HCD Research AdverTest™ is a concept testing tool that uses the Internet to provide marketers with rapid, real-time insight into consumer preferences related to their print or broadcast advertisements.

HCD AdverTest is a flexible, cost-effective method for rapidly obtaining comprehensive data regarding consumer preferences to speed marketing decision making, which has become increasingly important in today’s costly and highly competitive advertising arena. Unlike traditional research methods, the technology can be employed with respondents located virtually anywhere in the world to provide marketers with powerful insights into why a print or broadcast advertisement does or doesn’t work.

Previously, advertising research data were only available using eye tracking technology and specialized, in-depth qualitative research. These conventional methods assess what the viewer sees by using a special camera to track the motion of a person’s eyes as he or she views an ad on a monitor. While these methods are effective, they involve intricate, expensive camera equipment, which is only available on a limited basis at a few centralized locations.

Conversely, during HCD AdverTest, research participants are asked to review an on-line print advertisement on their computers. The participants are then asked a series of questions, to which they respond with the click of a mouse. Through advanced programming techniques, we use the point-and-click feature and interactivity of the Internet to identify, for example, which part of the ad they noticed first, the actionable words and phrases and what they signify to each participant, and whether or not the brand logo was identified.

In addition, more tailored follow-up questions -- such as open-ended “reason why” questions -- can also be posed during the course of the research based on the individual participant’s responses. While the approach relies on each participant’s memory, our experience suggests that responses to HCD AdverTest remain generally in accord with data generated from conventional eye-tracking techniques.
When testing broadcast advertisements, participants are asked to view an ad three times, once to familiarize themselves with the ad, and then to evaluate the content for interest and believability using an automated response methodology. While participants view the ad, they move the mouse to the left to indicate low levels of interest and to the right to indicate high interest. They repeat the procedure to measure the ad’s believability.

Printable brochure (PDF): Web-based Advertising Research Services