assessing ad message effectiveness

Assessing Ad Message

Effectiveness

“Watchability” by Millward Brown

• Function of ‘involvement’ and ‘enjoyment’• Use

– Humor– Music– Limited voice-overs– Pace– Celebrities– Cute things

• More likely to be recalled and drive sales

2

3

Overview of Advertising Research

• More than 80% of advertisers and agencies pretest television commercials before airing them on a national basis.

It’s not easy or inexpensivebut the value outweighs the drawbacks.

4

What Does Advertising Research Involve?

• To test effectiveness of messages• Pretesting ads during developmental stages• Posttesting to determine if messages achieve

their established objectives

Media Effectiveness (covered later)

Message Research

5

Four Stages At Which Ad Message Research Might Be Conducted

1. Copy development stage (testing ideas)

2. “Rough” stage (testing rough concepts and layouts)

3. Final production stage (testing complete ads)

4. After the ad has been run in the media (post testing)

6

Industry Standards for Message Research

Principle 1: provide measurements that are relevant to the advertising objectives

What question would you use to test recall?

Principle 2: requires agreement about how the results will be used in advance of each specific test

e.g. specify what the results of the focus group will be used for.

Principle 3: provides multiple measurements because single measurements are generally inadequate

Think of two ways to test brand preferences

PACT Principles

7


Principle 4: based on a model of human response to communications

Reception of a stimulus > Comprehension of the stimulus > The response of the stimulus

Check whether consumers understood the ad before forming conclusions based on sales

Principle 5: allows for consideration of whether the advertising stimulus should be exposed more than once

external generalizability

PACT Principles

8


Principle 6: recognizes that a more finished piece of copy can be evaluated more soundly

Alternative executions be tested in the same degree of finish

Principle 7: system provides controls to avoid the bias normally found in the exposure context

Increase internal validity of results

PACT Principles

9


Principle 8: takes into account basic considerations of sample definition

Requires that the sample be representative of the target audience

Principle 9: can demonstrate reliability and validity

A reliable test is one that yields consistent results

A valid test is one that is predictive of the marketplace performance

PACT Principles

10

What Can Be Learned from Message Research?

• Message research is needed to diagnose an advertisement’s prospective equity-enhancing and sales-expanding potential.

• The ARF assessed which of 35 measures best predicts the sales effectiveness of television commercials. The only definitive conclusion of their study is that no one measure is universally appropriate or best.

11

Message Research Methods

Qualitative Message Research

Quantitative Message Research

Qualitative Message Research

• Focus Groups

• In-depth Interviews

• Observation

• Ethnography

• Projective Techniques– ZMET

• Neurological Networks

12

13

Illustrative Message Research Methods

14

Advertising Research Methods

Physiological Arousal

Persuasion

Recognition & Recall

Sales Response

MessageResearchMethods

15



Persuasion


Sales Response

• Starch readership service (magazines)

• Bruzzone tests (TV)• Burke day-after recall

(TV)

16

Starch Readership Service

•Examines reader awareness of ads in consumer magazines and business publications

•Measures the primary objective of a magazine ad—to be seen and read

•Over 75,000 ads in more than 140 publications surveying more than 100,000 people annually. Sample sizes – 100 to 150 nos. per issue

•Interviews in the early life of the publication

•Respondents asked if they read an ad and what they remember from the ad

•Readers are classified

17


Classifications

Noted—percentage who remember having previously seen the ad in the issue being studied

Associated—percentage who noted the ad and saw or read some part of it that clearly indicated the name of the brand or advertiser

18


Classifications

Read Some—percentage who read any part of the ad’s copy

Read Most—percentage who read half or more of the written material in the ad

19


Indices are developed for the four classifications.

Two types of indices:

1. Ad’s scores against average of all ads in the magazine issue

2. ADNORM index: compares an advertisement’s scores against other ads in the same product category as well as the same size (e.g., full page) and color classifications (e.g., four-color ads)

Average Adnorm index is 100. A score of 130 indicates the ad did 30% better than the comparable ads.

20

Measures of Recognition &

Recall

• 39% of people noted the ad,

• 37% associated it,

• 27% read some of it, and

• 10% read most of the body copy contained in the ad.

21

Measures of Recognition &

Recall

• 58% of people noted the ad,

• 54% associated it,

• 39% read some of it, and

• 39% read most of the body copy contained in the ad.

22


• Kia Sorento ad Adnorm index scores

• 72 (noted) • 74 (associated) • 73 (read some) • 59 (read most) • The ad performed

28% worse than the average noted score for similar ads.

• Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila ad

• 107 (noted) • 108 (associated) • 105 (read some) • 229 (read most) • The ad performed

slightly above average noted score for similar ads.

