New System Model Scores Advertising Creative to Increase Response Rates

ANNAPOLIS, MD, 02/10/2005 -- Advertising PowerLIFT is a new service to raise advertising effectiveness and response rates by model scoring an ad’s creative execution to measure the response power generation. The adpowerlift model is constructed of the key traits, or characteristics, an advertisement must possess to drive -- or pull -- response. After scoring the advertisement, adpowerlift recommends changes in the creative execution to strengthen any low scoring or negative traits. The full service includes a strategy review, metric evaluation, response forecast, income statement and risk analysis. Adpowerlift can evaluate and strengthen both new advertising before it runs, and current ads suffering from fatigue and decreasing response rates. The service is ordered through the Internet from www.adpowerlift.com and completes in 5 days for less than $1,500.

Researching advertising effectiveness is difficult, and usually too costly except for large budget advertisers. So many advertisers evaluate an ad’s creative execution with a subjective view from personal experience. Direct response advertisers research new ads by testing them in A/B split tests against control ads with known response rates. But even they rely on personal experience to decide if a new creative execution is strong enough to test. Adpowerlift is a new service for advertisers to objectively evaluate a response advertisement, compare it to over 300 other ads, and get comprehensive improvement guidance to strengthen its response power generation.

The adpowerlift model is constructed of 17 positive and negative traits that determine an advertisement’s effectiveness at pulling response. Each trait is value weighted by importance with the total of all the positive value weights equaling 100. The scoring process assigns a numeric grade point from 0 to 5 for the ad’s creative execution strength of each trait. The numeric grade point multiplied by the value weight equals the ad’s trait score. And, the sum of all trait scores is the model score. Assuming no negative traits reduce it, the highest possible model score is 500. While the model score does not predict response, it does correlate directly to response power generation. And higher response power generation creates higher response.

The model traits apply to both consumer and business-to-business advertising, but vary in how they are implemented. The trait value weights also vary by ad type (direct order sale, inquiry-generation, store-traffic generation, and fund-raising) and advertising channel (space, direct mail and catalog). The Internet channel starts beta test in March. The broadcast ad type and channel will be added in the fall. The adpowerlift scoring report explains the model traits, and how to implement them in complete detail.

The scoring report also compares the ad’s score to over 300 scores of other ads previously scored. The ranking includes ads from many categories including insurance, apparel, food, travel, automobiles, and home furnishings. (The identity of specific ads is confidential; only aggregate scores are reported.) The advertisers of scored ads include Lands End, Select Comfort, Sharper Image, SUREFIT, American Express, and Walt Disney World. Fund-raisers include American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Society. Retailers include Chico’s, Sports Authority, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Home Depot.

The research and development to create adpowerlift took over 3 years. Virtually every available published work in direct response strategy formation, creative development, and advertising effectiveness was studied. Hundreds of marketing science and academic journal papers were reviewed. Professionals added their real-world experience from thousands of ads and A/B split test results. To assure objectivity, the adpowerlift model traits and value weights were reviewed by an independent panel of advertising professionals. The model traits and value weights are confidential and only published in the scoring report, provided under license to subscribers of the service. Further information about the model and an extensive question and answer list is available at the website, www.adpowerlift.com.

Advertising PowerLIFT is a division of SmartPlans LLC, a marketing consultancy based in Annapolis, MD, and Newtown, CT, that provides marketing planning, circulation management and media buying services. The President of SmartPlans is Stephen J. Stuart, a senior direct marketing executive of 30-years experience including the early high-growth years of The Franklin Mint, leadership of several catalogs and consulting experience in many industries.

Stuart commented, “With over 300 ads now scored, we understand better why advertisers complain about weak advertising effectiveness and low response rates. The weaknesses that cause low response rates are very visible when an ad is scored against the adpowerlift model.”

Advertising PowerLIFT’s Internet address is www.adpowerlift.com and phone number is (410) 991-7084.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Steve Stuart, please call (410) 991-7084 or e-mail Steve at adpowerlift@comcast.net.

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