UNIT VI - ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

MEASURING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS: INTRODUCTION

Advertising may be extensive but ineffective in its approach. An unnecessarily large amount
is sometimes spent without any reward. An improper display may tarnish the image of the
product. An advertising measurement is adopted both before and after an advertising
campaign is launched. After a campaign has been launched, it is essential to know how far
the advertising plans, strategies and programmes are successful in achieving the objectives so
that they may be modified and redesigned for better performance if needed. This process is
known as measuring the advertising effectiveness. There are several questions which are to
be answered by advertising measurements. For example, How far was the campaign
successful? Why was it not successful? What were the reasons for not attaining the
objectives?

OBJECTIVES OF MEASURING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS:

Some advertisers do not bother to measure advertising effectiveness. They expect that the
sales will ultimately increase by reason of advertising. But, recently, problems and
difficulties have compelled them to measure advertising effectiveness. The producers also
adopt a measuring device because they incur a sizeable amount of expenditure on advertising.
The effectiveness of media and message are also assessed for their use in future. The results
of same amount of advertising budget vary for several reasons.

Only through the measuring of advertising effectiveness the success of a particular campaign
can be known. Various measuring techniques have been developed to measure effectiveness
at every stage to isolate the effects of advertising from those of other promotional and
marketing activities. The copy, media and other advertising components have been tested.
The factors like readership, consumer opinion, belief or disbelief, recall, attention,
comprehension, attitude, etc are taken into consideration for measuring effectiveness.
Positive relationships are established between these factors and sales. The best read and
highly rated advertisements are determined by consumers under an advertising research
programme. There are different methods of measuring audience response.

MEASURING SALES AND COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE

Two important aspects of measurements, viz., sales and communication objectives are
measured to judge the advertising effectiveness.

Sales Measurement:

Where advertising is the predominant contributor to sales, the sales response is immediate
and when internal and external factors affecting sales are held constant or are ineffective.
Measuring effectiveness in terms of sales only is not very logical or scientific as advertising
is not the only contributory factor to sales. A non-linear relationship exists between
advertising and sales. The advertising effect is not always immediate. There are the adverse
effects of competition too. While measuring the advertising with the yardstick of sales the
measurement of advertising effectiveness becomes easy if the controllable and uncontrollable
factors are taken as constant.
Measurement of Communication effects:

Advertising is basically a communication process. The effectiveness of advertising can be

measured by how much the communication process has been useful in motivating consumers.
The communication objectives, i.e., establishing brand awareness, improving recall,
increasing brand recognition, bringing about an attitude change, etc., can be measured
because these are realistic. Advertising effectiveness is measured by its direct and immediate
impact on consumer behaviour.
The measurement of objectives in terms of sales is not scientific. The measurement of
attitude is not logical. If image building is the objective of advertising, its effectiveness
should be measured in terms of image building and not in terms of sales or in terms of the
attainment of any other communication objectives.

WHEN TO MEASURE?

The measurement of advertising effectiveness can be done at any time from planning stage to
final stage. If advertising is tested before it is run, it is known as pre-testing. It helps to
develop more effective communication and exercises control over costs. The effectiveness of
advertising activities is generally examined when the campaign has been run and advertising
functions have been performed. This is known as post-testing because the effectiveness is
measured after the final stage of the campaign has been reached. The advertising
effectiveness can also be tested when the campaign is under way with a view to modifying it,
if necessary. While adopting a particular test, the cost of testing should be borne in mind.

Pre-testing is adopted to measure the effectiveness and accuracy of an advertising plan before
its implementation. Post-testing is done after the advertising activities have been completed
to examine the effectiveness of these advertising activities. A mid-test involves a test before
the completion of advertising functions and after the implementation of the advertising plan.

METHODS OF MEASUREMENTS

There are two methods of measuring advertising effectiveness, viz,, experimental method and
survey method. Under experimental method, consumers are given a controlled exposure to
the message and the effects are measured on the basis of the change in opinion or attitude. A
base line is observed with the use of a control group not exposed to the advertising campaign.
The results of the exposure in almost all the situations are recorded. The alternative effects of
each exposure are considered for comparison and with a view to establishing a relationship
between the exposure and the effects. Field experiments are conducted to measure the effects
of mass communication. Sample surveys or interviews or questionnaires are used to obtain
information about people's exposure to the advertising campaign. The effectiveness is
evaluated on the basis of the correlations between the exposure and the attitude or action.

