Television Advertising that Works: An Analysis of Commercials from Effective Campaigns
Powered By Xquantum

Television Advertising that Works: An Analysis of Commercials fro ...

Chapter 1:  Introduction
Read
image Next

Purpose and Significance of Study

In this book, we provide a comprehensive and thorough investigation of message strategies and devices found in television advertisements from U.S. industry-judged-effective (EFFIE) advertising campaigns. Rather than measure the many dependent contributors to advertising effectiveness, this book will focus on the commercial itself. In this sense, this research differs from others; we examine actual commercials from campaigns deemed effective by industry peers. In other words, rather than look at single item measures typically used to evaluate advertising, this study examines the actual effectiveness winners.

We selected the EFFIE awards as a sample frame of advertisements since these commercials come from effective campaigns. Frazer, Sheehan, and Patti (2002) suggested the AMA’s EFFIE awards as a valuable data set for understanding the relationship between advertising strategy and advertising effectiveness. Frazer et al. (2002) commented:

While it certainly cannot be said whether the commercials in the sample used in this study were judged as being effective based on cognitive effects or on behavioural outcomes, it is known that they were judged as being effective based on concrete evidence of one or the other. Thus, effective advertising is opera-tionalized as the receipt of an industry effectiveness award. (p. 152)

In addition, Wright et al. (1997) considered the EFFIEs a potential source of useful data since competitors must provide the problem background, objectives, creative and media strategy, and evidence of results. Moreover, a descriptive study of this type would be less telling if a strong theory of advertising effectiveness existed (Stewart & Furse, 1986).