Market research The Psychometer examined
the commercials in the advertising blocks on Swiss television. The
The 2004/2005 results are now available and it is not easy to be the best,
the Lucerne-based research institute Interdata introduces its
latest analysis edition "The 20 best commercials of 2004 and 2005"
firm. Whether this consolation is enough for advertising creatives is questionable when you
the results of the study from their perspective. Only a few
innovative implementations have been able to establish themselves - and only in the dimension
"Attention" - assert themselves. The rest fell alone
because they are not mainstream.

Positive image thanks to humor
In cooperation with IMAS International Linz, the Institute is measuring
of the Psychometer annually in several European countries since 1992
the advertising impact of around 400 to 500 TV commercials. In the last two
years, there were 740, measured in 19 dimensions. In the
most important criteria - attention, favor, improvement of opinion
and incentive to buy - none of them succeeded in all four or even three
to make it into the top 20. Eleven scored in at least two
dimensions one top position and 58 in one. "This shows how
it is difficult to advertise effectively," explains research director Jos
Vloemans.

So what does it take to achieve the best resonance, or in other words
around: Why are the spots placed above (see table) so
good? The magic word, says Vloemans, is arousing interest. The
The best spots in all four dimensions are characterized by the fact that
they are of above-average interest, i.e. something new is being
or something differentiating about the product that is important for the
viewers has personal relevance. The commercials that best
and those with the highest opinion-improving power are
extremely interesting. The favor is further enhanced by a
sympathetic impression, whereas the improvement in opinion
through humor. Positive image building does not have to be a deadly serious matter
be

Three times the brand - at least
The incentive to buy was at its highest when the product was
was shown and explained in a good and interesting way.
The product is still the hero". The commercials with the
highest value in terms of purchase incentive - mainly food and beverages.
stimulants - were also described as average. The
is due to the fact that product-centered implementations and creative
originality are extremely difficult to combine, says Vloemans. The
The high school of advertising is therefore to design commercials in such a way that
the repeated product presentation is entertainingly packaged and somewhat
conveys interesting information. Then there is the branding. When it comes to the
results, the brand should appear early and often.
Preferably in the first five seconds and then at least
three times. The consumer must know immediately what it is all about. Otherwise
and learn too little from the commercial, is the conclusion. Whether
this recipe for success suits the creative minds? Let's wait and see
the next psychometer measurements.   

Luca Aloisi
The psychometer
The Psychometer is a standardized measurement tool for TV commercials
and reviews advertising blocks at regular intervals in the Swiss
Television. The tests are carried out among 120 test subjects, each for
Half men and half women aged between 16 and 50. After a single
Before playing the block, the test measures the spontaneous recall,
the aided recall, the level of awareness of the commercial before the test,
four response values (like, worth seeing, change of opinion and
motivation to buy) and the detailed action based on a list specification
(likeable, entertaining, interesting, good product presentation,
convincing, average, boring, exaggerated). (la)

Television advertising The Psychometer checks advertising blocks on Swiss television. The results for 2003/04. "Marketing without a performance review is like racing without a stopwatch" is a well-known rule in the media business. These days, the Interdata research institute in Lucerne is once again presenting the most popular and best TV commercials in Switzerland. Such quality is measured using a so-called psychometer. The system from the Interdata Research Institute is a standardized measuring instrument for TV commercials and regularly reviews advertising blocks from Swiss TV. In cooperation with IMAS International, Linz, the Interdata Research Institute in Lucerne has tested 400 to 500 commercials a year since 1992, a total of around 6500 to date. 120 test subjects, half men and half women aged 16 to 50, are tested.After playing the block once, the test measures spontaneous recall, aided recall, awareness of the commercial before the test, four response values (liked, worth watching, opinion improved, motivation to buy) and finally the detailed action based on a list (likeable, entertaining, interesting, good product presentation, convincing, average, boring, exaggerated).
The current analysis of the 20 best commercials examined 840 commercials from 2003 and 2004 and shows which commercials achieved the best response and, above all, why. The study looked at 19 dimensions in order to find answers to the question: Who did what better than the producers of less successful commercials?
The result is that the commercials that attract the most attention are "entertaining" as an important criterion. In addition, the best commercials are also those that improve the opinion of a product the most. They are therefore "interesting" because they tell something new or different about the product. In terms of the incentive to buy, the commercials that performed best were those in which the product was "well shown" and explained in an understandable way. The product is the hero" still applies here.
"It may come as a surprise," says Interdata, that the commercials with the highest purchase appeal are also described as average. This is due to the fact that the population is not aware that it is precisely this rather intensive product presentation that leads to a purchase. Viewers therefore still expect entertainment from a popular commercial. This results in the difficult task for the creatives of designing the commercials in such a way that the product presentation - which is shown several times - is packaged in an entertaining way and at the same time conveys something interesting.
With the help of Interdata and its storyboard test, customers can quickly eliminate the weak points in a spot through technical optimization such as editing or fade-ins. The standard values, based on 300,000 spots that have been tested internationally to date, take into account factors such as spot length, position in the block, awareness of the film or the frequency with which it has been shown to date, as well as the industry. Branding has also proven to be a very important rule. The brand must appear early and often - preferably in the first five seconds and then at least three more times. "The consumer must know immediately what it's about, otherwise they don't think about it and learn too little from the commercial," the impact researchers are convinced.
Andreas Panzeri