the sound's guide to creative development research

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

RESEARCHThe Sound Guide - Volume 3

2THE SOUND

THE SOUND GUIDE - VOLUME 3

Too many cooks spoil the broth

Not being a fan of broth, it’s hard to imagine it being spoiled. But why does this idiom pop into my head as soon as I think of crea=ve development research, you ask?

I shall tell you: When researching adver=sing there are a lot of cooks in the metaphorical kitchen and not all of those cooks know what a broth is, let alone how to spoil it. And the cooks in this kitchen probably don’t like each other all that much (but pretend to).

What they’re actually cooking is not a broth but something much more abstract that some people love and others want to pour down the sink. This can make for quite a tense kitchen to cook in, and, now that I think about it, explains why so much food that comes out of it is so bland and forgeHable.

So what does great crea=ve development research look like and how do we avoid making shit soup? Read on for The Sound’s Guide to Crea2ve Development Research.

GETTING STARTED

WHY BOTHER WITH research?

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A very senior client, who will remain nameless, once said these exact words to me: “We’re not doing advertising research anymore. It costs a fortune. We’re going to make ads and if Twitter likes them we’ll spend more against them. If they don’t like them, we’ll just withdraw them.”

No, really.

And look, I get it. There are probably lots of examples of bad research killing ideas and forcing crea=ve to put bigger pack shots into their beau=ful ads. That sucks.

But you don’t stop ea2ng broth because one 2me you had bad broth, do you?

GETTING STARTED

THE ROLE OF RESEARCH IN THE creative process

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So you’ve got three great adver=sing ideas for your new broth. You love all of them (one secretly more than the others, just like your kids...) but you want to know which one to make. What beHer than to ask consumers which one they like the best? Right?

Wrong.

Research, when done well, determines what works and what doesn’t against the objec=ves of the adver=sing. It doesn’t maHer which ad people like the most, what maHers is which ad is achieving the objec=ves (that's assuming the objec=ves are right, more on that later).

So we have our broth adver=sing ideas and we need to do some research. But when do you do it?

First up, you can never have too much research, no maHer what the ad agency says. Sorry, but you can’t be researched to death. That's like saying you can die from too much sex. And yes I am comparing market research to sex.

There are three really great =mes to have sex (er … I mean conduct research) in the crea=ve process.

Let’s look at each…

Good research doesn’t kill ideas – it informs you about them and allows you to make them better.

GETTING STARTED

WHEN DEVELOPING THE strategy

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The strategy for crea=ve work is rarely actually researched during the crea=ve process. It’s usually done when developing the brand posi=oning.

Obvious point – but strategies do need research. Because it’s important to know that they are built on solid founda=ons.

A client once invented a brand variant that would help guys appear irresis=ble to girls. Like Axe/Lynx but in a totally different category (for the sake of this guide, a broth).

They were so pleased with this idea that they went straight into crea=ve development with some ideas about how the broth gets the girl. All of them tanked because guys could see no credible way broth could help you get some ac=on.

The strategy was wrong and that meant that no maFer how smart the ideas were or how brilliant the execu2ons were, the issues were insurmountable.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

The lessons here?

1. Research your strategy and get it right before briefing the agency.

2. Broth is not sexy.

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Strategy, Idea & Execution

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You know the difference between strategy, idea and execu=on, right? You do? Good. Well, just to be sure, a quick recap…

Strategy: Usually closely related to the posi=oning, a convergence of product benefits, consumer insight and brand role. So, for example, our broth strategy is to communicate how broth brings the family together.

Idea: Crea=ve ideas are broad concepts which are designed to deliver against the strategy. For example, one of our broth ideas is that there is a world shortage of broth and as a result family life has broken down.

Execu2on: Execu=ons make abstract ideas tangible -‐ using scripts and posters and ac=va=on ideas. For example, one of the broth scripts against the above idea is called Broth Zombies where family members become zombies, wandering around the house in zombie-‐like states, because they have no broth. They just say, ‘broooooth’ as they wander past each other.

I so should have been an adver=sing crea=ve.

COMPONENTS OF A CAMPAIGN

RESEARCHING creative ideas

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Assuming the strategy is sound, then we can move into crea2ve development research.

So we have three ideas and to bring these ideas to life the agency has developed a couple of execu=ons for each. One of them of course is Broth Zombies (which would later go on to win a Cannes Lion).

