Advertising Development Research

Brandspeak's advertising research supports brands throughout the creative process, providing audience-based evaluation at every stage of development. Our evaluation goes far beyond typical metrics such as ad engagement, likeability and recall, to determine if and how an execution is ultimately going to influence brand perception and purchase behaviour.

Talk to Us About Your Advertising

Why Brandspeak for Advertising Development Research

Whereas an internal creative review tells you what the team thinks, only the audience can tell you whether the creative is resonating and which messages are landing.

Brandspeak puts that audience in the room at whichever point in development you need input, from first creative routes through animatics to finished film. The result is evidence, rather than opinion, that the version going into production is the one that people will respond to, and that it captures the essence of the brand behind it. That matters, because by the time an execution is found wanting post-launch, the production and media budget has already been spent.

The four stages we cover, and the methods suited to each, are set out in the Services and Research Methods sections below.

Brandspeak has been delivering advertising research for over 20 years. We are AQR and Market Research Society members, the UK's professional bodies for market research.

Benefits of Advertising Research

Advertising research enables clients and their agencies to maximise advertising cut-though, memorability and impact.

Clearer Route Selection

Advertising research provides confidence when choosing between creative routes by identifying the executions that resonate most fundamentally with audiences, not just those that are best understood. It strips away ambiguity early, so teams can commit to a direction knowing it connects on a deeper level, and that the intended proposition will hold its shape as executional detail develops.

Stronger Viewer Connection

Advertising research focuses on how well an execution holds attention from moment to moment, pinpointing exactly where engagement builds and where it drops away. This gives teams a clear, granular view of performance as the creative develops, so refinements can be targeted precisely where they're needed.

Consistent Brand Impression

Advertising research confirms that the brand cuts through and stays consistent as the concept evolves. It reveals whether the execution stays on-brand, with messaging, values and personality all experienced as intended.

Commercial Activation with GrowthTest

Using our GrowthTest model we can focus on the potential commercial impact of an advert, whether it will retain loyalist buyers and win over new ones. Buyer Behaviour Dynamics are a key measure alongside normal ad diagnostics, giving marketers confidence in the advert's capacity to drive a meaningful commercial response.

Get in Touch

Our Research Methods

We bring together qualitative and quantitative expertise to help you create insights that move the business forward.

Focus Groups & Depth Interviews

Explore audience needs, perceptions and behaviours in rich qualitative detail.

Eye-Tracking & Visual Attention Testing

Measure where audiences look and what captures their attention in advertising executions.

Online Surveys

Capture reliable, statistically sound feedback to quantify attitudes and behaviours at scale.

Statistical Modelling & Data Analytics

Apply advanced analytical techniques to identify patterns and drivers within advertising research data.

Implicit Testing

Measure instinctive attitudes and emotional reactions at scale for clear, reliable evidence.

Advertising Development Research Services

Our services cover four stages of advertising development, from pre-testing creative routes, animatics and finished film to tracking the live campaign. Each can be commissioned individually or as a continuous programme.

Creative route pre-testing examines early expressions of the underlying creative idea, before significant time or budget is committed to development. The service focuses on determining how clearly that idea is delivered, whether the proposed narrative supports it, and whether tone and visual direction reflect the intended brand role. Where multiple routes are in play, it identifies which are best able to express the creative ambition cleanly, and which risk diluting or confusing it.

This gives teams a clear, evidence-based view of which direction to progress, and confidence that the foundations are right before further development begins.

Animatic testing evaluates the developing execution while key decisions remain flexible. It reviews pacing, narrative structure, sequencing and character portrayal to understand how early production choices influence interpretation. The service also considers tonal signals, visual emphasis and the emerging relationship between scenes to check alignment with the intended direction.

This early-stage diagnostic lets teams fine-tune structure and delivery while adjustments are still practical, allowing the creative to evolve with purpose before full production begins.

Finished film testing examines the completed execution as a final piece of communication. It can review narrative fluency, production style, brand presentation, spoken content and character behaviour. Testing considers whether the execution reflects the intended idea consistently and cohesively, ensuring the creative lands with the intended impact once fully realised.

By assessing the cohesion of the final piece, this stage shows how the execution performs as a whole and how effectively it expresses the idea behind it.

Campaign performance tracking monitors how your campaign performs once it's live. It evaluates results by channel to determine the campaign's effect on brand awareness, perception and purchase intention, both in isolation and against the competition. Using Brandspeak's GrowthTrack tool, the campaign's commercial impact and overall ad effectiveness can also be evaluated.

How to Get Your Insights

As a full service market research agency we support research in 40+ global markets, working with native-speaking moderators and trusted in-market partners to ensure cultural accuracy and insight quality. Wherever your audience is, we can reach them and deliver insight that drives better decisions.

Step One

Fill in the form and click submit.

Step Two

Our team will contact you within 24 hours.

Step Three

We learn about your needs and goals and how to achieve them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Advertising development research, sometimes called ad testing, advertising testing or creative testing, tests creative work with its intended audience at each stage of development, from early creative routes through animatics and finished film to in-market campaign tracking.

Its purpose is to establish whether an execution communicates the intended message, fits the brand and is likely to influence purchase behaviour, before the bulk of production and media budget is committed.

The same approach applies across formats, from TV and online video to social, display, outdoor and print. Testing of the underlying product, service or proposition concept, before any creative exists, is covered under communications research.

