Criticism of qualitative research within advertising circles is pretty much standard around the world. It’s a delicate subject. The collective groan of “Death by Research” amongst marketing types still echoes from London to Sydney and back again. I’m the first to admit, that research can kill creativity. Many great ideas have undoubtedly been well and truly cooked within the four walls of a focus group room. But it doesn’t need to be that way.
Having worked on both sides of the fence, I can vouch that, when research is embraced and embedded more constructively, it can genuinely assist in sharpening the work; from the idea right through to the creative execution. The issue perhaps lies with when research is built in and how it is executed. For me, the approach needs reviewing and the agency/research relationship would benefit famously from a little TLC.
So, how can it be developed so that advertising research actually provides rich insight to feed the creativity?
Why not introduce it into the creative process early? Research is more often than not rushed in at the end of the creative process as a quality control measure or as a pass and fail test when the client feels a bit uncomfortable about the work. The fact is, insights can be discovered at any phase, with research used to continually enrich and fine-tune rather than as a means to pick winners and losers at the very end.
No matter what stage, collaboration and open communication between agency, client and research should still be forged. Lay the thinking and strategy on the line. Let the research team understand how the agency and client are feeling. Get to know them and implement a more organic and iterative process. There’s no reason to wait for a research debrief 3-4 weeks after commissioning. Build on ideas and learn together as you go. As long as there’s sufficient head space to pause, think and refine, decisions can be made almost immediately.
The myth still exists that advertising must still be examined in great detail. Although it goes against the research principles of investigating and probing, digging deep is not always helpful because it ignores those all-important gut responses and forces over-analysis and rationalisation. The research, if kept tight and void of unnecessary, lengthy questioning, can then pay greater attention to the more critical, spontaneous feedback.
And why a focus group room? What’s more unrealistic of the manner in which communication is received and creativity-sapping than an oppressive box-room out in Parramatta? Whatever the channel…whether it’s TV, print or digital, mimicking the real life manner in which people naturally consume media generates an arena for open-mindedness and gives the work a better chance of being evaluated fairly.
My last thought is on the stimulus used for evaluation. Well thought-out stimulus is key. The internal team might have totally bought into the strategy after months of ‘back and forth’ but that doesn’t mean that the regular Joe will get it. Give the work its best shot, by providing material that doesn’t leave the idea or creative open to misinterpretation, which can ultimately result in misleading research outputs.
In the end, good researchers are also striving for a constructive not destructive approach to advertising research. They’re in the business of helping to make award-winning advertising as well.
So don’t repel their thinking, let them in and embrace them more as friends than foe.
Jonny Mackrill
Managing Director
Jigsaw Strategic Research
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.