IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Accountability

Accountability matters
A template for research and evaluation
Barriers and misconceptions
What is currently being measuring?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
What should be measured?

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted

and the trouble is I dont know which half!
(attributed to Wanamaker 1839-1922).

Kim Roberts 2012

Accountability matters! why?

Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals
who ignore decodes of enemy signals (Ogilvy 1983)
Most CEOs regard the world of marketing and communication as
undisciplined and uncommercial general management has imposed an
ever-increasing burden of accountability as it seeks to bring it to heel
(Binet & Field 2007)

The advertising industry as a whole, has the poorest

quality-assurance Systems of any industry in the world (Thomas 2008)
The huge expenditures companies make on marcomms has led CEOs to
continue to push for greater accountability. They want to know what type
of return results when a firm spends a large amount of money on
marcomms activities (Clow & Baack 2010)
In order to ensure that objectives have been achieved, the impact of
marketing communications must be evaluated by carefully applied
research (Dahlen, Lange & Smith 2010)

Accountability matters!

4 Es of IMC = synergy! (Pickton & Broderick 2005)

Effective
Economic
Efficient
Enhancing
Linked to clearly defined marketing and marketing
communications objectives
If it is not measured, how will you know if you have been
effective and produced synergy?
No manufacturer ever complained that his advertising was selling
too much! (Ogilvy 1983)

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Why conduct advertising research?

For guidance (shaping future strategies) and development (has
the campaign worked as intended?)
To predict and evaluate (requires info about options and
alternatives)

An insurance to avoid wasting money

A measure of campaign effectiveness
Be used with other forms of marketing research
An aid to help Advertising agencies produce and conduct successful
advertising.
Identifies the most economic media
Measuring when enough people have been exposed to the ad a
sufficient number of times, thereby withdrawing the ad at the appropriate
time

Template: The anatomy of advertising research

Advertising research

Strategic research

Creative development

Pre/Mid-campaign
Reading &
Noting

Descriptive
Quantified
survey
Exploratory
Group
discussion

Copy platform
definition
Concept
Testing

Media research

Post-campaign

Final results &

Evaluation
Continuing
Research TABS

Independent Surveys
ABC, VFD,
NRS, POSTAR
RAJAR, BARB,
CAVIAR, MEAL

Publishers
Research

Stages of the advertising research

process
1.
2.
3.
4.

Strategic Research
Creative Development Research
Pre/Concurrent testing
Post Testing

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Strategic Research
(Situation analysis- where are we now?)
Strategic research (up front research) allows:

objectives and target markets to be defined

Creative & media strategies to be developed

Five key considerations should be researched in the quest

for intelligence and insight:
1) Brand/Product/service
2) Market and its environment
3) Consumers
4) Competition
5) Tracking of all current marketing communications

Brand/Product/Service
Current brand status, share, heritage, health, portfolio
objectives
Product or Service:

Sales/Share
Profit
Distribution
Pricing
Strengths and weaknesses
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Marketing tools: PLC, SWOT, BCG

The market
& the environment it operates in
Market

Sales
Geography
Distribution
Trends

Environment
SCEPTICAL: Social, Cultural, Economic, Physical environment,
Technical, International, Communications and infrastructure,
Administrative & institutional, Legal & political factors (relevant to
marcomms)

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Consumers
Demographics

social class & stratification

Psychographics

the study of human behaviour to

understand motivation, cognition & learning

Lifestyles

motivations are classified to predict motivations that

govern actions and activities

Attitudes

a state of mind: a mental readiness to react to a

situation positive, negative, neutral

Usage

consumption habits

Trend watching

key to understanding attitudes and

psychographics

Behavioural sciences: anthropology, Sociology &

psychology are used

Are you trendy? E.g.

www.ted.com
www.trendwatching.com sign up for their
newsletter
LinkedIn and join Future Trends group
Mintel reports
Broadsheets
Business magazines
Marketing Magazines
Google
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Competition
Who are they?
How do they compare?
What are they doing?
Spending
Positioning
strategies

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Tracking study
Examines all the current marketing
communications efforts of both the brand
you represent and the competition
Analysis of the findings helps to identify
Target audiences & Objectives
Strategy
Messages
Media
Strengths & Weaknesses of each effort

Strategic Research techniques

1. Secondary (desk research)
2. Primary Exploratory: Group discussions &/or
Personal interviews
3. Primary Descriptive: Takes the form of usage
and Attitude study. Large sample (1000+)
survey. Long survey (30mins+) Pre-ceded
personal interview. Expensive. Every two
years.
More economic options: omnibus surveys.
Postal/telephone surveys.