Problems with the Starch scores

• Respondents may report ads that actually never ran or may have run in another magazine / issue

• Respondents may report that they have not seen an ad when in fact they have.– Implicit memory– Effect on attitudes in spite of lack of conscious

recollection

23

24

Bruzzone Tests

Bruzzone test provides advertisers with a test of consumer recognition of television commercials. Anything identifying the brand is removed, to test whether viewers remember the name of the advertiser.

Bruzzone Tests

• Emails 15 commercials (six frames from the commercial) to a sample

• Each respondent is asked if they remember seeing the commercial on TV

• If yes – more questions; If no or not sure – skip to next.• Brand name references removed from the frames• Also asked how the commercial made them feel (check from a

battery of adjectives); how interested they were in it, whether they liked it, etc.

• Finally asked if they remember the brand name• http://www.bruzzone-research.com/ONLINE_DEMOq.htm#Q26

25

http://www.bruzzone-research.com/ONLINE_DEMOq.htm#Q26

26

Measures of Recognition & Recall

Advertising Response Model (ARM) links responses to the 27 descriptive adjectives to consumers’ attitudes toward both the ad and the advertised brand and to purchase interest.

Budweiser “Thanking the Troops”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawSGhTM0es

Bruzzone test



27

ARM for the “Thanking the Troops” Commercial

Taco Bell Carne Asada Superbowl commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oN7X9z6Cc4

4

28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oN7X9z6Cc4

29

Advertising Response Model (ARM) for the “Carne Asada Taquitos” Commercial

30


Provides valid prediction of actual marketplace performance along with being relatively inexpensive

Doesn’t provide a before-the-fact indication

Tests offer important info for evaluating a commercial’s effectiveness and whether it should continue to run

Tests are performed online

Bruzzone test

Burke Day-after Recall

• Used to assess the effectiveness of test commercials

• Tested the day following the day the commercial is first aired

• Telephone interviews

• Product / Brand cue given

• Asked if they saw the commercial and then asked to recall all they can about it.

31

32


(1) Claimed-recall scores—indicate the percentage of respondents who recall seeing the ad

(2) Related-recall scores—indicate the percentage of respondents who accurately describe specific advertising elements

Burke Day-After Recall Testing

33


Many marketers reject recall as a valid measure

1) Recall simply measures whether an ad is received but not whether the message is accepted

2) Recall is biased in favor of younger consumers

34


3) Recall scores generated by ads are not predictive of sales performance

4) Day-after recall testing is biased against certain types of advertising content

Understate the memorability of commercials that employ emotional or feeling-oriented themes and are biased in favor of rational or thought-oriented commercials

35



Persuasion


Sales Response

• Psychogalvanometer• Pupilometer

36


• Ads that are better liked are more likely to be remembered and to persuade

• Efforts are now made to measure consumer’s affective and emotional reactions to ads

Measures of Physiological Arousal

37


• Galvanometer—measures minute levels of perspiration in response to emotional arousal

• Pupillometric tests—measure pupil dilation

• Advertising researchers use changes in physiological functions to indicate the actual, unbiased amount of arousal resulting from ads.

• Neuroscience – brain imaging tests

Measures of Physiological Arousal

38



Persuasion


Sales Response

• Ipsos-ASI Next*TV method

• Rsc’s ARS Persuasion method

39

Measures of Persuasion

Used when an advertiser’s objective is to influence

consumers’ attitudes toward and preference for the advertised

brand.

40


• Measures recall and persuasion of TV commercials

• Performs ad research in more than 50 countries

• Tests television commercials in consumers’ homes

• Tells consumers to evaluate a TV program, but actually evaluating the commercials within the program

• Mails 30 minute TV programs (like a sitcom) to a national sample with embedded commercial breaks

Ipsos-ASI Next*TV Method

41


• One day after viewing—personal contact with sampled consumers and measure their reactions to the TV program and the advertisements

• Measures message recall and persuasion


42


• Persuasion measured by:

Consumers’ attitudes toward advertised brands

Shift in brand preferences

Brand-related purchase intent and frequency


43


1) Tests in a natural environment

2) Assesses the ability of TV commercials to break through the clutter

3) Determines how well tested commercials are remembered after this delay period

4) Allows the use of a representative national sampling


Research Systems Company - rsc

• Very active in message testing – tests TV commercials in various stages of completion – rough cut to finished form

• ARS schedules test sessions in eight metropolitan areas• 800 – 1000 consumers from each metro randomly

invited to preview TV material with embedded ads (including test ads)

• Before and after research design – basket of competing products

• Tested over 40,000 commercials so far

44

45


1) Respondents indicate what brands they prefer to receive among a “basket” of options—the pre measure.

2) After exposure to a television program respondents again indicate what brands they would prefer to receive if their name were selected in a drawing—the post measure.

