Advertising research

In order to advertise both effectively and efficiently, specialist advertising market research is often conducted by media agencies in order to improve the targeting of creative towards relevant audiences, identifying the best channels for output, and to hone advertising messages for the greatest impact. 

Advertising research uses a broad range of insight tools in order to help shape communications planning and strategy, with planners looking to report on ad expenditure and placement, competitor activity, audience identification and analysis, and pre- and post-campaign brand tracking on a regular basis.

The key factor to success in virtually all advertising campaigns is the accurate identification and targeting of an audience, with consumer insight and media consumption tools such as TGI (Target Group Index) and NRS touch points providing planners with valuable media consumption and preference data alongside other attitudinal, demographic and lifestyle insight into specifically tailored audiences. These tools bring life to potential audiences, identifying not only who they are, but what they do, what they like and, most importantly, which media they consume, including when and how they consume it. 

Once a media plan and creative have been devised, advertisers often look to conduct research into current levels of brand awareness, perceptions and consideration in order to measure the effectivity and uplift from the campaign. This is often conducted in the form of a quantitative study known as 'brand tracker' but may also include more qualitative methods for specialist products and particularly niche or sensitive audiences. Once a benchmark for these brand variables has been identified, advertisers then look to conduct a post wave of research shortly after the campaign has finished or at least the peak push of activity has been completed.

For the post wave, the same study is re-run often with the addition of the creative copy and follow up questions regarding the awareness and perception of the ad itself, in addition to the existing questions regarding the brand. By comparing the two stages of brand tracking, advertisers can then gauge the success of the campaign and look to the responses for any points of improvement in the next wave of advertising.