FIELDS OF RESEARCH / COMMUNICATION

From pre-testing an initial concept idea to measuring the effectiveness of advertising, we support your campaign from a communication-psychological perspective.

The history behind successful brands, products and services is also a success story of effective advertising. And the impact of advertising is assured if one understands the subtle mechanisms of individual advertising media in the phases of the purchasing decision process and optimises the effective interaction of the individual measures.

Advertising pretests

Target group feedback instead of a gut instinct

During our advertising pretests, we use clear objectives to measure the effectiveness of advertising ideas in all conceptual stages and media formats. Our top priority here is:

A comprehensive understanding of the initial momentum, i.e. the moment the advert makes its impact.

A quick and systematic representation of optimisation potential that is immediately feasible or which determines a pitch.

Qualitative pretests

Qualitative methods of advertising research (predominantly group discussions) make it possible to experience the psychological effectiveness of an advertising concept in direct contact with the target audience. A comprehensive psychological impact analysis is also carried out to develop approaches for optimising your advertising. It covers the following core dimensions:

  • Cognition (message transfer of advert content)
  • Reception (understandability, perception hurdles)
  • Emotion (appeal, likeability, emotional impact)
  • Motivation (wakening of demand and incentive for action)

Quantitative pretests

We evaluate a finalised advertisement (TV, radio or printed advert, Internet advertising or mailing) using quantitative pretests; on request, embedded in the respective environment. The survey tool, which is structured along the core dimensions of the advertising impact, involves open questions to sensitive points, thus enabling a comprehensive understanding that goes beyond a pure evaluation profile. Not only can the advertising material be analysed in the benchmark, it can – if necessary – also be developed in specific ways. Implementing the test quickly and simply in a largely automated process ensures that there isn’t a long break when creating your advertising material.

Advertising effectiveness

Successful advertising needs proof

As proof that advertising works after it has been set up, we offer an ad-hoc survey for individual advertising media or a long-term study, which assesses the campaign as a whole.

Advertising mailshot tests

As part of (partially) standardised CATI surveys, we check the individual advert typical for the defined marketing target audience for its specific activating effect in the purchasing process (behavioural effects) and in relation to its communication goals (brand name effects).

  • Behaviour effects: In addition to recall and recognition, the tool depicts the complete advertising-effectiveness funnel from awareness to activation (e.g. information behaviour shown). Further reception analyses explain the weaknesses in this chain of effects, e.g. reasons for not reading a mailing.
  • Brand name effects: Comparing the test group (with advertising contact) and a similarly structured control group in terms of key brand indicators shows how advertising content influences brand values.
  • Advertising evaluation: The core dimensions of advertising effectiveness (cognition, reception, emotion and motivation) can also be surveyed ex-post.

Advertising tracking

A successful advertising campaign not only increases advertising awareness, it also has a positive impact on the readiness to buy and on brand perception over the long term.

To prove these effects and their sustainability, a campaign-associated, standardised impact analysis (CATI or online) is needed over several reference dates. A zero measurement provides the reference point of the campaign’s effect. Ultimately, the inclusion of advertising costs makes it possible to determine the relative effectiveness of your advertising campaign compared with the competition.

Communication

Current cases

Impact of physical brand surfaces

Good question: To what extent does the external appearance of a brand, i.e. its physical brand surface, influence the image and performance...

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b2b market research at C-Suite level

b2b market research at C-Suite level (e.g. CEOs and CFOs), i.e. market research decision-makers, is notable for its multiple challenges.  But what makes...

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Measuring retailer satisfaction correctly

Researching retailer satisfaction is a specific subtype of b2b market research, as retailers often have a very ambivalent relationship with companies whose...

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Further (r)evolution fields of research

Customer satisfaction Satisfaction research
Customer loyalty Employees and organisation Employee satisfaction
Internal service quality Brand Brand positioning
Brand management Target group insights Target group analysis
Consumer insights Innovations Concept tests
Potential analyses
PUBLICATIONS / CASE STUDIES

Selected specialist publications

Riddle Response

A holistic view of the topic of response and how this can be influenced in the phases of a project.

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Listening what is important

The open questioning of pain points or delighters is part of many surveys, and yet the qualitative insights hidden in the open...

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No worries about being replaced by AI

Members of planung & analyse's platform of corporate market researchers (PUMa) are generally positive about AI tools and believe they could make...

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