Now better tools for communications in the new media

Citation

(2007), "Now better tools for communications in the new media", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 24 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm.2007.07724eag.001

Now better tools for communications in the new media

In the past, professors shocked their junior level marketing classes with facts about the order of importance of advertising media. Typically, the professor would ask a question about the number one medium in terms of dollars spent. Inevitably, students would place television first, then radio and perhaps follow it with magazines. When they heard the answer, newspapers, many were taken by surprise and paid more attention to class material. Today, professors can still play that game but the answers have changed. We know about the changes as a result of an innovative advertising research company. For example, as part of one of its research projects, it surveyed a number of UK advertisers about their current and future usage of the various communications vehicles available. Today TV (84 percent), print (82 percent), POS (77 percent), internet (52 percent) and mailings (46 percent) are the most frequently used. Radio has dropped off the list. When asked about the future, advertisers predict greater use of the internet (86 percent), mobile phones (59 percent), POS/ambient (32 percent), sponsorship (30 percent) and outdoor (29 percent). In contrast, cinema seems to show the least potential for growth in the UK since 20 percent of UK advertisers said they would not use it in the future. What is this innovative company? Ipsos-ASI.

Ipsos-ASI[www.ipsos-asi.com/]

Ipsos-ASI is an advertising research company providing copy testing for consumer packaged goods companies and other research services in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. It is the specialist advertising research division of Ipsos MORI. The company boasts that it offers state-of-the-art advertising research built on decades of experience. Global and local advertisers use its services to help build stronger brands through the development of more effective marketing communications. Instead of offering just post-hoc research, it integrates research into the advertising design and creation process. In fact, it researches advertising at all stages of development, from early stage concept screening to finished film copy testing and in-market performance evaluation.

The company prides itself on being the largest provider of advertising pre-testing in the world. Its methods have been adopted by the world’s leading advertisers since they have are an accurate guide to the in-market performance of new ads. It tests all types of new copy – TV, print, radio, outdoor, internet – as well as integrated campaigns designed to run across a variety of media.

Ipsos-ASI takes a decidedly client approach to its work. It recognizes that its clients depend on the company to help develop, execute and evaluate advertising that produces results. Apparently, the clients appreciate the approach and quality of work. Multi-national and regional marketers purchase research services from Ipsos ASI from advertising concept and copy testing to ad tracking to brand health and brand equity assessments.

All marketing research firms say that they take pride in the excellence of their work. It is no surprise that Ipsos-ASI does the same. The firm talks in customer oriented terms, stressing the benefits it delivers. Moreover, it emphasizes that those benefits are reported by customers as unique in the industry. Ipsos-ASI lists three items of value. First, the company follows rigorous marketing research procedures that provide qualitative and quantitative results using established norms and benchmarks. Interpreting results is a critical skill and the company stresses that it draws valid conclusions and makes sound business recommendations based on the data collected. Finally, it claims an ability to execute global advertising research consistently through its own offices and employees on each continent. This final benefit is not trivial since some firms suffer from inequalities in their global offices. Ipsos-ASI promises to deliver solid, tactical advertising consulting.

Advertising testing. We were especially interested in the nature and scope of the company’s advertising testing abilities. Copy testing is an art and in the past often took place in company offices with the office staff offering the first response. The company offers something new, online copy testing. It takes place in either a mock or live environment and asks questions which include:

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  Did the ad get noticed?

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  What did it communicate?

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  Purchase/persuasion?

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  Brand imagery.

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  Alienation (unique to online media).

The last item is important given the growth of online advertising media. The company also offers online tracking services that seek to learn:

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  When an online ad is remembered, is it a halo of other media?

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  What are the threshold spending levels?

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  How can you make your copy more efficient?

Web site research. While web sites have been in existence for years, advertisers are still learning their characteristics and metrics. Ipsos-ASI offers a web site evaluation service. It helps clients understand the elements of their web site that are drawing users, as well as those that might be keeping users away. Ipsos-ASI also offers a combined attitudinal and behavioral exploration of e-commerce. Users are randomly recruited through banners placed on the Internet and screened for previous online purchases. Participants download a software application to track their web activity. At the end of the tracking period, respondents are sent to an online questionnaire and asked about their web experience, with a focus on online purchases.

The Ipsos-ASI website. The company seems to apply its web site analysis tools to its own internet presence. Its own web site is uncluttered and easy to navigate. It offers some traditional elements also found elsewhere. For example, it has a knowledge center that offers a series of downloadable white papers on topics of interest. They span titles like “The creators of motivation,” to “Understanding brand value: a review of price, performance, equity and category dynamics.” A review of a sample shows them to be topical, well written and thought provoking.

It also has a products and services link that details the numerous research services it provides. Space considerations dictate that we do not cover them in detail. The list includes well-named trademarked products that add value in the advertising and market research fields. Many products use the Next* prefix and include products that span the advertising creation and evaluation process including the stages of: creative development, ad pre-testing, in-market assessment, and marketing brand equity measurement. For example, the first step of advertising development, creative development, is crucial. Here, creative ideas are reviewed, revised, evaluated and many are discarded. In the real world, agencies make decisions to pursue production with little or no consumer feedback to understand the potential power of the creative ideas. Ipsos ASI Next*Idea® offers intelligent input at this stage to enable agencies to evaluate the potential of advertising at the storyboard phase, quickly and efficiently. In addition, Next*Idea® offers insight into the potential effects of the idea including: its impact on sales, on brand equity, and its communication fit with brand strategy or message. Next*Idea, like all of the company’s products is based on Ipsos ASI’s time-tested philosophy of how advertising works, relying on validated measures of copy testing.

Overall evaluation. Overall, Ipso-ASI offers a valuable range of products that can aid the innovative advertiser in getting the largest effect from his or her advertising budget. Its suite of tools covers the advertising communication process and the ultimate target, the consumer. Befitting communication experts, the company’s website integrates its skill set to yield an effective Internet communication vehicle.

In our next issue, we will investigate other informative sites and invite readers to submit their favorite internet sites for our consideration.

Edited by Dennis A. PittaUniversity of Baltimore

Reader requests

Please forward all requests to review innovative internet sites to: Dr Dennis Pitta, University of Baltimore, 1420 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-5779, USA. Alternatively, please send an e-mail to: dpitta@ubalt.edu for prompt attention.