Effectiveness and efficiency: no need for confrontation

Colin McDonald

A response to Charles Channon's article on 'Effectiveness and Efficiency' in March 1990. While agreeing that advertising should not be determined by too much reliance on any one measurement, the author regards as fallacious the idea set up by Channon, and in the Boston conference, that `Efficiency' and `Effectiveness' are two opposed mind sets, between which there is no contact.

Effectiveness and efficiency: no need for confrontation

Colin McDonald

In March 1990, Charles Channon pointed out among other things that measurements of advertising 'efficiency' - such as quantified pretesting - can actually undermine its effectiveness (the tail wagging the dog). He contrasted the 'efficiency' and 'effectiveness' mind sets. While accepting the general premise, Colin McDonald's searching review below claims there are some hazardous inferences and fallacies in the argument, and deplores the 'artificial confrontation' between the different approaches which arose recently in Boston.

He examines the research measures that are possible, the meaning of fluctuations from a brand's...

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