Reach your target audience by researching some advertising ideas

Creative development research

Providing you have sufficient time and budget, you may find it useful to research the proposed creative ideas among a representative selection of your target audience. No matter how well you may think you understand your customer/advertising responses in general, this type of research can still prove invaluable in further strengthening the campaign under development. This research can be undertaken either by the communications agency, or alternatively by an independent Research Specialist. During the earlier stages of creative development, the creative proposals are likely to be shown to consumers within small-scale discussion groups or one-to-one interviews. This format provides the most flexible way for the consumer to respond in their own words to the proposed campaign. If appropriate, this type of research can be held within a specialist facility, allowing the discussion to be observed by interested parties through a special screen (yes, this is legal, but only providing you adhere to the various terms and conditions stipulated in The Market Research Society’s Professional Code of Conduct).

Towards the later stages of creative development, you may also wish to undertake a so-called ‘pre-test’: a larger-scale, quantitative survey, which attempts to provide a statistical prediction of how your campaign will actually perform, in-market. This exercise would be handled by a specialist Research Agency. Although this type of research can have its uses, beware treating it as an exact science: each Research Agency has its own particular methods and philosophies, and any creative idea ultimately eludes a strictly numerical analysis.

For campaigns which are going to run internationally, it is clearly important to ensure that this wider target market is reflected within the research process. Crucially, this doesn’t mean that the campaign has to be researched within every single market in which you intend to operate, not least because such an undertaking would wreak havoc upon your timing plan and budget. Instead, identify those markets which are most important to you. From that list, you should then select the core group of countries which, in your judgement, embody the greatest cultural or behavioural differences (for example for a pan-European business, you might consider restricting your research to a representative country in each of Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe).

Who can help – communications experts you are likely to meet/call upon

The communications business splits into many different elements. Some companies seek to offer all services (so called ‘one stop shopping’); others focus on one particular discipline. Whatever the structure and philosophy of the companies you might be working with, it is essential that everyone works to the same Brand Vision and Branding Idea. If the different elements of the communication look as though they’ve come from different companies, then your brand risks looking indecisive, even schizophrenic, assuming that anyone notices it in the first place.

International businesses should, of course, check that each of their suppliers is able to operate across each of the countries within the marketing plan. Moreover, a supplier’s claimed ‘international credentials’ should not be taken at face value: are their international operations a wholly-owned, organic part of their organisation, or are there certain countries in which the operations are delegated to a third party? If the latter is the case, then how, exactly, does the process work, and how successful has the relationship proven in the past? A brief list of the disciplines is outlined below.

Design

Packaging design
Brand identity design and corporate guidelines
Graphic design of materials
Website design.

Advertising

Account handlers – manage the relationship between the agency team and the client
Account planners – understand the consumer and develop the brand strategy
Copywriters – develop the creative ideas, focusing on the words/copy
Art directors – develop the creative ideas, focusing on the look/design.

Media

Media planners – understand the media landscape and how to reach the target audience
Media buyers – buy the time and/or space from the media companies. Public Relations
Media relations (journalists)
Opinion-former relations
Lobbying.

Promotions

Create and manage special promotions
Produce the materials and handle the distribution.

Events

Manage launches and specific events
Work on the concept and design
Organise the practicalities.

Collateral materials

Design and produce all the supporting materials
These can include brochures, product specifications and internal communications materials (for example sales support, communications guidelines).

Direct mail

Send materials direct to the consumer – usually in the form of a personalised communication
Also responsible for database development and management, ensuring that the company has the appropriate information about their customers to make more effective contact in the future.

Customer Satisfaction (CS)

Gauge customer satisfaction, usually via research
Develop CS programmes to improve performance
Handle staff training to improve service levels.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

A current fashion for trying to encourage customer loyalty and longterm relationships
Involve all aspects of the customer’s buying process, and sophisticated information management
Develop management processes, including call centres/support.

Market Research

Used throughout the various stages of development
Qualitative research: small-scale in terms of numbers of people (focus groups, interviews); produces in-depth findings, psychological insight and information in the customer’s own words
Quantitative research: large-scale surveys or polls. Less depth, but the large numbers mean that the results tend to carry a greater statistical significance. A sample of 1,000 is generally seen as giving a representative sample for the UK. If you want to look at sub-groups (that is, not just ‘all adults’, but a segment such as ‘women aged 19–34, who use the Internet at work’), then you may have to increase your sample size to make sure that each of the sub-groups is large enough to provide robust conclusions.

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