Abstract:

The present report deals with the results of an extensive experiment of pre-testing and post-testing advertisements. The basic motive behind this experiments the present situation with regard to advertising research in general pre-testing in particular. Several European countries are using a wide range of pre-testing and post-testing techniques, which nobody is quite sure as suitable. The object of our experiment is to test suitability of these techniques. It is not intended, therefore, to analyse and comment on the advertisements tested, these being only the means to experiment with the research techniques which will be discussed in the following chapters. Pre-testing occupies an important place in advertising research because, of course, a certain theme can be designed and presented in various ways. The usual pre-testing techniques aim at selecting the most appropriate presentation of a certain advertisement. In such a selection - and therefore also in designing and applying research techniques - the goal of the advertisement or advertising campaign should always be borne in mind. The goal is defined in terms of communication which can be said to have two aspects: a quantitative one (i. e. the number of persons remembering an ad after a certain exposure) and a qualitative one (i. e. the mental effect on these persons e. g. a change of attitude or image). Our experiment covers both aspects.