81234AMERITEST_COVER_SPINE.qxd:Cover BF and spine.qxd 8/26/08 2:15 PM Page 1 T h e A d v e r t is The i n g Advertising TM R e s e Research “Chuck has given us an approach to marketing research, specifically ad a testing, that gives us actionable results and key insights. Both are r c critical to our success.” h Handbook —John Galvin, Director, Worldwide Corporate Market Research, Intel H a “For nearly thirty years, researchers were centered on only two n measures, recall and persuasion, without regard to how consumers were d processing what they saw and heard. Copy research became a game of b beating norms. Chuck has brought a fresh perspective not only in terms o of how to measure reaction to advertising, but also in terms of how o people process information and react emotionally to messages. He is the k , only person I know to step outside the world of advertising to study the S e world of filmmaking and then apply its principles to how people process c o messages.” n d —Michael Robinson, Omnicom E d i t i o “The Advertising Research Handbook should be a ‘must have’ for all n marketers engaged in developing and managing advertising programs. C Not only does it simply and easily outline the different ways in which h advertising works, the different types of research for pretesting, and its a r ability to meet its goals, it also provides some helpful tips for strength- le ening advertising based on learning from a robust database.” s E —Tim Teran, EVP, Consumer Insights & Strategy, Macy’s . Y o u Revised and Expanded n g SECOND EDITION $22.95 US Charles E. Young $25.95 Canada 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page i The Advertising Research Handbook 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page ii 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page iii The Advertising Research Handbook by Charles E. Young SECOND EDITION Ideas in Flight Seattle, Washington a division of Ad Essentials, LLC. 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page iv Copyright © 2008, Ad Essentials, LLC, 525 West Prospect Street, Seattle, Washington 98119, and Ideas in Flight, Seattle, Washington. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Second Edition, October,2008 ISBN 978-0-615-24496-9 The author is grateful for permission to use exhibit material from Unilever, Sara Lee, IBM, United Dairy Association, and Hello Hello, Inc. Acknowledgments Several chapters are adapted from papers noted in the End Notes section of this book, with thanks to coauthors Michael Robinson, John Kastenholz, and Graham Kerr. Front Page Cover Photo Physicist Harold Edgerton used stop-action photography to freeze time and make the invisible visible. © Harold & Esther Edgerton Foundation, 2008, courtesy of Palm Press, Inc. Back Page Cover Art The Ameritest Flow of Attention®graph freezes time to study how audience attention flows through the moving pictures of film. Illustrations, cover, and book layout and design by Patricia D. King. Printed in the United States of America. 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page v Contents FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XI INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .XIII I. A Short History of Television Copytesting . . . .1 The Rise of Report Card Measures: Filtering the Creative The Role of Diagnostics: Optimization The Search for the Unconscious Mind Development of Moment-by-Moment Measures Future Trends II. Advertising Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Television Print/Outdoor/Newspaper Direct Response Web Packaging Modeling an Integrated Campaign: Breadth and Depth III. Pre-testing: A Review of Report Card Measures from Different Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Attention and Recall Branding Motivation and Persuasion Composite Measures Liking IV. Pre-testing: A Review of Diagnostic Techniques from Different Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Communication: Open-Ended Questions Rating Statements Moment-by-Moment Measures Biometrics V. Tracking: Measuring Ad Awareness In-Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Continuous Tracking versus Dipstick Measurement V 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page vi Recall versus Recognition Optimizing the Recognition Stimulus VI. Creative Tracking: Benchmarking Performance to Competitive Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Creative Tracking: Real Time Rankings of Creative Quality Case History: Predicting McDonald’s Sales from Studying the Creative Landscape McDonald’s Model of Success VII. Leading Audience Attention . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 Rapid Cognition and the Attentional Blink The Psychology of Editing Film VIII. How Attention Drives Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 The Importance of Rhythmic Structure Semantic Content Drives Recall Scores IX. Three Measures of Branding . . . . . . . . . . . . .177 Ipsos-ASI’s “Bridge” Between Recall and Recognition Millward Brown’s “Fit” Between Brand and Execution Ameritest’s “Top-of-Mind” Linkage Relationships Among the Branding Measures Three Models of Branding X. Four Types of Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 Knowledge Tags Emotion Tags Action Tags Brand Identity Tags A Simple Tool XI. Four Dramatic Structures of Emotional Television Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205 The Flow of Emotion and Advertising Response Four Dramatic Archetypes Four Different Roles of the Brand VI 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page vii XII. What is “Information?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219 Semantic versus Esthetic Information Information Processing by Brand Lifestage Successful New Product Commercials XIII. How to Construct Persuasive Selling Propositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235 Semantics: The Rational Side of Market Communication How to Build a Semantic Network Application of Semantic Networks Motivating Ideas Persuasive Pathways XIV. When to Introduce the Brand . . . . . . . . . . . .265 Three Keys to Brand Linkage: Focus, Fit and Timing Timing and Dramatic Structure Timing and Brand Lifestage XV. Rehearsing Ideas with Rough Ad Testing . . .281 Comparability of Animatic and Finished Film Scores Improvement from Rehearsal to Final Production The Value of Rehearsal Three Case Studies XVI. Why Length Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299 30 Seconds versus 15 Seconds Frequency of Branding Moments Building Brand Presence XVII. Film Tips For Branding Television Commercials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317 Why is Brand Linkage Important? The Visual The Copy The Music VII 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page viii XVIII. Finding Ideas That Travel: What to Look For in Advertising Global Brands . . . . . . . .339 Creative Options Barriers to Universal Advertising Keys to International Advertising: What We Have Learned International Barriers to Executional Effectiveness XIX. Five Research Strategies For Improving Advertising Productivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .351 Test the Advertising Creative With a Valid Performance Standard Rehearse the Creative in Rough Form First Experiment With Creative Alternatives Optimize the Creative With Diagnostic Insights Learn From the Competition XX. How to Have a Successful Research Meeting With the Ad Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365 What Are the Barriers to Successful Collaboration? Group Interaction: Dialogue is the Heart of Group Learning The Roles in the Meeting: Understanding the Emotional Dynamics in the Room The Three Conditions Necessary for Discourse Causes of Failure and Success in a Research Meeting GLOSSARY OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH TERMS: HOW TO TALK THE TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .387 RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .441 Websites End Notes Publications Rough Guide to Statistical Testing VIII 81234Amertest_Book.qxd 8/29/08 8:05 AM Page ix For Norma