MEASURING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS: Pre testing methods

Pre-testing is preferred because it enables one to know how effective an advertisement is

likely to be, before spending the budget and adopting advertising actions. The advertiser
should use only those messages and media which prove to be the strongest in producing the
desired results. It is important to adopt corrective methods against mistakes. Pre-testing may
be of the following types:-

 consumer jury,
 storyboard tests,
 laboratory tests,
 tachistoscope,
 psychogalvanometer,
 eye camera,
 pupil dilation,
 attitude test, and
 Depth interviewing.

Consumer Jury
Consumer reaction has greater validity than the reactions of non-consumers. Consumers can
provide true information on reaction to an advertising campaign. Others may underestimate
or overestimate the reactions. The copy, illustrations, filming techniques, layout, etc. can be
properly evaluated by the consumers concerned with the product. The consumer jury
technique is adopted for print media, broadcast media and direct mail.

Print Media: The consumers selected may be asked either to evaluate an advertisement or rate
two or more advertisements. Each respondent is asked to express his preference for each
advertisement. The most common method is to insert a questionnaire in the advertisement
and request the readers to indicate their preferences. Copywriters test their creations on
consumers. Some newspaper advertisers invite consumers their office and invite their
reaction to the advertising copy or copies of magazines are sent to some consumers to find
out their reactions. The reactions of consumers are evaluated and any inconsistency in
advertising is removed.
The major advantage is that they separate out the weak advertisements from the strong at a
low cost and high speed. The actual consumers may suggest improvements and
modifications. Only conscious ratings are evaluated. Reply to the questions in a very
conscious manner may not give a correct impression of advertisements.

BroadcastMedia: Consumers are asked to come to the television studio where they are shown
different television programmes for final consideration. Sometimes, the television
advertisement messages are pre-examined in different localities.

Direct mail test: The direct mail test is used through the mail. The post cards containing copy
appeal, each with a reply-paid card, is sent free-of-cost to consumers, who are required to
give their evaluation.

Storyboard Tests: The storyboard prepared for television advertising is tested before it is
used. The storyboard pictures are transferred to a film strip and the audio section onto a tape.
Vision and sound are synchronized and shown to an audience for evaluation. This test
uncovers the unnecessary part. The important part of advertising is accepted for telecasting.
The anteroom trailer method is used to test the commercial. The anteroom contains
magazines, newspapers, distractions and television recorded programmes.
Laboratory Tests: The respondents are placed in laboratory situations and are asked to
explain the measurements regarding the effectiveness of the advertisement. Laboratory
conditions offer a controlled environment that excludes the variables which may invalidate
the test. It is used to measure awareness, attention, desire, retention, etc. For example, the
respondents are taken to a theatre, mock-up supermarkets or some other place for
experimental purposes.

Tachistoscope: It is a projector that can project objects on to a screen at rates so fast that the
viewer cannot detect the message. It is slowed down to a level where the message can be
perceived easily. The respondents should understand and appreciate the message, interesting
words, slogans, headlines, etc. They can be easily segregated from the less interesting
message.

Psychogalvanometer: It is a mechanical device that measures the amount of perspiration. It

measures a respondent's reactions to new records and slogans. Electrodes are attached to his
palms to detect changes in electrical resistance arising from perspiration. If the machine
registers lower electrical resistance it is the existence of tension. The main objective is to
attract attention to the product which is reflected by the galvanic skin response. But it should
not be concluded that greater tension reflects the greater success of the advertisement.

Eye Camera: The eye movements are recorded by a video camera. It records the activity of
the eye by is movements. The audience is asked to look at a series of pictures on a screen but
unaware that their eye actions are being photographed. It shows what the respondent sees. If a
commercial is interesting and if he is attracted by it, his eyes will be fixed on that. The
respondents may be asked some questions about the advertisement.

