Copy Research - Concept testing, name testing and slogan testing
Copy research starts with the beginning of creation process. Account team wants assurance that the ad does what it is supposed to do. The client wants to see how well a particular ad scores against the average commercial of its type.
Copy research is a good idea most of the time--it can yield important data that management can use to determine the suitability of an ad concept and basic idea.
Purposes
of Copy Research
1.
Idea Generation An agency is often called on to invent new, meaningful ways
of presenting a brand to a target audience.
2.
Concept Testing seeks feedback designed to screen the quality of new
ideas or concepts.
3.
Audience Definition Once a target segment have been identified,
advertising planning can
proceed
with developing a message that will be meaningful to the consumers.
4.
Audience Profiling. Creative need to know as much as they can about the
people to whom their ads will speak to.
Evaluative
Criteria in Copy Research
•
“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
•
Behavioral intent – Do people say they will buy the product
•
Actual Behavior – Did people buy the product?
Copy Research Methods
1. Concept Testing
a.
Card concept
b.
Poster test
c.
Layout test
2. Name testing
3. Slogan testing
1.
Concept Testing
Concept
tests are characterized by an exploratory focus. In concept tests, the
objective is to understand what kind of concepts (usually written descriptions
or storyboards) would be well received in the audience.
Concept
tests frequently involve qualitative research. Focus groups, depth interviews
and projective techniques are some of the commonly used qualitative techniques
that are well suited for exploring and generating ad concepts as well as for
understanding the reasons for failed ads.
Concept
testing involves testing the “idea” of something, rather than the actual thing
itself. The concept is communicated with a rough illustration or photograph, along
with a written description. Think of a concept as a rough print ad, although
concepts can be presented in storyboard or video form. Concept testing is
widely used to evaluate new product ideas, so that potentially successful new
products can be identified early on.
Then
limited research and development resources (and limited marketing resources)
can be focused on the new product concepts with the greatest probability of
consumer acceptance in the marketplace. Concept testing can also be used to
help evaluate advertising concepts, promotional concepts, packaging concepts,
and strategy concepts.
Concept
testing is used to generate communication designed to alter consumer attitudes toward
existing products. These methods involve the evaluation by consumers of product
concepts having certain rational benefits, such as "a detergent that
removes stains but is gentle on fabrics," or non-rational benefits, such
as "a shampoo that lets you be yourself."
Such
methods are commonly referred to as concept testing and have been performed
using field surveys, personal interviews and focus groups, in combination with
various quantitative methods, to generate and evaluate product concepts.
The
concept generation portions of concept testing have been predominantly
qualitative. Advertising professionals have generally created concepts and
communications of these concepts for evaluation by consumers, on the basis of
consumer surveys and other market research, or on the basis of their own experience
as to which concepts they believe represent product ideas that are worthwhile
in the consumer market.
The
quantitative portions of concept testing procedures have generally been placed
in three categories:
(1)
concept evaluations:
where concepts representing product ideas are presented to consumers in verbal
or visual form and then quantitatively evaluated by consumers by indicating
degrees of purchase intent, likelihood of trial, etc.,
(2) Positioning: which is concept evaluation wherein concepts positioned in the same functional product class are evaluated together, and
(3) product/concept tests: where consumers first evaluate a concept, then the corresponding product, and the results are compared.
Types
of Concept Testing:
a. Card concept test– Creative strategies are presented to respondents in the form of headline, followed by body copy placed on a white card for review. Each concept is placed on a separate card.
b. Poster test: This is similar to card test but expands illustrations and copy and places them on a large poster instead of a white card.
c. Layout test: Layout test involves showing a rough copy of a print ad or artwork for a TV ad. Layout tests are more finished than poster tests in that they use the total copy and illustration as they will appear in the finished ad. Additionally, whereas a card or poster test measures the appeal of the basic concept, the purpose of the layout test may be to measure more subtle effects such as communication, understanding and confusion.
2.
Name testing
Starting
with the right name is the cornerstone of an advertising campaign. Creating
such a name is an art as well as a science with rules and guidelines rooted in
sociology, psychology, semantics, and the law. Simply put, a good campaign name
gives a good first impression and evokes positive associations with the brand.
3.
