Now that the Superbowl is behind us, and March Madness is going to be springing up, I’d like to reflect on the frenzy over the Superbowl ads. During the rest of the year, my family often comments on “what were they THINKING” when it comes to ads. Some might catch one’s attention, and the audience can replay the ad back verbatim – but what was the actual MESSAGE of the ad? What product or service was being presented? The purpose of ads, after all, is not strictly entertainment – they should be selling something as well. I think that companies have forgotten that tidbit in their effort to be more creative than the “other guys.” I usually wonder to myself, “what did the ad test results look like?” And, then I think, did they even TEST the ads?!?!
Companies don’t need to break the market researcfh budget on ad testing. I realize that more money should be put into the creative. However, the money should be well-spent and actually get a return-on-investment. A quick reaction to some of the ads mights even point out a few quick fixes that will result in increased sales if not awareness.
Please, marketing managers, do your customers and your bottom line a favor by testing the ads, even if it isn’t with the most complex methodology. In fact, a simple methodology might yield more actionable insights. But, please, please test your ads before letting them out inot the public.
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