Pupil Dilation: The size of the pupil changes as people see different things. The change
follows different advertising stimuli. It becomes wider as greater interest isaroused. The pupil
shrinks if the eye is not interested. A pupilometer records the dilation which is involuntary
and measures the interest shown by the respondent.

Attitude Test: The attitude is closely related to advertising effectiveness. Respondents are
asked to give answers to the questions on a seven-point bipolar scale about their feelings
about a particular advertisement. The semantic differential rating scale has been used
extensively to measure advertising effectiveness. If the attitudes of potential customers are
changed toward the products, the advertisement is considered effective. The attitude of
potential customers or respondents can be measured accurately on the attitude scale. This
scale measures the position of the consumers' attitudes on a continuum, varying from
favourable at one end and to unfavourable at the other end. This test is applied before the use
of the advertising media, message and campaign to find out how far they would influence
consumer attitudes.

Depth Interviewing: It is concerned with getting the respondent to react freely to the brand,
organisation and product. By suitable questions, the interviewer brings out his unconscious
reactions to the surface. The reactions are noted to bring out the facts. Depth interviewing
involves non-structured questions. The flexibility and intelligence of the interviewer identify
the significant points made in the interview and achieve meaningful and valid results. This
technique is useful for exploratory research, for ideas and suggestions
MEASURING ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS: POST-TESTING METHODS

It is applied after the advertisement has ended to find out how far advertising has been
successful. The objective of advertising is to arouse consumer awareness, his interest, desire
and develop his attitude to the product. These are

 recognition tests,
 recall tests,
 attitude change,
 sales and recognition tests

Recognition test:
It is developed by Danial Starch. It measures the readership of printed advertisements. It is
also called the readership test. It is based on the assumption that there is a high correlation
between the reading of the advertisement and the purchase of the product. A particular
advertisement may be examined by sending the whole newspaper or magazine wherein it is
published. Afterwards readers are approached to find out whether they have read the
advertisements or not.

The percentage of readership who have seen the advertisement and remember it, who recall
seeing or reading any part of it, identifying the product and brand, and who reported reading
at least one half of the advertisement is calculated. The relationship between readers per
rupee and the median readers per rupee can be established. The advantage is that it measures
something which has been realized under normal conditions. The recognition tests show the
importance of each type of advertisement on the basis of the readership test. This is an
uncontrolled interview and suffers from the problems of uncontrolled techniques of
examination.

Recall Tests

A recall test depends on the memory of the respondents. This test is applied to measure the
impression made by an advertisement on the reader's mind. It is classified into two types –
aided recall and unaided recall. Some have combined the two and made it a combined recall
test.

 Aided Recall: It is used to measure the reading memory of magazine advertising

impressions. It is necessary to use a large sample size for statistical reliability. The
aided test measures television advertising. The interviewer may approach the
respondents over the telephone or in person to find out something about their recall of
the commercial. A radio advertisement may be given the aided recall test followed by
an unaided question. For example: "What products have been advertised during the
last two days?" Then the recall aid is provided by asking: 'Have you heard the
 advertisements of brand X? “The recall test may be administered immediately or two
or three days after the exposure.
 Unaided Recall: Under this method, little or no aid is given. The purpose is to
measure the penetration of the advertisement. Respondents are asked whether the
advertisements included a particular picture or message. The name of the product is
not given to the audience. They have to recall it themselves. If they do remember, it is
established that there was some impact of the advertisement.
 Combined Recall Tests: It includes aided as well as unaided recall tests. This test was
developed by Gallup and Robinson. Respondents are asked whether they have read
the magazine or newspaper, or listened to the radio or watched television.

This technique involves following steps.

 The respondents should recall and describe correctly at least one editorial feature in
the magazine or newspaper.
 They are handed a group of cards on which are printed the names of brands advertised
in the issue. They are asked which of the brands were advertised in that issue.
 The respondents are questioned in depth to evaluate the accuracy of their recall.
 A copy of the magazine is given to the respondents. They are asked whether they have
seen the advertisement: for the first time or seen it a second or third time. The reply
that they have seen it a second time or more often is discarded from the recall test
because they are included under the Proven Name Registration (PNR). The
information on age, sex, education, occupation, etc. may establish a relationship
between these factors and recall. This method measures the recall of qualified readers
to assess the depth of penetration achieved by the advertised message.

