Early Stage Brand Research Launch from TNS

TNS has unveiled BriefScape, a research product for the early stages of brand communications development. The global agency says its range of offerings in the area now constitute 'a research solution for the complete brand communications lifecycle'.

While acknowledging happily that 'it would be unlikely for a brand to use all of the options for one campaign', the company says the launch plugs a major gap in advertising research, which until now has 'predominantly focused on the post-creative stage of a campaign.' BriefScape will encourage creative teams to bring researchers into the ad development process early on, enabling 'a new level of insight into how key brand messages and emotional brand positioning are best translated into a creative brief - before the brief is finalised.'

The new product was developed in consultation with ad planners, marketing teams and creatives. Sue Burden, Head of Brand and Communications Research at TNS, explains: 'BriefScape is about getting the communications research input at the earliest stage, to help improve the quality and innovation of brand communications. We are confident that this new level of insight, which complements the planning team and works with - as opposed to limiting - the creatives, will result in the development of more effective ads.'

BriefScape uses qualitative focus groups to identify how key brand messages and emotional positioning could be communicated via brand communication; and introduces semiotics into the creative briefing process. TNS AdEval (pre-testing), Market Contact Audit (communications channels) and Brand Performance Optimiser (tracking ongoing impact of the campaign) pick up the reins later in the process.

The company's home page is at www.tns-global.com.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.