Tracking advertising results has always been important, but never more than now. Here’s a new idea on how to get the info you need.
Typically advertisers try to track the results of their advertising by asking customers “how did you find out about our company?” Any advertiser who has done this to any extent has probably noticed people do not know the answer or give answers that are incorrect. A big reason for this is most people do not remember any single advertisement that may have persuaded them to do business with you.
Recently an advertiser of ours was asked how she decided to patronize one of our clients. The lady answered she found them “on the internet.” Her young son interrupted and said “No mom, you saw it on the screens in Weis Markets. Then you looked them up on the internet when we got home.”
We have always suggested running ongoing in-store promotions to get people to fill out registrations where they would be asked what media they had used in the past 24 or 48 hours. We used this technique because people tend not to remember when or where they may have been exposed to your ads. It is widely believed people are exposed to thousands of ads on an average day. So when you ask what media have you used in the last day or two they are more likely to remember.
Another reason we have used this technique is many people do not like to admit that advertising has influenced them. When the media being used appears frequently on the survey, it is a good indication the media is having some effect. If you do not see much response for the media you are using, it is probably a good indication it is not working so well.
With the ever-increasing number of ways people are being reached by advertising, we are finding the best way to get the most accurate information is to be direct. If you are advertising on Radio or cable TV, instead of asking if they listened to the radio or watched TV in the last day or two, why not just ask if they saw your ad on TV or heard it on the radio. While some people will tell you what they want you to think, I believe with the right approach most people will just tell you the truth
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