Ideally at more than one!

The greatest savings come from testing creative routes early, when a weak idea can be dropped or a strong one refined at minimal cost. Animatic testing then checks pacing and structure while they are still easy to change, and finished film testing confirms the execution works as a whole.

Testing only the finished ad leaves little room to act on what you learn.

Both have a role, and the ad's stage of development usually determines which.

Early creative routes are best explored qualitatively, through focus groups and depth interviews, because the aim is to understand how an idea lands and where it can be strengthened. Near-final and finished executions are more often tested quantitatively, using online surveys, implicit testing and eye-tracking, because the aim is to measure likely performance with statistical confidence.

Standard pre-testing measures diagnostics such as attention, likeability, message comprehension and branding.

GrowthTest includes these but adds a measure of Buyer Behaviour Dynamics: whether the execution is likely to retain existing buyers and win new ones. The result is a read on commercial potential rather than on audience approval alone.

Allow two weeks or more for a qualitative test of creative routes and three weeks or more for a quantitative test of finished film. Timings depend on the number of executions, markets and audiences involved, so it is worth involving the research team while the production schedule is still being set.

Yes. Brandspeak delivers research across more than 40 international markets, using native-speaking moderators and in-market partners, so the same creative can be assessed consistently across countries while local differences in interpretation are picked up and explained.

Brandspeak brings over 20 years of advertising research experience, senior director-level involvement on every project, and a commercial focus on whether advertising will change buying behaviour rather than simply whether it is liked. We are AQR and Market Research Society members.

Brandspeak in Numbers

As one of the UK's most experienced market research agencies, Brandspeak brings scale, consistency, and depth to every project.

Years of Advertising Research Experience

Advertising Development Projects Delivered

Stages Covered, from Creative Routes to Live Campaign

Research Methods Used to Evaluate Advertising

Brandspeak is proud to be a member of both The Association for Qualitative Research (AQR) and The Market Research Society (MRS) — demonstrating our commitment to quality, ethical practice and industry-leading research standards.

Brandspeak Blogs

Read the latest trends, insights and best practices from the world of Market Research. Choose a topic below to read more.

Read All Our Blogs

Client Feedback

We worked with Brandspeak on a brand awareness project and we were extremely pleased with the quality of service and the process. They understood the complexity of the briefs and asked plenty of questions to make sure they fully understand the objectives. They interacted with all levels of people in our business and understood the differences within the market and suggested ways to tie the research together so it was still comparable. The results were delivered with easy to digest summaries that could be used across the business. We would highly recommend using them.

Lauren Williams

Very informative, easy to work with and a really friendly team. I would recommend Brandspeak to help any business grow. They are great quality for money, help niche sectors and present their findings in an understanding manner. They have provided a brand review, market review post-covid to ensure we are still up to date, along with two very valuable website reviews. Working with them for qualitative and quantities research has a been fantastic for us. Thank you for all your help!

Sarah Twist – Marketing Manager

It's been an absolute pleasure to work with Brandspeak on our qualitative assessment of different ads across 5 EU markets. Throughout this project, Brandspeak have been expert, professional and so flexible with our requirements and timings. The research analysis that they provided us with was extremely valuable and insightful. I look forward to working with them again – highly recommend!

Zanya Fahy

Great service from Brandspeak – highly recommend for thoughtful and detailed brand measurement and tracking.

Georgie Burks, Brand Marketing Lead

Brandspeak have been fantastic to work with. They are a very professional agency who really understand the importance of quality research. Their team were very responsive, knowledgeable and easy to work with and provided us with excellent insights.

Mark Wilson

We wanted to understand how elements of our brand were perceived by consumers and identify opportunities where we could make improvements. Brandspeak clearly understood the brief and worked closely with us to develop a research approach that would answer our questions. The insight has been used to inform the development of our creative and also applied to other areas of our marketing communications. It was a pleasure to work with Brandspeak.

Strategy & Insight Manager | Animal Friends Insurance

Brandspeak helped us with getting invaluable market insights! They showed great flexibility and professionalism throughout the entire process and provided us exactly with the results we needed. I would recommend working with Brandspeak to anyone and anytime.

Tom Suberg

From the moment I contacted Brandspeak I can't thank Jeremy and his team enough. Offering a professional approach they took the time and effort to make the whole process easy and effortless. I highly recommend Brandspeak and look forward to working with them again in the future.

Verity Kimber

From their initial proposal they displayed an understanding of financial services and a clarity of thinking that made them stand out. Since then they have consistently delivered to demanding timescales. But what really sets them apart are their actionable and business focused recommendations which give them the credibility to influence senior internal stakeholders. I have really enjoyed working with them and look forward to doing so again.

Leading life and pensions provider

It is always a pleasure – and a relief! – to work with researchers who get the whole thing – effortlessly... a heartfelt thanks.

DLKW

Work with Brandspeak

With offices in London, Bristol, and Birmingham – and partners across the world – we provide global reach with local expertise. Our team is ready to discuss your business challenge and show you what's possible with the right insights.

Get in Touch

London

+44 (0) 203 858 0052

1st Floor, 239 Kensington High St, London W8 6SN

Bristol

+44 (0) 1174 07 0187

2430 / 2440 The Quadrant, Aztec W, Bristol BS32 4AQ

Birmingham

+44 (0) 121 314 4647

The Lewis Building, Bull St, Birmingham B4 6AF