The creative development

techniques
Define the copy platform or theme
Concept testing
Card, Poster, Layout. Reduces no of ideas. Identifies good ideas,
rejects poor ideas.

Focus groups
Extended creativity groups
Or use neuroscience techniques see YouTube!

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Pre/Concurrent testing techniques*

COPY TESTING

Pre-test proposed advertisements and unfinished/finished ads

Commercials
story boards, admatics, narrative tape, photomatics, ripamatics, rough
commercial theatre tests (reel of commercials within programme)

Press
rough ad, finished ad.
Folder test, ad stuck in magazine or newspaper
Street interviews, hall tests

Physiological (biometric research)

Eye movement tracking

Pupilomonitor
Psychogalvanometer
brainwaves

Technique definitions*
Dummy vehicles pretend magazines for
consumption at home or work. Test ads are inserted
next to regular editorial. Later the chosen sample are
asked questions about both. Positive natural setting.
Negative know they are testing

Readability tests tests to measure how easy copy

is to read. Comprehension is best when sentences are
short, words are concrete and familiar and personal
references are used frequently.

Theatre tests sample target audience is invited to a

hall/laboratory to preview TV programmes. Product
preferences are recorder pre and post programme
viewing to measure the degree to which product
preferences change after exposure to controlled viewing.
The persuasion shift. Very artificial method

Technique definitions*
Physiological tests
Pupil dilation respondents reaction to a stimulus. Constricted
eyes = low interest levels/energy conserved. An action/interest test.

Eye tracking tracks eye movement viewing an ad. Layouts can be

adjusted determined by movement of the eye as it scans.

Galvanic skin response Response to a stimulus activates the

sweat glands, which increase resistance. The galvanometer

measures resistance the skin offers to a small amount of current
passed between two electrodes. Highly expensive novelty value.
Tachistoscopes measure the ability of an ad to attract attention.
Flashing ad is slowed down until the respondent can identify the
message. Which elements are noticed first.
Electroencephalographs (EEC) a scanner monitors electrical
frequencies of the brain. Alpha wave activity indicates the degree to
which the respondent is aroused and interested in a stimulus.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Neuroscience is changing the way research is conducted

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Fine Tuning
Critically assessing full execution(s)
Communication, Branding and Likeability
Animatic

Qual and quant methods

Groups discussions
Communication, Persuasion and Standout
tests

Checking
Quantitative evaluation
Message
Likeability
Standout
Persuasion

Usually experimental, but some on-air

Hall tests (e.g. Millward Brown Link Test)
Day After Recall

Mid-Campaign research

Reading and Noting

Next day recall
Coupons
Ad hoc
Continuous research
Tracking studies

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Post campaign research and

evaluation
Sales measurements
Ex factory shipments, Nielsen shares, off the page
results, direct response, promotions

Area Tests
Comparison with a control area no advertising,
different advertising, different spend levels.

Tracking Studies
Follow purchase activity of sample of consumers over
regular periods of time; brand awareness, advertising
awareness, detailed recall, brand image batteries

Feedback
On-going Evaluation of the Role of
Advertising in the Marketing Mix
What are the Objectives?
Are they being Achieved?
External Developments
Wear Out

Sponsorship evaluation

Isolating effectiveness is complicated

Exposures

Media

Event
Attendees

Communications
results

Commercial
results

Brand
Awareness
Attribution
Image

Sales or
Market
share

Feedback
From
Participating
groups

Reaction
From
Target
Group or
employees

PERSUASIVE IMPACT =
Strength of the link x duration of the link x
(gratitude felt due to the link + perceptual change due to the link)

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Evaluating PR
Three categories of performance measures
Input indicators

Output indicators

News stories
Interviews
Trade meetings
Supermarkets visited
Brochures send

Results of:
media activity
Publicity
e.g. press space
TV time
Length of stories
Tone
News angle
Readership/viewers
OTS etc

These measure efforts

Not results so
Insufficient on their
own

Achievement
Indicators
Measure of objective
Achievement
E.g.
Share of target
audience reached
Changes in awareness
Changes in knowledge
Changes in Opinions
Change of image
Change in behaviour

