Page 253 - DMGT507_SALES AND PROMOTIONS MANAGEMENT

Unit 14: Measurement of Advertising Effectiveness

Inquiry refers to checking the effectiveness of ads appearing in various print media on the basis Notes
of which consumers respond by requesting for more information. The inquiry may depend on
the phone calls received from interested persons, coupons returned, or requests for free samples.
Inquiry testing may be used to check media, individual ads, or campaign. The researchers can
test an advertisement’s attention-getting value, readability and comprehension. These tests
permit fairly reasonable control of the variables that motivate consumers to respond. The
results also indicate that the person not only saw or read the ad but also took some action, which
is relatively stronger indicator than recall or awareness.
Inquiry tests are inexpensive to implement and may furnish useful information but these tests
may not reflect a sincere interest in the product or service and the responses may take months to
receive.

Notes The Starch Readership Report

Objective: Determining recognition of print ads and comparing them to other ads of the
same variety or in the same magazine.
Method: Samples are drawn from 20 to 30 urban areas reflecting the geographic circulation
of the magazine. Personal interviewers screen readers for qualifications and determine
exposure and readership. Samples include a minimum of 200 males and females, as well as
specific audiences where required. Participants are asked to go through the magazines,
looking at the ads, and provide specific responses.

Output: Starch Readership Reports generate three recognition scores:
1. Noted score – the percentage of readers who remember seeing the ad.
2. Seen-associated score – the percentage of readers who recall seeing or reading any
part of the ad identifying the product or brand.
3. Read-most score – the percentage of readers who report reading at least half of the
copy portion of the ad.

Day-After-Recall (DAR) is the most popular method of post-testing used in broadcast industry.
Different methodologies are used by different organisations. However the measure of
effectiveness is always the number of people who can recall the ad. As has been mentioned
earlier, the recall is either unaided or aided.

Example: Respondents may be asked a simple question such as, “While watching (name
of the programme) last night, did you see a commercial (name of the product category)? Or,
“While watching (name of the programme) last night, did you see a commercial for (brand
name)?

The popularity of DAR tests is based on the fact that they provide norms giving advertisers a
standard for comparing how well their ads are performing. Since these are field tests, the natural
setting is believed to elicit more realistic responses.
On the negative side, DAR tests may favour unemotional appeals as the respondents are asked
to verbally express the message. It may be easier to recall informational/rational messages than
emotional messages. DAR test scores are highly affected by the liking and nature of the
programme. There is also the problem that some respondents possess much better memories
than others and the recall tests cannot account for this difference.

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