Given we are researching ideas and the execu=ons exist just to help get the idea across, then we want to do some focus groups. Why groups? Well, groups are s=ll the best way of exploring and building ideas, and that's what this stage is all about.

This means s=mulus doesn’t need to be too finished; it just needs to ensure people understand the execu=ons, and hence the idea. A drawing, a few words or a script read out by the moderator are o_en enough.

Now, as you’re researching abstract ideas you decide to recommend to the client that we will be recrui=ng university-‐educated and eloquent members of the target group. This is to maximize our chances of ge`ng insighaul feedback on ideas; don’t worry, later on in the process we’ll show more finished execu=ons to the core target market.


Groups are still the best way of exploring and building ideas, and that's what this stage is all about.

BRIEFING & HYPOTHESES

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Before we moderate the groups we’re going to need a proper briefing where we go through all the broth ideas, execu=ons and s=mulus and the client and agency inform us of their concerns, intent and ques=ons for each.

As an intelligent researcher, we would of course have developed our own hypotheses about each idea and rough execu=on prior to the briefing.

In this briefing process, if you’re a client or agency person, please don’t ask the researcher which idea is their favorite. Firstly, we probably won’t have one as we’re not as close or as invested as you are.

Secondly, if we do, we can’t tell you because then we introduce perceived bias and to avoid this we have to say something like: “Well they’re all great and seem to be on brief but I’m not a broth-‐ea9ng father of three and therefore I’ll just have to wait and see how they respond.”

Now that we fully understand the ideas, it’s 2me to do some groups…


As an intelligent researcher, we would of course have developed our own hypotheses about each idea and rough execution prior to the briefing.

MODERATING groups

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When it comes to idea groups, remember that we’re not researching finished execu=ons. You’re trying to understand to what degree each of the high-‐level ideas achieves the objec=ves of the brief.

You’re researching abstract concepts with a gigan=c s=mulus effect. This can mean that a lot of what people say in the groups is confused, confusing and meaningless. Some=mes you just have to ignore the respondent feedback that's linked to the s=mulus effect.

The answer rarely reveals itself before at least four groups have been conducted, and it o_en takes six.

Anyways.

When researching adver=sing ideas, we’re really interested in understanding the message, the fit with the brand and how it makes people feel. Of course, to get to this point you’ve got to get people to tell you what they like and don’t like about the execu=ons, what it’s saying, what they can remember, who it’s aimed at and even how they’d improve it.


Sometimes you just have to ignore the respondent feedback that's linked to the stimulus effect.

MODERATING groups

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We also need to avoid group-‐think or the influence of the one opinionated individual who sits directly opposite the moderator and fills all the pauses with noise.

So we start off looking at individual reac2ons, with things like round-‐robin exercises to understand how each person is processing the message and how it makes them feel.

Adver=sing idea groups can o_en be quite flat with energy, especially if the ideas are somewhat flawed. If so, don’t be disheartened; we’ve researched amazing adver=sing that ini=ally researched horribly at this stage. For now, it’s all about the message.

That said, some2mes people just don’t get it. But don’t worry, that’s why we do research. Let’s look at what happens when things don’t go to plan…


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It happens. Some=mes people just don’t get what you’re trying to say. This can trigger panic in the back room because the strategy is fixed and you absolutely need some ideas that delivers against it.

Like, tomorrow.

This is oNen where we really earn our money. Experienced crea=ve development researchers know how to find a way forward.

If the ideas aren’t landing, it might be the execu=ons. So, at this stage it’s OK to explain what the execu=on is trying to say, otherwise the idea dies because of an execu=onal fail.

Or maybe the idea is ar=culated badly. Then our job is to explore if there’s a way of ar=cula=ng it beHer. Knowing when to take a few steps back can help unlock new ways of expressing the ideas. Change the ar=cula=on of the idea for the next group and try again.

You have to think on your feet some2mes. Earlier we men2oned hypotheses: Having them helps us do this. Not having them makes us look even swea2er and more agitated than usual.

WHAT IF THEY just don’t get it?


Knowing when to take a few steps back can help unlock new ways of expressing the ideas.

THE Darkness

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We can’t talk about crea2ve development without talking about the back room.