Slogan testing:
A
slogan, a tagline etc. of a product or service is tested by a manufacturer or
researcher. As the samples are informed about the product or service, it
enables them to form a connection between the proposed slogans and taglines and
products or services. Rating scales are used to choose the most preferred
slogan.
Slogans
are also tested in a similar fashion where the respondents are given details
about the product or service and chose the best fit.
The
purpose of the slogan testing is to find out whether the slogan achieves the
following:
1.
Aid memory recall: It should be easy and pleasant to remember.
2.
To describe the use of a product.
3.
To suggest the product’s special advantage or unique benefit.
Copy testing measures and methods:
a.
Free association
b.
Direct questioning
c.
Direct mail tests
d.
Statement comparison tests
e.
Qualitative interviews
f.
Focus groups
Copy
testing
Copy
testing start at the end of creation process and before the production start.
Copy testing is a general class of tests that evaluate and diagnose the
communication power of an advertisement – either broadcast (television, radio),
print (newspapers, magazines), or more recently, the Internet.
Copy
testing is a method used by advertisers to see whether or not an ad will work
once it is produced. The premise is that exposure to an ad should affect the
way a consumer perceives a product or service.
By
conducting copy testing, advertising campaigns can be revised and sometimes
corrected. It is believed that by using copy testing an advertising agency will
be able to lower the chances that their
advertising campaign will be unsuccessful.
Copy
tests are usually conducted
(1)
After a strategic/positioning study indicated an opportunity for the brand
that, in turn, feed copy development;
(2)
After qualitative research (focus groups, in-depths) has been used in the
creative development process; or
(3)
After tracking research has indicated that the current campaign is no longer
building awareness or image.
Practically
speaking, copy tests can be conducted at any time there is new advertising that
needs to be evaluated.
Copy
testing questions
What
message are we really communicating?
Is
anyone offended by our advertising?
Is
our advertising clear and easy to understand?
Does
our advertising project the right image?
Are
we saying the right things?
Techniques
of Copy Testing:
a)
ANIMATICS
This
is art work in the form of either cartoons or realistic drawings showing
limited movement.
b)
PHOTOMATICS
These
are photographs shot in sequence still images are worked into a sequence. Like
a storyboard, it shows staccato frames to show how the story goes. Various
elements can be changed in this method and as you look at the image you can
decide what changes need to be made. This makes manipulation easier and involves
lesser time and technology.
c)
LIVEMATICS
This
involves filming or taping live talent and is very close to the finished commercial.
This method is useful because it can showcase the entire range of emotions that
the respondents display when shown the product.
This
can be used to convey the mood of the final commercial when the real model will
be used.
d)
RIPOMATICS
The
conversion is made from footage of other commercials taken from ad agency
promotional reels. They are usually used for experimentation on visual
techniques(e.g. Prints taken from foreign miniature samples and customized).
Copy
Test Designs
There
are two basic copy testing approaches for TV – – off-air, and on-air.
(b)
On-air tests: On-air
tests are executed on an unused cable TV channel among people who have been recruited
to view a fictitious ½-hour pilot TV show. Respondents see ads for other
categories, but see only one test ad. On-air tests excel at evaluating copy
performance in a real-world setting, and whether the advertisement "broke
through" (i.e., was recalled).
Similar
off-air approaches are used for radio testing (no "on-air" versions
exist). Print testing usually involves placement of the test ad in a mocked-up
version of a national magazine, or can also involve eye-tracking to determine
which elements were seen while reading the ad.
Systems
for copy testing
Many
companies have specialized systems for copy testing. The advantage of using
specialized companies is their normative databases, often spanning years of
tests in many categories.
Recall
of ad ('day after recall' or DAR)
Main
point communication
Proven
recall (correct playback of copy elements)
Total
copy and situational/visual playback
Purchase
intent, or a pre-post persuasion score
Brand
likes, dislikes
Imagery/personality
ratings
Attribute/brand
performance ratings
Classification
and demographics
Because
of the high cost associated with the production of an ad or commercial,
advertisers are increasingly spending more money testing a rendering of the
final ad at early stages. Slides of the artwork posted on a screen or animatic
and photomatic roughs may be used to test at this stage. The test is of little
value if it does not provide relevant, accurate information. Rough tests must
indicate how the finished commercial would perform.
Some
studies have demonstrated that these testing methods are reliable and the
results typically correlate well with the finished ad.