The ARS Persuasion Method--rsc

ARS Persuasion Score = Post % for target brand –

Pre % for target brand

46


The ARS Persuasion score simply represents the post-measure percentage of respondents preferring the target brand minus the pre-measure percentage who prefer that brand

A positive score indicates a shifted preference toward the target brand

A higher-scoring commercial generates greater sales volume and larger market share gains


47


ARS Persuasion scores are valid predictors of in-market performance

The higher the score, the greater the likelihood that a tested commercial will produce positive sales gains when the focal brand is advertised under real-world, in-market conditions


48

Predictive Validity of ARS Persuasion Scores

Tested 332 commercials in seven countries ; involving 148 brands representing 76 product categories; market shares before and after advertising commenced were compared.

49



Persuasion


Sales Response

• AC Nielsen’s SCANTRACK

• IRI’s BehaviorScan

50

Measures of Sales Response

Single-Source Systems

Gather purchase data from panels ofhouseholds using: (1) electronic television meters (2) optical laser scanning of universal

product codes (UPC) at retail checkout (3) split-cable technology

51


SCANTRACK collects purchase data by having panel households use handheld scanners

Panelists record purchases of every bar-coded product purchased regardless of the store where purchased

Nielsen’s SCANTRACK

52


Use handheld scanners to enter:

Any coupons used

Record all store deals

Record in-store features that influenced their purchasing decisions

Transfer data to Nielsen by calling a toll free number and holding the scanner to the phone

Nielsen’s SCANTRACK

53


IRI knows what items each household purchases by linking up optically scanned purchases with ID numbers

Members provide IRI with detailed demographic information

Five markets in the US – communities that depend on cable TV to get good reception – Pittsfield (MA), Eau Claire (WI), Cedar Rapids (IA), Midland (TX), Grand Junction (CO)

In each market 3000 households are recruited; approx 1000 are hooked to people meters

IRI’s BehaviorScan

54


Single source data consists of:

(1) household demographic info

(2) household purchase behavior

(3) household exposure to new television commercials that are tested under real world test conditions


55


Splits cable signal before it reaches panel households

Uses optically scanned purchase data to know exactly which commercial each household had the opportunity to see and how much of a brand is purchased


56


Two types of tests are offered: (1) weight tests and (2) copy tests

1) Weight tests—panel households are divided into test and control groups and frequency is varied

2) Copy tests—holds the amount of weight constant but varies commercial content


Conclusions from TV ads research

• What does it take for TV ads to enhance sales and market share performance– Ad copy must be distinctive– Ad weight without persuasiveness is

insufficient– Even good advertising wears out over time– Advertising works quickly if at all it works

57

58

Conclusion 1: All Commercials Are Not Created Equal: Ad Copy Must

Be Distinctive • Commercials having strong selling propositions

are distinctive and tend to achieve higher ARS Persuasion scores (e.g. Mentadent toothbrush with a strong USP (flexible handle for gentle brushing) scored 11.2 on ARS persuasion)

• Commercials for new brands tend to be most persuasive, but commercials for established brands can be made persuasive via brand differentiation.

59

Illustration of a Commercial with a Strong Selling Proposition

60

Conclusion 2—More is Not Necessarily Better: Weight Is Not

Enough • Ad weight means the number of gross

rating points (GRP) that support an advertising campaign.

• An ineffective ad (not distinctive or persuasive) has no likelihood of increasing sales even if the ad weight is doubled or tripled.

61

Relations among Advertising Weight, Persuasion Scores, and Sales

The Relationship Between Media Weight and Creative Content

• 47 commercials for established brands were tested and classified as: – Rational information (informative; argument based)

– Heuristic appeals (using celebrities, nice things like babies, puppies, etc.)

– Affectively based cues (ads depicting warmth, love, affection, companionship, friendship)

• Finding:– Increased advertising weight led to significant sales increases in

sales only for commercials using affective cues

62

63

Conclusion 3—All Good Things Must End: Advertising Eventually

Wears Out • Advertising ultimately wears out and must

be refreshed to maintain or increase brand sales.

• Familiar brands have been shown to wear out more slowly than unfamiliar brands.

64

The Role of Sales-Effective Advertising for an Undisclosed Campbell Soup Brand

65

Conclusion 4—Don’t Be Stubborn: Advertising Works Quickly or Not at

All• Some advertisers tend to “hang in there”

and wait for an ad to increase sales.

• Most of the sales impact occurs in the first three months of a new ad.

• “Sunk costs” are an issue to consider, but if an ad is not working at first, it probably never will.

assessing ad message effectiveness

Documents

ad message research

message researchprinciple

latermessage research

industry standards

advertising stimulus

validitya reliable test

drive sales

stimulus comprehension