Transcript Advertising Research

Advertising Research
"Advertising people who ignore research
are as dangerous as generals who ignore
decodes of enemy signals."
- David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising, 1983,
New York: Crown Publishers, p. 158.
Perspectives on Advertising
Research
 Theory versus application
 Advertising research is valuable as a means of
primary research regardless of the practical
application of the research
 Advertising research without practical
application is pointless
 Although advertising research is a
constantly changing field, the traditional
tools will always serve the researcher well,
so long as the research is adaptive to new
media, audiences, and advertising
stragtegies
Advertising Research Process
 Preliminary Discussions and
Agreements
 Planning and Data Collection
 Application
Preliminary Discussion and
Agreements
 Problem Definition
 Evaluate alternative choices
 Better understand marketplace problem
 Increase knowledge of a particular topic
 Research Justification
 Value obtained exceeds cost of
acquisition
 High cost implications of wrong decision
 Specification of Informational Needs
Problem Discovery and Definition
 First step
 Problem, opportunity, or monitor
operations
 Discovery before definition
 Problem means management problem
Problem Definition
 The indication of a specific marketing
decision area that will be clarified by
answering some research questions.
Defining Problem Results in
Clear Cut Research Objectives
Symptom Detection
Analysis of
the Situation
Problem Definition
Statement of
Research Objectives
Exploratory
Research
(Optional)
The Process of
Problem Definition
Ascertain the
decision maker’s
objectives
Determine unit of
analysis
Understand
background of
the problem
Determine
relevant variables
Isolate/identify
the problem, not
the symptoms
State research
questions and
objectives
Ascertain the Decision Maker’s
Objectives
 Decision makers’ objectives
 Managerial goals expressed in
measurable terms.
 Increase sales (bad)
 Increase advertising effectiveness by 10% over
the next three months (better)
 Increase unaided brand recall in our three
lightest markets (Atlanta, Birmingham, and
Mobile) by 15% by Q3 2006 (good)
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Isolate and Identify the
Problems, Not the Symptoms
 Symptoms can be confusing
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Symptoms Can Be Confusing
Twenty-year-old neighborhood
swimming association:
 Membership has been declining for
years.
 New water park - residents prefer the
expensive water park????
 Demographic changes: Children have
grown up
Determine the Unit of Analysis
 Individuals, households,
organizations, etc.
 In some studies, the advertisement
or campaign will be the unit of
analysis
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Determine the Relevant
Variable
 Anything that may assume different
numerical values
Types of Variables
 Categorical
 Continuous
 Dependent
 Independent
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Typical Advertising Variables
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Attitude toward the Ad
Attitude toward the Brand
Ad Recall
Ad Recognition
Purchase Intention
Ad Cognitions
Brand Cognitions
Involvement
Content Related Variables
Execution Related Variables
State the research questions
and research objectives
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Basic Questions Problem Definition
 What is the purpose of the study?
 How much is already known?
 Is additional background information
necessary?
 What is to be measured? How?
 Can the data be made available?
 Should research be conducted?
 Can a hypothesis be formulated?
Problem Statement
 Stage 1 is complete when you have a
well formulated Problem Statement
which contains the three elements:
1. Problem definition
2. Justification
3. Specification of Informational Needs
Planning and Data Collection
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Identify appropriate type of research
Sampling and data collection
Set budget and timing
Prepare proposal
Prepare research materials
Conduct research
Data collection and preparation
Identify Appropriate Type of Research
 Secondary versus Primary Research
 Secondary: examines preexisting data (internal
records, trade assocs, journals, etc.)
 Primary: collects original data specific to the
research purpose
 Qualitative versus Quantitative
 Qualitative: appropriate when the “why” of
consumer behavior; focus groups, interviews,
etc
 Quantitative: appropriate when generlizability is
needed; structured surveys, content analyses,
etc
Sampling and Data Collection
 Probability Sample
 All elements of the known universe have a
known chance of being selected, and selection of
specific elements from this universe is done
purely by chance
 Results is strong generalizability
 Nonprobability Sample
 Does not select elements by chance, but rather
by means such as convenience or judgment
 Easier to establish sample, but open to selection
biases, and therefore less generalizable
Determine Budget and Timing
 Pert technique (Program Evaluation and Review
Technique)
 Prepare a list of all activities that need to be completed
 Arrange listed items in time sequence
 Determine amount of time needed to complete each
item
 Determine longest temporal path, that is, the maximum
amount of time to completion
 Determine estimated cost of each task
 Evaluate these estimates with management needs in
mind, and adjust the activities as necessary
 May be necessary to scrap the entire project if scaling
back to meet management needs would result in worse
information than no research at all
Prepare, Distribute, and Obtain
Approval of Research Proposal
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Executive Summary
Background
Problem Statement
Research Methodology
Cost
Timing
Appendices
Finally…
 Prepare research materials
 Interview guides, questionnaire, etc.
 Conduct the research
 Prepare resultant data for analysis
 Organizing data, data coding if
necessary, etc.
Application
 Data Analysis
 Depends largely upon problem statement,
research questions, and type of data
collected
 Presentation of Results
 Focus on implications and conclusions
supported by the data, not the data itself
 Decision Making
Break Time!
Advertising Research
Tools of the Trade
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Content Analysis
Perceptual Mapping
Segmentation
Q-methodology
Experimental Design
Concept and Benefit Testing
Communication Research
Copy Testing
Audience Measurement
Content Analysis
 Any technique for making inferences
by objectively and systematically
identifying specified characteristics of
messages -Holsti (1969)
 Advertising CA
 The systematic, objective, and quantitative
analysis of advertising... -Davis (1997)
Perceptual Mapping
 Translate consumers’ brand and
product perceptions into visual
displays that inform marketers and
advertisers as to:
 The number of dimensions consumers use
to distinguish between brands
 The nature and characteristics of these
dimensions, and
 The location of actual brands, as well as the
ideal brand, on these dimensions
Segmentation
 The process of systematically grouping sets
of consumers into groups based on similar
characteristics
 Segments may be based on demography,
geography, psychography, or category and brand
related attitudes and behaviors
 Syndicated segmentation
 VALS2 (psychographic)
 Simmons and Media mark (brand usage)
 Q-methodolgy
 Systematic way of segmentation based on
attitudes and perceptions
Concept and Benefit Testing
 Used to determine the potential of
new product ideas and to identify the
product benefit or benefits that
should be at the core of the
advertising message
Communication Research
 Also known as pretesting, copy
development, or diagnostic testing
 Conducted early in the creative process to
evaluate multiples approaches to
communicating the key idea
 Comes way before copy testing, and is
more focused on approaches to
communicating, rather than actual
messages
Copy Testing
 Used later in the creative process to
evaluate proposed ads based on their
ability to achieve strategic and
communication objectives
 Often includes measures such as
attitude, purchase intention, etc
Audience Measurement
 Necessary to the advertising industry
as much pricing is based on audience
measures
 In addition to the creative aspects,
the media aspects of a message are
just as important
 A.C. Nielsen, RADAR, Arbitron
Your Perspectives?
 With which academic could you most
relate to?
 Any particular issue mentioned that
you feel strongly about (either
positively or negatively)?
 What do you hope to accomplish in
the next two days?