Now if I was a client I would watch the first group or two, to ensure the s=mulus works and the researcher is doing a good job, and then go home and wait to talk to the researcher a few days a_er the final groups.

But no…

In the back room we have an equal number of agency and client people. At least half of them don’t really need to be there (and most probably don’t want to be). There are at least four different agendas hiding in the darkness.

Everyone is furiously wri=ng notes, capturing everything everyone says regardless of whether it is important or not (note: it isn’t, so please put the laptop away and just listen).

At least half the people are keeping scores of the execu=ons that ‘win’.

With this process is it any wonder that so much =me is spent dealing with the poli=cs born of half-‐developed analysis, rather than focusing on making some decent broth adver=sing?

Like a good broth, crea2ve development analysis needs 2me to simmer to perfec2on.

At the end of every group everyone sends an email to his or her boss with an update

At the end of the night everyone sends a slightly longer note to his or her boss with an update

Repeat every night un=l the groups are finished. Everyone then sends a final longer topline to his or her boss (a_er a 2 hour wrap up at 10:30pm)


ANALYSIS & REPORTING TIME

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Just to repeat, the role of the research is not to give you the answer.

The role of research is to inform the client and agency teams, what is working and what is not.

We never report back on s=mulus-‐related issues; these are all weeded out so we’re just focusing on the idea and intended execu=on.

For this reason, we work with a nice simple analysis and repor=ng structure. For each we simply report what’s working, what is not and why.

Our recommenda2ons will focus on issues to fix and the idea emerging from the research with the most poten2al to achieve your objec2ves.

1. A quick check on the strategy

2. Exploring the crea=ve ideas: which ones are resona=ng with people? Are they understood? Are they true, are they relevant, are they compelling, do they evoke a reac=on?

3. Evalua=ng the execu=ons and the extent to which they support the relevant ideas:

a) Comprehension. What’s the message? Where are they confused and why?

b) Engagement. Do they relate to it? Is it really speaking to them? Are they feeling something?

c) Brand Fit. Does it fit with the known brand associa=ons? Does it build associa=ons as per the brief? Could a lack of fit with the brand hinder recall? What’s anchoring it to the brand?

d) Impact. Does it have poten=al for noise and buzz? Is it dis=nc=ve, disrup=ve and /or different?

Sorry, no jokes on this slide (that's because broth adver=sing is really no laughing maHer).


SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA AND YOU WANT TO develop & refine your executions

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Good news! The research was well received. The agency has lots of room to develop and fix the crea=ve and we offered some clear guardrails for future brand work.

The agency has gone away and developed one idea with 6 execu=ons, some TV/online and some out-‐of-‐home. They want to make two or three.

One of them, of course, is Broth Zombies.

Now it’s 2me to evaluate them all.

EXECUTIONAL RESEARCH

THE NITTY GRITTY OF executional research

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We recommend triads for this stage because we no longer need to explore and build – we need detailed personal response.

Needless to say it’s beHer to do this research before you’ve actually made the ads. Anima=cs and mock-‐ups will help iden=fy anything that gets in the way of comprehension or enjoyment before it’s too late to do anything about it.

That’s the value of research at this point.

So it’s really important that the s=mulus is all consistent and equally polished. This might be the last =me people see the adver=sing in research before it goes live, so care needs to be taken.

In these groups we’re ge`ng into lots of detail and really trying to determine the message, and what in the execu=on is driving it.

We’ll need to have lots of hypotheses about the execu=ons and specific issues we think might emerge. If, for example, we think our Zombies might be misinterpreted as homeless people – we’re going to watch out for that.


An executional element can make or break a campaign or completely change the message.

RECOMMENDING the way forward

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Again we approach the analysis with a detached view on what’s working vs what’s not and, whilst our repor=ng will be quite clear on our recommended direc=on, the final decision on which ads should be made must be le_ to the client and agency team.

We will however always remain loyal to the brand. There may be poli=cs and there may be pressure but if we believe the research is telling us we have no winning ad then that will be said.

We are also very happy to recommend an idea that people don’t actually claim to like; adver=sing doesn't have to be liked to be effec=ve. It can be uncomfortable and even really annoying and s=ll be successful.

‣ Where there is risk we will point it out. ‣ Where there is op2miza2on required we will be clear. ‣ Where there is a big opportunity we will point towards it.

