As marketers, we are often tasked with choosing between different advertising designs and messaging to launch.

We ask ourselves questions like…

  • What advertising concept will offer the best return?
  • What design will persuade consumers to click on our ad?
  • What messaging will be most appealing to our target audience?

To guide our decisions, many marketers are familiar with A/B testing. It relies on conversion rates, link clicks, impressions, and other KPIs to determine what ad concept to invest in.

Sure, this approach is better than not relying on data-driven insights at all.

But, it is certainly not the best approach advertisers should be using to earn the greatest return on their investment.

Instead, marketers should be relying on ad concept testing surveys.

Here’s why.

The Issue with A/B Testing

When searching the world wide web for best practices to choose the greatest ad concept, a common solution is an A/B test.

For example…

  • Concept A features a blue design.
  • Concept B features the same messaging but with a red design.

After launching the ads for a given period of time, marketers review the data to see what design consumers are interacting and engaging with more.

This will give them their answer for which ad they should invest their remaining budget on.

However, who is to say these two ads are even the best possible options?

Heck, who is to say they are even advertising on the right platform for their target audience?

Additionally, aside from link clicks, impressions, and conversions, the A/B testing approach does not give marketers much insight into what is and is not working about their ads.

In contrast, ad concept testing surveys set your team up for success from the start.

What Are Ad Concept Testing Surveys?

Ad concept testing is a type of market research that surveys your target audience to gather their feedback on different advertising designs and messaging. It is the greatest way to develop and refine marketing campaigns before they go live.

Doing so allows brands to get answers about factors such as:

  • What messaging and design resonates most?
  • Do respondents understand the service or product advertised?
  • Is the advertisement/offer enticing enough?
  • Are promotions being presented effectively?
  • What are the best advertising channels for the ads?
  • What are the overall likes and dislikes of the ads?

Once the feedback is gathered from your target audience, data analysis will often reveal new ideas and improvements. This gives your campaign the greatest chance for success.

The data gathered from ad concept testing surveys is far superior to any insight you’d gather from any basic paid advertising platforms.

The Benefits of Ad Concept Testing Over A/B Testing

Increase the ROI of Your Advertising and Marketing Campaigns

Using custom data to select the right campaign is the greatest chance your organization has at saving AND making money.

We’ve all been there. We spend weeks working on concepts and ad creative that provide little to no return. Wouldn’t it have been nice to know what improvements you could have made to earn greater results?

Even if your ads saw some return, who is to say it couldn’t have received more with ad concept testing. Sure, a return of 3X or 4X your investment is great – but what if you conducted market research first and it provided a return of 8X your investment?

Rely on Real Consumer Reactions

Ad concept testing surveys with a market research company allow your brand to present several advertising concepts with a large number of respondents. These respondents should match the profile of the target audience of your advertising campaign.

This process is greater than presenting your designs in front of the usual team of decision-makers. This audience is often too close to the brand, product, or service and is not reflective of your target consumer.

It’s no revelation that marketing and advertising trends are constantly evolving. What worked in 2019 may be considered a flop in 2021. This is because the marketing industry is heavily dependent on meeting customer demands. As soon as consumer preferences and expectations change, so do marketing strategies.

What better way to create a data-driven marketing strategy than with ad concept testing? Create your designs and messaging based on the audience’s feedback you are hoping to engage with these advertisements. There seems to be no better source to depend on for your advertising decisions.