POST TESTING | ADVERTISING | MARKETING

Post-testing: This is the testing, which is done after the ad copy has come out in the media and the audience has seen the advertisement.

Post-testing typically involves interviewing readers to determine how many remember seeing a particular ad, if they read it, and what they remember about it. 

Post-testing measures the following factors:

 Has the advertisement campaign result in sales?

 Has it created memorability for the brand name?

 Has it created positive image and a favorable attitude towards the company and the brand?

 How much advertising is necessary on a continued basis, to sustain the same level of consumers’ interest in the brand?

 Are the consumers convinced that the brand is superior of competitors

 

The purpose of post-testing is as below:

1. To find out the impact of an ad in terms of it being noticed, seen and read.

2. To find out its credibility.

3. To find out its comprehension

4. To measure its memorability.

5. To assess its effect on buyers.

6. To assess its fit with the promotion and marketing mix

7. To assess whether it has achieved its objectives.

8. To assess the relative effectiveness of different copies and media plans.

9. To improve future advertising efforts.

 

The post-testing methods.

This actually gives us an idea about the actual performance of the ad in terms of exposure, perception, communication and sales effect. We can assess the credibility and comprehension of the ads.

Few of the methods of this type of tests are:

1. Recall tests: In this type of tests the individuals are asked to answer about the ads entirely on the basis of their memory. It could be aided recall, where they are given few cues to help them recall and unaided recall, which of course is based on memory alone.

2. Recognition test: It determines the readership of advertisements in the publications and is conducted by personal interviews with readers and magazines or newspapers. The interviewers locate the readers of the particular issue of the publication in questions. They then go through the publication, page by page, with the respondent indicating those advertising elements which he or she recognizes as having read. The scores developed by the recognition method indicate the proportion of qualified readers of a publication who claim to have “seen” (noted), “read some” or “read most” of the individual advertisements.

The above describes the method used for post-test, In a pre-test, a portfolio of advertisements is used. The respondent is asked to go through the portfolio, then it is taken away, and the respondent is asked; What advertisements do you remember seeing?' the recognition test may thus be combined with the recall or impact test which has been described below.

3. Triple association test: Here the respondent is given certain cues wherein he can relate to a certain brand. For example – “Thanda Matlab”, if the answer is coca cola, then it is correct. And if the respondent is able to connect the product with the company then it is a triple association.

4. Sales effect tests: They measure the various stages of buyer awareness, preference, buying intention and actual purchase in relation to actual advertising effort.

5. Sales results tests: The additional sales generated by the ads are recorded. It is difficult however to correlate an increase in sales to advertising alone.

6. Inquires test: These are couponed ads of consumer durables. They invite consumers to send back the coupon to seek a demo or more details. The number of enquires determine the effectiveness of the ads.

7. Attitude test: Attitudes show our predisposition towards objects, ideas, people and places. They indicate overall feelings. The change in attitude as a result of advertising is assessed. The assumption is that a favorable attitude towards a product will lead to a purchase. Most ads are designed either to reinforce or change the existing attitudes.