Case Study: Advertising Research

A suppIier of commodity products is in a price trap and wants to find a differentiated

position. It decides to do so through buiIding its brand amongst a gIobaI audience.
MethodoIogy
Limitations that the researchers had to work to:
The research had to be fully completed in two months as
the promotional campaign was under pressure to get
under way quickly
The first wave of the advertising budget was $500,000
and the research costs had to be in proportion to this (in
other words there was a very limited budget for
research).
Step 1 - Finding The Message
2 focus groups were carried out in the US and 4 focus groups were carried out in Europe to find out perceptions of
buyers of chemicals to the major brands. The company found that it had a strong position in experienced technical
and sales people who could solve problems. t decided to make "relationships the high ground for its brand and
asked the advertising agency to develop a number of ads for testing.
Step 2 - Testing The Ads
Five very different treatments were prepared for the test. There were 3 ads in each set of ads that were developed.
The market researchers tested these amongst 100 chemical buyers in Europe (70 interviews) and the US (30
interviews). Copies of the ads were mailed by courier to the 100 respondents who were then phoned and asked to
comment on each of the ads in terms of:
Stopability
nterest
Relevance
Clarity
Likelihood of taking action.
Findings & Research Benefits
The research said that ads with a strong visuaI at the top puII peopIe in
The ads that had very strong visuals at the top of the page tested well. The pictures pulled the reader in.
The research said that the ads need to have human interest
Stories interest people. Stories about people are the most interesting of all. The ads that featured people in either the
main or the supporting (small block) pictures were strongest in building the company's brand position of "relationships
through understanding".
The research said that the headIine must be strong to draw peopIe in
There are some great headlines in the ads but they need to be easy to read. People will not spend time working out
what an ad means. For example, a headline that reads "Our 98.5% on-time delivery is nearly perfect. That really
bothers Charles Lavin" drew people's interest. They wanted to know more.
The research said the graphic, the headIine and the body copy must be cIearIy Iinked
Not all the ads had a clear link between these different features. There needed to be some logic so that each
component of the ad built on the other.
The research said that the Iayout of the research must be interesting
Ads that had a lot going on kept people's interest as long as they did not confuse. People's eyes wandered around
the page and picked up information in small bites. We are becoming visual surfers and the block layout is a good
solution dishing out interesting bits of information.
The research said that the ads need a strap Iine that invites a caII to action
The research found that ads that were most effective were those that told the reader what to do next. A strap line is
very powerful as an invitation to find out more and that same strap line can be a key to all other communications