If your advertising fails this test, it’s a dud

When campaigns go live and the only response is tumbleweed, you’ve failed against these three metrics.

You’ve spent the time and money creating advertising and you’re about to put it live. You’ve got volume targets to hit, you’ve got a margin to maintain and so your media effectiveness must deliver. Here’s the rub, the creative is a dud before you even put it live.

This article won’t explain how to construct great advertising, but simply the metrics you must deliver against to ensure it’s effective. Many of us have been been there, we’ve launched a campaign and had nothing but a few customers and a lot of tumbleweed, at best it’s a major embarrassment, at worst it’s career limiting.

The concept of pre-testing does remain quite contentious, some argue it’s artificial and others believe it’s a crucial step in de-risking and fine tuning advertising.

Surely it goes without saying that if the investment is material to your business and the creative production cost is high, why wouldn’t you test the creative in advance?

Comprehension

We’ve all been there, sat on the sofa and had an advert totally confuse us; “What was that about??” The advert struggles with comprehension and the proposition, brand just goes over our head. Clearly articulating your message is a must, after all you’re fighting for attention with social media and every other distraction. Keep the message really simple. One killer message. The motivating benefit.

Motivation

Why should I act on this advert? What is it that makes this product better and different from others. Keep the message simple and ensure it’s motivating. With just a small uplift in response you have the potential to materially change the fortunes of the business. Remember the average response rate is less than 0.5%, you have it all to go after.

Recall

Branding and distinctiveness must play a part to ensure the advert can be recalled. In the hours and days following a media impact, the consumer must be able to remember the message and the brand. Make sure the work allows for this to happen, so when the consumer is ready to act they don’t find there way to a competitor, get lost in Google or just abandon their purchase journey.

Health Warning

Often creative work that is highly engaging through the use of emotion can be difficult to test before it’s a finished advert. Avoid watering down ideas as a result of pre-testing when you have a strong conviction.