MRG Conference: Measuring the Impact Of Marcoms Activity

Media Researchers must understand the impact of all marketing and communications activity for their clients if they are to take their place at the top table, according to News International’s ad planning manager, Matthew Dodd and Carat Insight’s senior communications consultant, Helen Beirne.

Speaking at this year’s MRG Conference in Budapest, the pair explained how Carat Insight’s Cognitive Tracking research methodology had been used to isolate the “real” perceptual impact of a £2m press campaign for the Kit Kat Chunky Brand.

They explained how qualitative techniques were used to identify the connections that consumers had with the brand, whilst assessing how strong they were in influencing brand perception. The second stage of the research used quantitative tracking to test these connections against an attitudinally homogenous segment. Finally, econometric modelling techniques were used to understand the effect of experience, managed and unmanaged communications on the brand.

Dodd and Beirne explained that the study showed that press activity can be as effective at changing attitudes towards brands as TV. They concluded that Cognitive Tracking generates a better-quality assessment of a brand, allowing clients to isolate the attitudinal impact of all marketing activity.

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