Methods of Pre-testing Advertising

Copy-testing methods must be both valid and informative if they are to assist in the selection and revision of advertising content. Current methods often fail to fulfil one or both of these requirements. Tests are likely to be valid when they measure purchase behaviour in natural settings using completed advertisements. Such market tests are valuable for choosing between alternative copy but at this stage they are often made too late to be of help in modifying advertisement content. Some tests based on responses to the advertisement appear to be informative but fail to predict purchase or purchase intention. Theories of advertising effect are reviewed. Whether advertisements work informatively, through persuasion or through post-purchase reinforcement, it is likely that intention to buy will indicate advertising effectiveness better than other subjective criteria will. A method of belief analysis is proposed, based on attitude-behaviour theory. In this procedure, intention to buy is used to predict purchase, and measures of beliefs about purchase are used to reveal the likely determinants of purchase intention. Experimental tests show which purchase-related beliefs change when potential consumers are exposed to product information via storyboards, videotapes, group discussion, product presentation or completed commercials. This method identifies the relevant factors most closely related to buying intention and measures their potential for change.