Measuring direct marketing

effectiveness
Counting behavioural responses

E.g. Response scoring = RFM Model

Recency

Score

Score

Last 6
months

100

7-12
months

Frequency

Score

Less than
100

80

Between 2 & 4 30
times a year

More than
100

20

13-24
months

60

More than 4
times a year

25-36
months

30

37
months +

Once a year

Monetary
Value

70

Evaluating performance for

personal selling
Behaviour based

Outcome based

Monitoring of sales activities

Close supervision needed
Low span of control
Interference with sales persons
activities needed
More complex & subjective
evaluation
Fixed remuneration
Risk for the company

Monitoring of final outcome (sales

& profits)
Minimal supervision required
High span of control
Limited contact with salespersons
Simple performance plans
Simple compensation plans (e.g.
commission)
Variable commission
Risk for the sales person

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Evaluating exhibitions
Measurable criteria

sales or orders
Footfall flow
Behaviour of visitors
number of enquiries
Number of distributed information material
cost per enquiry
cost per order
qualified contact names for database
visitors recall and awareness of the organizations
stand via questionnaire (immediate or post show)

Assessing e-communications
Server Logfiles
Access_log
Agent_log
Referrer_log
Error_log

These provide traffic information, domains,

referrers and browsers.
Cookies can id specific users and client
sessions. Server logfiles cannot

Logfile analysis metrics

No. of hits
No. of page views
Entry & exit pages
No. of unique visitor sessions; period visited at a time
No. of unique visitors
Visitor frequency report (repeat visitors)
Session duration
Country of origin
Browser & operating system used
Referring URL and domain

www.insites-consulting.com

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Campaign evaluation
Focus on brand related effects of the
campaign
Brand recall
Brand recognition
Attitude towards the brand
Purchase intentions
Behavioural or commercial measures
Trial, repeat purchase, loyalty, sales and market
share etc.

Evaluating Corporate Communications

How successful has the company been in generating
internal strategic alignment through its communications
mix?
How successful has the company been in converting
alignment to reputational capital?
You cannot manage reputation if you do not measure it!
There exist prominent measurement systems and tools:
Kelly repertory grid; Natural grouping; Q-Sort; Photo-sort
Attitude scaling

Decision making about reputation

research
1. What are managements expectations about corporate
strategy and is there alignment with the strategic
objectives of the business?
2. How is the communication department contributing to
meeting organisational objectives?
3. Create a briefing for an external agency to carry out
reputation research
4. What objects does the company want to monitor? The
company as a whole or a functional activity?
5. Who does your organisation want to monitor?
6. Which competitors should be monitored?
7. How will you use the results internally and externally?

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

What is being measured now?

Attention
Awareness (soft objective)
Recognition and Recall
Knowledge
Attitude
Advertising standout (pre-tests)
Preference
Purchase intention
Consumers conscious replies on likeability, image and
the above
Reach, frequency & SOV
The primary marcomms tool
A single marcomms objective
Sales

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!

Consumers do not know if they are sub-consciously aware of ads

Heath (2001) proved that sub-conscious awareness can alter attitudes
from negative to positive
Advertising is not important enough for consumers to consciously make
a mental note
Samples say what they think you want to hear or make it up!
Evidence of awareness leading to increased sales?
Evidence of recall leading to increased sales?
Liking an ad leads to a purchase?
Positive attitude does not necessarily translate to purchase
Increased sales during/after a campaign may be due to external forces
e.g. competitor product shortages it is almost impossible to use sales
data to judge advertising effectiveness (Thomas 2008)
*Some marcomms tools are not measured, or wrongly measured
marketing mix modelling does demonstrate why the advertising is
working was it message or media weight, or media mix? (Ibid)
in pursuit of accountability, a conflict arises with effectiveness Binet
(2007)

What is the answer?

Be careful & selective when setting marcomms objectives

Make sure they are appropriate campaigns with single
objectives are ineffective
Measure each messaging and media mix touch point using
control and exposed groups
Consumer awareness, attitude, commitment, satisfaction,
brand promise, persuasion
Use continuous aggregate tracking data monitoring
Combined with key business metrics: profit, market share,
price elasticity, etc.
Use metrics
Hard Business metrics: (e.g. share)
Hard Behavioural metrics: (e.g. penetration)
Intermediate Consumer metrics: (e.g. awareness and
preference)
Never stop testing and your advertising will never stop
improving Ogilvy 1983

IMC Lecture two hand out Accountability

Arguments against advertising

research
Some advertisers chose not to research
because of threat of bias
Stifles creativity
misleading research results
high costs
Client ineptness
belief that advertising is difficult to measure and
therefore problematic to the overall contribution
to the organisation.
Neuro-scientific methods are expensive (and
obtrusive? Ethical?)