How Early-Stage Creative Testing Avoids Costly Mistakes

Relationship Background

Launchpad is well known for its work in the FMCG space, but what may come as a surprise to some is our experience and expertise in the education sector. We have worked closely with universities since our inception and have developed a solid understanding of the essential role of research in the education field. Here is just one example of our successful collaborations.

How Launchpad established whether proposed ABL advertising resonated with the target market to support the university in making an informed decision whether to progress as part of their rebranding campaign

The Challenge

Our client, a university, was keen to invest in ABL advertising to support a rebranding strategy. They had engaged an ad agency to develop scripts, but our client was uncertain whether the creative angle effectively supported the rebranding campaign, or indeed would resonate with the target audience.

They sought our help in establishing the impact the creative route[s] had on perceptions of the institute and what message it conveyed, to drive the decision on whether to progress the ABL campaign.

The Solution

We conducted focus groups with a total of 56 respondents, that included both prospective students and parents of prospective students, in Leeds and in Newcastle. Animated storyboards were rotated and explored across the session, followed by individual brand recall and association exercises to unearth immediate reactions and interpretations. An open discussion ensued, to fully explore the creative elements and impacts of each route.  At the end of each group respondents individually recorded a short VLOG detailing their reactions to the ad routes, to aid and bring to life the outcomes in the client/agency/ad agency debrief.

The Outcome

The final decision was made not to progress with ABL advertising. The research had revealed that the creative angle was too complex and abstract, which blurred the clarity and comprehension of the message. We learned that the student decision process when selecting a university is a complex and involved one, hence a TV ad was likely to have little impact on the final decision.