Advertising and Promotion Research

Chapter 7

Ch 7: Research 2

Key Issues in Advertising and 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.

Ch 7: Research 3

Developmental Ad Research

• Conducted early in the process

• Purposes:– Idea Generation– Concept Testing– Audience Definition– Audience Profiling

Ch 7: Research 4

Developmental Advertising Research Methods

Focus Groups• Brainstorming session with 6 to 12

customers• May involve projective techniques

– Allow consumers to project thoughts and feelings onto neutral stimuli

• May also use association tests– Ask consumers to express thoughts or feelings

after hearing a brand or seeing a logo

Ch 7: Research 5

Developmental Advertising Research Methods

Other methods include• Projective Techniques• Association Tests• Sentence and Picture Completion• Dialogue Balloons• Story Construction• Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique

(ZMET)

Ch 7: Research 6

Developmental Advertising Research Methods (con’t)

Moremethods include• Field Work

– Learn from the experiences of the consumer through direct observation

– “Cool Hunts”

• On the prowl for what is cool

Ch 7: Research 7

Developmental Advertising Research Methods (con’t)

• Internal company sources

• Government sources

• Commercial sources

• Professional publications

Ch 7: Research 8

Copy Research

• Research on the actual ads

• Used to judge the ads against a standard

• Sometimes a source of agency conflict

Ch 7: Research 9

Evaluative Criteria• “Getting It.”

– Do consumers understand the ad?

• Knowledge– Tests of recall and recognition

• Attitude change– Determine where a brand stands

• Feelings and emotions• Physiological changes

– Changes in eye movements or respiration

• Behavior– Will people buy the product?

What sort of “feelings and emotions” do you think research would uncover for this ad?

What sort of “feelings and emotions” do you think research would uncover for this ad?

Ch 7: Research 11

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?

Ch 7: Research 12

Copy Research Methods (con’t)

• Recognition Tests– Do people remember seeing an ad or sponsor?

• Attitude Change Studies– Measure attitudes before and after exposure

• Physiological Tests– Eye tracking, psychogalvanometer, voice response

analysis

• Pilot Testing– Testing multiple versions of an ad

What sort of problems would these two ads create in the in the advertising research process?

What sort of problems would these two ads create in the in the advertising research process?

Ch 7: Research 14

Copy Research Methods (con’t)

• Tracking studies– Assess performance of ads during or after a campaign launch

• 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

• Frame-by-Frame Tests– Ask consumers to register feelings while viewing commercials

Ch 7: Research 15

Account Planning versus Advertising Research

Planning differs from traditional research in 3 ways:

Account Planner Ad Researcher

An account planner works with an account executive

Research handled by the ad research department

Researchers put in more prominent role

Researchers involved when needed

Emphasize qualitative and naturalistic research

Emphasize quantitative research

Ch 7: Research 16

Another thought on message testing

• No single method is perfect

• Researchers are employing more naturalistic methods to understand how people use media

Ch 7: Research 17

What we need

• Ad research could do with some changes

• West coast agencies and 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?

Audience definition is an important part of the advertising/promotion research process. Any ideas on the audience for this ad?