New Ad Pre-testing System Launches

A radical new approach to the problem of ad campaign testing has recently been introduced by agencies HHCL and Hall & Partners. The system, named Presponse Pioneer, has been designed as a fresh approach to quantitative assessment. It is hoped it will prove a great aid to contemporary and new-wave advertising.

The system itself had evolved in response to HHCL's founding partner Rupert Howell's criticisms of the role of market research within the ad industry. Howell had been convinced that research has long failed advertisers through poor and inappropriate techniques.

In consequence, Presponse Pioneer has been specifically designed for quantitative pre-testing. It should ideally help appraise most forms of contemporary campaigns, and especially those that aim to break ad clichés and reposition brands. Conventional pre-testing methods have long been weak in this respect, being perceived as somewhat over-reliant on mechanistic and the rational approaches.

Presponse Pioneer builds on the earlier Presponse research methodology used by Hall & Partners. The company suggests that its latest system is more relevant to today's multi-media campaigns however, and in handling modern ad issues such as 'talkability' and 'wear-in'. The difference is believed to lie in the newer and more refined questioning techniques producing richer, more qualitative insights.

According to Andy Davies, planner at HHCL, 'Really bold radical ideas often need space and time to wear in, breath, come alive. Current pre-testing methodologies simply can't cope with that and therefore strangle many potentially great ideas at birth.'

Marilyn Baxter, chairman of H&P Europe, added 'We are very excited about Presponse Pioneer and feel that we have further pushed out the boundaries of quantitative pre-testing. We have tested the methodology in several studies around Europe for a major client and it works brilliantly. In particular, it has given the marketing client the confidence that only numbers can provide to argue successfully for running a very radical campaign that the client believes would not have 'got through' a conventional pre-test.'

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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