Most
of the tests conducted at the rough stage involve lab settings, although some
on- air field tests are also available. Popular tests include comprehension and
reaction tests and consumer juries. Again, the Internet allows field settings
to be employed.
Various
methods of Copy testing
1.
Free Association tests
Free
association utilizes the ‘projective hypothesis’ by encouraging the respondent
to provide the first set of words or associations that comes to mind after
their exposure to a stimulus - such as a product category, brand name or brand
symbol Then follow up with probes and amplifications. Initial reactions tend to
be pragmatic but later ones show paths to emotional ideas
Ask
respondents to say what comes into their head when exposed to the copy
Then
follow up with probes and amplifications
Initial
reactions tend to be pragmatic but later ones show paths to emotional ideas
Verbal association tests help to obtain information about the attitude of a respondent to certain idea or concepts named by the words of the respondent's native language. A typical procedure is as follows: participants are asked to respond to a copy with the words that the stimulus evokes in their mind.
2.
Direct questioning
Direct
questioning - elicits a full range of responses from which researchers can
infer how well advertising messages convey key copy points. It is especially
effective for testing alternative ads in the early stages of development.
The
heart and soul of copy research is the depth interview, a lengthy (one to two
hours), one-on-one, personal interview, conducted directly by the copy
researcher. Much of the power of the depth interview is dependent upon the
insight, sensitivity, and skill of the researcher. The interviewing task cannot
be delegated to traditional marketing research interviewers—who have no
training in motivational techniques.
3.
Direct Mail Tests
Direct
Mail: This is done with the use of coupons. One group is shown a TV ad and the
other is not. Then both groups are given coupons to buy the product that has
been advertised. The researcher then measures the influence of TV ads on both
groups. (this Is a lab test) – specific only to coupons sent via DM.
This
shows the impact level of a mailer. Also gives an insight into consumer
attention spans and levels to your mailer in some cases (booklets that come
through mail are often less used than when the booklet is advertised on TV)
4.
Statement-comparison tests: In Statement comparison, respondents are given
different sentences and asked to give their opinion.
5.
Qualitative interviews: The heart and soul of copy research is the depth interview,
a lengthy (one to two hours), one-on-one, personal interview, conducted directly
by the copy researcher. Much of the power of the depth interview is dependent
upon the insight, sensitivity, and skill of the researcher. The interviewing
task cannot be delegated to traditional marketing research interviewers—who
have no training in motivational techniques. Unlike conversations in daily
life, which are usually reciprocal exchanges, qualitative interviews involve an
interviewer who is in charge of structuring and directing the questioning. In
qualitative interviews, open-ended responses to questions provide the evaluator
with quotations, which are the main source of raw data. It reveals the
respondents' levels of emotion with respect to copy. Qualitative interviews
also promote understanding and change, the emphasis is on intellectual understanding
of the copy rather than on producing personal views. The task for the
qualitative evaluator is to provide a framework within which people can respond
in a way that represents accurately and thoroughly their point of view about
the copy."
6. Focus Groups: Definition: limited to those situations where the assembled group is small enough to permit genuine discussion among all its members“. Interviewing more than one person at a time sometimes proves very useful; some young people need company to be emboldened to talk, and some topics are better discussed by a small group of people who know each other. Interviewer asks group members very specific questions about a topic after considerable research has already been completed. Focus group can be define as a "carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions about the test copy in a permissive, nonthreatening environment"
•
Use of focus groups
Focus
groups can be used at any point in a research program. Stewart and Shamdasani
have summarized the more common uses of focus groups to include:
1.
obtaining general background information about a topic of interest;
2.
generating research hypotheses that can be submitted to further research and
testing using more quantitative approaches;
3.
stimulating new ideas and creative concepts;
4.
diagnosing the potential for problems with a new program, service or product;
5.
generating impressions of products, programs, services, institutions, or other
objects of interest;
6.
learning how respondents talk about the phenomenon of interest which may
facilitate quantitative research tools;
7.
interpreting previously obtained qualitative results
The
Moderator’s Role
To
develop a rapport with the group/ must inspire confidence
To
ensure people become relaxed and eager to talk
To promote interaction
To
focus discussion on topic areas
When
a topic is no longer generating fresh ideas the flow of discussion should be
changed
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