But we will always tell you to make Broth Zombies.


Advertising doesn't have to be liked to be effective. It can be uncomfortable and even really annoying and still be successful.

GO MAKE THE ad

17THE SOUND


So Broth Zombies has emerged with flying colors – it achieves the adver=sing objec=ves and does so in a disrup=ve and highly impacaul way, ideal for both TV and online.

Now you have to go and make the ad, and unfortunately this is the final stage where pilot error could fly the broth jet into a mountain.

Let me tell you a true story: Many years ago we researched some adver=sing for a soda. The execu=on featured a bunch of Oompa Loompas burs=ng into a house and repea=ng everything the teenage protagonist said, before somehow ge`ng to why you should drink this brand. The ad researched well, was funny and did what they wanted it to do.

When it came to making the ad, someone decided to swap the Oompa Loompas for aggressive middle-‐aged men, and the response was a na=onal outcry. Newspapers and TV accused the ad of promo=ng bullying and eventually it was taken off air.

The lesson here is don’t mess with the researched execu=on. Make it as close to the researched material as you can and remember that an execu=onal change might just give you something too hot to handle…

Now all we need to do is drop Kendall Jenner into the Broth Zombies and we’ll have an ad that will change the world.*

Good luck.

*If you do this, please do another quick round of research, just a few paired depths to check you haven’t offended an entire generation and become a global laughing stock.

ONE LAST NOTE

SLIDE SITE

1 hHps://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-‐prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kendall-‐jenner-‐pepsi-‐ad-‐1491402522.png

3 hHp://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/170405095816-‐kendall-‐jenner-‐pepsi-‐ad-‐1024x576.jpg

4 hHps://fionadiaries.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/tumblr_niyp28unnr1s7oxg6o1_1280.jpg

5 hHp://cdn.rocketrepublic.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2015/11/rocketrepublic_com_neuestock_-‐30.jpg

6 hHps://thenerdsofcolor.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/zoc007.jpg

7 hHp://pleated-‐jeans.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2015/01/R0sOWjR-‐1.jpg

8 hHps://navypilotoverseas.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/vf-‐3-‐pilot-‐briefing2.jpg

9 hHps://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iBcvwQHXx2AE/v0/1200x-‐1.jpg

10 hHp://i.huffpost.com/gen/1969908/images/o-‐BORED-‐KID-‐facebook.jpg

11 hHp://www.lolwot.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2015/05/12-‐reasons-‐why-‐you-‐are-‐in-‐a-‐dire-‐need-‐of-‐a-‐break-‐1.jpg

12 hHp://controlzine.com/control/wp-‐content/uploads/2014/10/TheDARKNESS.jpeg

13 hHp://images.tmcnet.com/tmc/misc/ar=cles/image/2015/5951006240-‐scared-‐face-‐shuHerstock.jpg

14 hHp://images.amcnetworks.com/amc.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2011/12/zombie-‐guts.jpg

15 hHps://uscworkandfamilylife.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/monkey-‐grooming.jpg

16 hHps://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/03/26/09/50/alley-‐690433_960_720.jpg

17 hHps://michaelstvtray.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/oompa-‐loompas-‐3.jpg

19THE SOUND


IMAGE REFERENCES

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad-1491402522.png

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/170405095816-kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad-1024x576.jpg

https://fionadiaries.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/tumblr_niyp28unnr1s7oxg6o1_1280.jpg

http://cdn.rocketrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/rocketrepublic_com_neuestock_-30.jpg

https://thenerdsofcolor.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/zoc007.jpg

http://pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/R0sOWjR-1.jpg

https://navypilotoverseas.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/vf-3-pilot-briefing2.jpg

https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iBcvwQHXx2AE/v0/1200x-1.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1969908/images/o-BORED-KID-facebook.jpg

http://www.lolwot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/12-reasons-why-you-are-in-a-dire-need-of-a-break-1.jpg

http://controlzine.com/control/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TheDARKNESS.jpeg

http://images.tmcnet.com/tmc/misc/articles/image/2015/5951006240-scared-face-shutterstock.jpg

http://images.amcnetworks.com/amc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/zombie-guts.jpg

https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/03/26/09/50/alley-690433_960_720.jpg

https://michaelstvtray.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/oompa-loompas-3.jpg

the sound's guide to creative development research

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