The limitation of the test is the heavy cost involved in the study. It is affected by the variation
in human memory. The audience may recall because it has seen the previous advertisements
of the product.

Attitude Change

There are several techniques for the measurement of attitude change after the advertising has
ended. These techniques are as follows:

 Semantic differential,
 Likert scale,
 Ranking techniques and
 Projective technique.

(i) Semantic Differential: It is used to measure attitude in the field of marketing and
advertising research. It uses a bi-polar (opposite) adjective statement about the subject of
evaluation. The attitude is measured in the light of some objectives. The two-way scale is
used for the purpose. The neutral is mid-point, while the three points on both the sides of the
neutral point, on the same scale, provide the degree of favourable and unfavourable
characteristics. The semantic differential is illustrated below.
SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIALS

Known ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- unknown

Informative.------------------------------------------------------------------.      Un informative
Realistic-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Unrealistic
Persuasive ---------------------------------------------------------------------   Not persuasive
Instructive -------------------------------------------------------------------------   Destructive
Effective ---------------------------------------------------------------------------    Ineffective
Useless-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Useful

The above points are merely illustrative. Depending upon the characteristics and features of
an advertisement more number of points may also be used.

(ii) The Likert Scale: The Likert scale is used to measure audience attitude to
advertisements. A series of statements are described to measure the attributes of the
advertisement. Only the relevant statements are used for the purpose. Each statement is
measured on a five-point scale. It is being illustrated as follows:

THE LIKERT SCALE

Strongly Strongly
Particulars Agree Uncertain Disagree
agree disagree
Radio advertising has
been heard by a majority
of the population.

Nirma Advertisement
appealed to people who
have accepted it.

Repetition of
advertisement has
reminded people about the
product

 (iii) Ranking techniques: The preferences to several types of advertisements are ranked to
find out the place of a particular advertisement among the several advertisements. An
advertisement of one product can be measured with the advertisements of other products
taken together. This is done to find out the effectiveness of the advertisement in a competitive
atmosphere. The winner may be given rank 1 and loser is given rank 5. The ranking is based
on awareness, interest, attitude change, attractiveness, usefulness, entertaining respect,
effectiveness, etc. A sufficient number of consumers are selected for a sample survey. The
overall rank is summed up to determine the final rank of the advertisement of the brand.

(iv) Projective Techniques: It is used to measure attitude change. Association techniques,

completion techniques, construction techniques and expressive techniques are used to
measure the change in attitude.

Sales Test

It is designed to evaluate the effects of advertising on the purchase behaviour of the

consumer. It is successfully applied to examine the consumer behaviour to advertisements of
consumption goods. Sales are effected after creating an image of and interest in, the product.
With the help of sales audit and audience response, it is possible to evaluate the effects of
advertising on sales. There are generally three types of sales tests, viz.,

 Measure of past sales,

 Field experiments, and
 Matched samples.

(i) Measure of Past Sales: Advertising and sales are correlated by using the past sales data.
The past data on sales are diversified and their advertising expenses are correlated to establish
their relationship Sales data for the past ten years as well as the advertising expenses are
collected and tabulated to establish the correlation between the sales volume and advertising
expenses. All other factors influencing sales are also correlated with the sales. The
differences between their correlations show the importance of each individual factor
influencing sales.

(ii) Field Experiments: Field experiments may show the extent to which a particular
advertising campaign has affected sales. The whole market may be divided into test and
control areas. One treatment may be randomly administered to each area to know how a
particular factor has influenced the sales in that area. The different treatments may be used to
eliminate irrelevant variables. The results of each variable are recorded for different periods.
These figures give the total impact of advertising on sales.

(iii) Matched Samples: The respondents belonging to the same age, educational status,
occupation, sex, etc. are selected for comparison of advertising effectiveness. They are
matched in every respect but not for the test treatment. One group has seen the
advertisements and other group has not seen the advertisements. The sales of the treated
group should he higher than those of the not-treated group. This would show the difference
between the sale of the advertised products and of the non-advertised products.