Point of view: Ad testing isn't dead

In this brief article, the author (global vice-president of marketing strategy and insights at The Coca-Cola Company) reveals why he doesn't believe that testing ads automatically stifles creativity and why marketing accountability has to be a business imperative.

Point of view: Ad testing isn't dead

Stan SthanunathanThe Coca-Cola Company

Ad agency creatives say ad testing stifles creativity. Clients (especially Insights departments) insist they need accountability. While research agencies believe that ad testing works and there is enough proof of that. So who is right?

With billions of dollars spent on media annually, marketing accountability is a business imperative, especially in a challenging economic environment, and delivering against this expectation is not optional.

Most ad testing approaches deliver upwards of 70-80% accurate read of the potential impact of the ad. Very rarely have I come across ads that...

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