G&R: Advertising Research & Consulting
Messaging Strategy • Advertising Effectiveness • Market Insights
From its start in the 1940s, copy testing has been industry best practice for measuring and managing the quality of advertising content, but its acceptance has not been universal: while studies have shown copy testing to be a valid predictor of sales effect, some advertising professionals have argued that it merely slows down the ad […]
Claims Substantiation studies are a specialized type of marketing research, aimed at proving or disproving claims made in advertising. Claim research designs can vary significantly based on the type of claims to be made, and on the product category. However, as more claims cases are adjudicated, more principals for what is considered appropriate research support […]
Thoughts on the Use of Online Opinion Polling by a Gray Lady and a Peacock To qualify candidates for the recent 2015 GOP debate, Fox News used results from polls conducted by Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Monmouth University and Quinnipiac University. The fact that all five studies were conducted via telephone is not a […]
A leading biopharmaceutical company was preparing to launch a new product into the U.S. market. Concerned about the fallout from potential negative news reports about the product, they developed a consumer directed messaging program to help answer potential consumer questions and concerns about the product. They enlisted G&R to pre-test the communications program. G&R recommended […]
Ad research pioneers George Gallup and Horace Schwerin had mixed opinions about the value of norms. They understood the theoretical importance of benchmarking, but they also understood the knowable and unknowable error that all benchmarks have. Indeed, Horace Schwerin once commented that he believed copy tests should be conducted without norms. It was his view […]
Successful advertisers have one thing in common: their messaging distinguishes their brand in the minds of their target audience. It establishes who they are and what they stand for. It differentiates the brand from its competitors in a way that rings true with loyal brand users and provides distinctive appeals to non-users. Strategic research is […]
Many companies use Content Marketing to supplement traditional marcom channels and communicate new information via a variety of alternative media contexts. Recently, a prominent hospital launched a custom magazine publication in an effort to grow awareness in the healthcare market, communicate with leading medical, academic, and business influencers, and position the hospital as the definitive […]
Raising awareness or encouraging behavior modification for a social or public health issue is quite a different communications challenge than persuading consumers to purchase commercial products. Campaign designers and funding sources face two underlying questions: 1) is a campaign worth the investment of time and resources; and 2) how does one increase the chances that […]
In a competitive marketplace, many advertisers make claims against similar companies and brands to influence customers to choose their product over those of their competitors. At the foundation of this communication is the requirement that the claims be true. Survey research is often used to provide the basis of the claim and to challenge the […]
This morning when I got up and went into the bathroom, there were 4 brands of soap, 2 brands of shampoo and 2 brands of conditioner from which to choose. After showering and dressing, I went into the kitchen and selected breakfast from 15 different boxes of cold cereal that sit on our pantry shelves. […]