Using Creative Ad Concept Testing as Real-time Market Research

One of the greatest benefits of investing in creative concept testing is that it serves as a proving ground for your entire brand. Not only do the insights learned in your tests pertain to your ad creative, but they can also be applied holistically to all your properties.

This is because today’s best creative concept testing tools:

1. use multivariate testing to tell you which ads and which creative assets are winners
2. put your ad concepts in market, right in front of your target audience

This means your test results can be used as a new form of real-time market research. The application of these creative insights across your entire brand is endless and using them in this way hugely increases the ROI of your ad testing tool.

Imagine your latest ad concept test revealed the above ad as your top performer. Here are some ways to spread those winning creative elements — image, headline, background color, etc. — around like buttah.

Apply winning copy to:

• Audio advertising: Use within radio and podcast ads
• Brand partnerships: align the messaging your audience likes with the partnerships your brand pursues (eco-friendly, diversity, etc.)
• Email: Use as a headline or subhead in email campaigns
• Print: Use as a headline in print ads, out-of-home, direct mail, etc.
• Product and packaging: Add headline to packaging
• SEM/PPC: Use in paid search campaigns
• Website: Use on home page or product pages

Apply winning images to:

• Catalog ads: Feature this product with more audiences
• Ecommerce platform: Use as your main product page image ‍
• Photography: Inform future photoshoot angles, setup, etc. ‍
• Print: Incorporate into print ads, out-of-home, direct mail, etc. ‍
• Product and packaging: Use images on packaging, build like products into roadmap ‍
• Retail experience: Use images on in-store signage ‍
• Social media: Use images in organic placements

Apply winning background colors to:

• Brand guidelines: Add to color palette
• Catalog ads: Use as background or border color ‍
• Product and packaging: Update packaging and product colorways ‍
• Retail experience: Bring color into store signage ‍
• Social media: Bring color into posts and profile images ‍
• Website: Add throughout site design

Apply winning CTAs to:

• Audio advertising: Use at the end of radio and podcast ads
• Email: Use within email campaigns
• SEM/PPC: Use in paid search campaigns
• Website: Use on home page or product pages

Apply winning graphics to:

• Brand guidelines: Add as a new element in your design system
• Catalog ads: Use as a background or design element
• Print: Incorporate into print ads, out-of-home, direct mail, etc. ‍
• Product and packaging: Use graphics on packaging ‍
• Social media: Use graphics in posts and profile images ‍
• Website: Use as a design element across your site

Apply winning logos to:

• Brand guidelines: Call it out as your preferred logo lock-up
• Print: Incorporate into print ads, out-of-home, direct mail, etc.
• Product and packaging: Update logo on product and packaging
• Website: Update logo across entire brand site

Apply winning testimonials, reviews, or press to:

• Catalog ads: Use as social proof
• Email: Use to encourage purchase in promotional emails
• Retail experience: Use on in-store signage
• Social media: Use in posts and profile information
• Website: Place on home page and applicable product pages

Apply winning fonts to:

• Brand guidelines: Add as a new font in your design system
• Catalog ads: Use to incorporate copy into DPA designs
• Print: Incorporate into print ads, out-of-home, direct mail, etc.
• Product and packaging: Update packaging font
• Retail experience: Use font on in-store signage

Creative intelligence is quickly becoming the new brand standards. Grab a free version of this guide (no email needed!) to share with your team. And if you’re ready to start using data to build a more performant brand, set up a one-on-one demo to see Marpipe in action.