Dynamic Logic Puts Brands to the Test

Market research firm Dynamic Logic has unveiled a copy-testing research service for online ads. Its aim is to help brand advertisers create more impactful ads.

Creative PreTest is a panel-based service that allows advertisers to test how a panel of Internet users will respond to different display ads before running them in a campaign.

“If you’re able to see how an ad will perform and resonate before you put it in-market, there’s definitely a cost savings there. It’s also an important coming of age for the online industry, because it helps brand advertisers make better online creative,” said Christina Goodman, marketing manager for Dynamic Logic. “Five or six years ago, advertisers questioned whether online works for branding, but that’s not a question anymore. Now, the question is how to make it work better.”

More traditional offline brand marketers are advertising online. Dynamic Logic hopes to provide them with tools similar to ones they use for offline creative testing processes.

“Successful online branding efforts require similar planning processes to traditional advertising,” said Margaret Hung, VP of research for Dynamic Logic. “Creative pre-testing is a traditional research practice used to ensure that the advertisers’ message, imagery and creative units are positively impacting their target. We firmly believe that more online campaigns would successfully achieve their objectives if this practice were adopted in the online medium.”

The service is not a test of performance — clickthrough and other metrics aren’t considered by the panelists. Instead, the service aims to determine things such as which creative execution is most effective in supporting advertising goals; whether the ad communicates the brand’s intended message; if the ad is appealing, interesting and innovative; and whether it will prompt the intended action.

“It’s not about direct response or clickthroughs. It’s really about the perception of an ad; do they like the ad, what do they like about it, what’s the reaction to an ad’s creative or messaging? We’re not testing whether it’s effective, we’re testing the ad’s structure and creativity to see if it’s resonating with the audience,” Goodman said.

Survey questions can be tailored to isolate and test any creative variable such as ad color, size, placement, messaging, imagery, price point and technology. Advertisers can test up to five ads per survey. Panelists don’t rate the ads against one other. Different respondents see different ads.

Research takes 3-5 business days to conduct, using either Dynamic Logic’s panel, or the advertiser’s own of respondents. Creative PreTest has been rolled out to several U.S. clients over the last six months.