads generally the most responses are presumed to be the most
effective.
£ a 3
3
 Measures of post sales compare advertising efforts with sales. Controlled
experiments test different media in different markets. Consumer purchase tests measure retail
sales from a given campaign. Store inventory audits measure retailers¶ stocks before and after
campaign.

 


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£ To ×
^ ×
 
   ^ ×


 ×
  
  , advertisers use a
subset of advertising research called media research.
£ Agencies subscribe to syndicated research services (such as A.C Nielsen, Arbitron and etc) that
monitor and publish information on the reach and effectiveness of media vehicles.

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£ ÷ 
÷3

- The estimate in the media plan are checked against the performance of each vehicle. The
critical evaluation is whether the reach and frequency objectives were obtained.

£ 

3mc÷ 
- Wearout: The point where the advertising gets tired and there is no response or less response
than at the launch.
- Media Optimization: Accountability in advertising in decision making about media selection,
scheduling and weights (amount of budget).

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George E. Belch, Michael A. Belch, 2007 ×



 &^
,   ×
 ^^


  

, 7th International Edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Wells, Moriarty & Burnett 2006, ×


 '

 ×
 , 7th edition, Pearson Prentice Hall
Education, New Jersey.

William F. Arens, 2006,  ^×



 , Tenth International Edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

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