Understanding and Using Likeability

Erik du Plessis

Argues for the importance of measuring `likeability' of commercials as evidence of effectiveness. Illustrated with data from Impact Information, the author's South African tracking company, and describes the COMMAP model used in pretesting to establish a commercial's `likeability' by various descriptive parameters.

Understanding and Using Likability

Erik du Plessis

*This was originally presented at the ESOMAR/ARF Worldwide Electronic and Broadcast Audience Research Symposium, Paris, France, May 1-4, 1994.

This paper presents the results flowing from a large database (ten thousand television commercials) developed over a ten-year period. The database measures the in-market awareness and likability of all television commercials in South Africa, within two to three weeks after their first appearance.

The ability of television commercials to get into memory has halved over a period of eight years in South Africa – a trend that possibly also exists in other countries. This...

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