1. Advertising & Promotion Research
Dr. Close

2. Role of Research Defined as:
“the planning, collecting, and analyzing information to improve marketing decisions.”
A decision Support System (DSS)
Keep isolated marketing managers in touch with markets.
What’s hot? What’s not?
DSS: Interactive, flexible, discovery-oriented & accessible
Create customer profiles via database marketing
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
I will review research steps in general first
Then I will cover developmental and copy testing (slightly different from traditional marketing research)

3. Internet Changes Collection Methods

4. Research Steps Identify the problems (or opportunity)
Is the most difficult and important (Cingular wireless: product failures: cast about reasons: lack of image; $300 million BBDO)
Book: often outside specialists must understand situation.
Budget constraints an issue.

5. Step 2: Research Methods
2. Plan Research Design & Collect Data
Quick and cost effective (eliminates need)
Secondary data (Vans: law; skatepark)
Information already collected and or published
Study information already available
End: decide if information is still needed
If so, conduct a new, original (primary) research study
Market research is what I do almost every day!

6. Research Methods, cont. Plan to gather data: surveys
2b. If primary data, have to collect data yourself
Questioning: survey (Scales)
Set of questions to collect information directly from subjects (open or closed ended)
Self administer or in person (at events, malls)
Problem: low response rates 10% is good, 36% diss)
Problem (from low response): representative
Online surveys
(zoomerang.com.surveymonkey.com)

7. Marketing Research Process Plan to gather data: novel methods
2b. Depth interviews & 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

8. An Interesting Focus Group
I like the Green Bottle- it speaks to me. It’s not easy being green.
I think the bottle should be more yellow.

9. Research Methods, cont. Plan to gather data: experiments 2b. Data
Experimenting
Two similar groups
Differ on one item of importance
Hold all else constant
Advantage: causation (Eckerd; 20 stores; POP; Atkins death)
Disadvantage: naturalism (is it so fake?) LeSportsac vs K-Mart
Look on the back of a prescription drug print ad….that is an experiment

10. Research Steps 3. Analyze the data (not just interesting)
Run cross-tabs
Hypothesis testing
Association Measures
Regression Analysis
Structural Equation Models

11. Research Steps 4. Clean/Interpret data Solve with statistics Issues:
Reliability: consistency (same result in repeated trials; scale for weight)
Validity: measure what you intend to (accurate standardized tests
Statistical software assists you

12. Make sure your data has:
Reliability: The research method produces consistent findings over time
Validity: The information generated is relevant to the research questions being investigated
Trustworthiness: Usually applied to qualitative data; does the data seem to make sense?
Meaningfulness: An assessment of limitations of the data

13. SPSS, SAS, Lisrel, Amos

14. Research Steps 6.Follow up 5. Prepare/Present Report or Manuscript
Solve objectives clearly
Search for the “better question” (ask about food quality in dining hall; everyone talks about price or location)
Tailor to audience (executive or expert scholars
6.Follow up
How could your improve?
Was a decision made based on your study?
Build a relationship

15. Account Planning versus Developmental 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 & naturalistic research
Emphasize quantitative research

16. And, Developmental Advertising & Promotion Research Methods May Differ from the Research Steps
It is:
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

17. Developmental Advertising Research gives:
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

18. Developmental Advertising Research Methods
Besides the traditional research methods discussed, developmental ad methods include:
Projective Techniques
Association Tests
Dialogue Balloons
Story Construction
Sentence & picture completion
Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET)

19. Developmental Advertising Research Methods (con’t)
More methods include
Field Work (A personal favorite in my event marketing research)
Embedded consumption: Learn from the experiences of the consumer through direct observation
Creative brief: outline of essential creative ideas (will focus on this in the creative unit)

20. Different from Copy Research
Research on the actual ads
Used to judge the ads against a standard
Sometimes a source of agency conflict

21. Motives & Expectations in Copy Research
Account team wants assurance that the ad does what it is supposed to
Client wants to see how well an ad scores against average commercial of its type
Creatives often don’t like message testing because it creates a report card & “artists” resent getting report cards from businesses
Message-testing research can yield important data that management can use to determine the suitability of an ad

22. Check your Spelling. Twice.

23. 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?

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

25. Copy Research Methods Communication Tests Resonance 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?

26. Copy Research Methods (con’t)
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

27. Copy Research Methods (con’t)
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

28. Another thought on testing
No single method is perfect
Researchers are employing more naturalistic methods to understand how people use media (& products)

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