|
 GURU'S
LECTURE: The concept of actually test driving a spot
is not new. Madison Avenue ad agencies do it all the time.
We don't have focus groups at our disposal so what can
we do?
Imagine
you have an ad for a client which is already produced,
but has yet to air. You are a little edgy about the ad's
prospect for success when you look at it. You should:
1.
Find someone in the building who represents the target
audience.
2.
Show the spot without a word of explanation.
3.
Have them explain the message they got from the spot.
As
you might guess we do not care if they like or dislike
the ad.
Instead
we want to understand what message came across from the
ad. The message your guinea pig got should match perfectly
with the message you are trying to convey.
Let
us consider Rule 11: "Road Test The Spot"
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"Above me you
see the road of life. Test driving an ad is designed
to stop you and your client from driving into
the black pit of failure on the right." 
"So we get a guinea pig from our staff who
is in the right demographic and we show them the
spot."
"Then
we ask them if they like the spot or not."
(Banging
his head on the floor) "To like or not
like the spot does not matter! Have you already
forgotten Lesson One? Someone bring my opium
pipe."
"Aha! I get it. You don't care if the guinea
pig likes or dislikes the spot. You want to know
if they got the message."
"Guru,
you seek to plant messages more so than providing
entertainment. It is as if you wish us to become
farmers."