Gallup & Robinson: Real-World Testing

Validated gold standard system for evaluating in-context advertising effectiveness and performance dynamics

Find out about Impact Services In advertising, context changes everything. While online and forced-exposure systems, which present stimulus in varying degrees of artificiality, are valuable tools for developing messages and shaping choices, they do not replace the benefits that come with real-world contextualized testing. When people encounter advertising when they are watching TV, reading print, listening to a radio or even surfing the web, they process it differently than when they are directed to look at it, even in a cluttered environment. Sometimes the processing leads to the same result, but sometimes it is different. What breaks through online does not necessarily break through in real-world. Similarly, ads that are "recalled" on an immediate (i.e., minutes after exposure) basis will not necessarily be recalled on a delayed basis. The critical communication concepts of attentioning and retained communication are best measured via real-world contextualized testing.

What It Tests
Impact can be applied to the evaluation of print advertising in magazines or newspapers or to broadcast commercials on TV or radio. It is equally suited to pre-testing rough advertising executions or post-testing the finished product. The basic Impact system can also be used to test FSIs, direct marketing and Internet advertising. The majority of our testing has been in the consumer sector. We also have considerable experience with B2B ads, for which we have developed normative data for many categories and target audiences.

Methodology
Our general methodology is substantially more than “day after recall” and includes a full spectrum of important metrics. The Impact procedure begins with a systematic mapping of ten widely dispersed U.S. markets to ensure that we reach a representative survey sample. Our interviewers contact potential respondents door-to-door or, if low incidence, over the telephone and screen them for specified sample characteristics. If qualified, respondents receive a test stimulus and are instructed to read or view it that day in their home as they normally would. Test ads or commercials are embedded with editorial/programming content and clutter ads to simulate realistic reading or viewing conditions. The next day respondents are recontacted by telephone, confirmed as readers/viewers and taken through a structured interview. They do not refer to the test ad or commercial as they answer the questions covering our core metrics, which include intrusiveness (recall), idea communication, persuasion, brand rating and ad liking. Respondents are then asked to look at the test stimulus again as the diagnostic section of the interview is administered, containing both standardized and custom questions about ad reactions and brand attributes.

Validation
G&R's core Impact metrics have been extensively validated in numerous studies over the years by clients and independent third parties, including the ANA and the ARF's Copy Research Validity Project. We have tested over 200,000 ads and commercials and have developed rock-solid norms in most major product/service categories. Impact has been the cornerstone of Gallup and Robinson's business since 1948 and it has undergone many enhancements since, as learning and technology progresses. The system is valued by companies committed to relentlessly improving the quality of their advertising.