Learning from Winners: How the ARF David Ogilvy Award Winners Use Market Research to Create Advertising Success

198 Pages·2007·3.63 MB·English

by  Raymond Pettit

Learning
from
Winners
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Learning
from
Winners
How the ARF David Ogilvy Award Winners
Use Market Research to Create
Advertising Success
Raymond Pettit
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Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group
270 Madison Avenue 2 Park Square
New York, NY 10016 Milton Park, Abingdon
Oxon OX14 4RN
© 2008 by The Advertising Research Foundation
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-8058-5654-5 (Softcover) 978-0-8058-5653-8 (Hardcover)
No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming,
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the
publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
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To my daughter, Claire, who is already soaring to new heights of artistry
and accomplishment, and a profound inspiration to me.
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Contents
Foreword ix
A Word from Joe Plummer, The Advertising Research Foundation xi
Preface xiii
About the Author xv
Introduction xvii
Part 1 the Winners
1 Seizing a New Business Opportunity 5
2 Creating a New Business Model Where None Existed Before 25
3 Smashing Category Traditions 37
4 Scaling the Ladder of Insight 53
5 Implementing the “Big Idea” for Everyday Consumer Products 73
6 Reaching Multiple Customer Segments with a Powerful Idea 91
Part 2 Great research is a hidden asset
7 The David Ogilvy Research Excellence Awards Program 117
8 Research Methods, Techniques, and Approaches Are Put
to the Test 131
9 Where Are We Headed? 147
Gerald Zaltman
vii
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Endnotes 155
Appendix 161
Ken Roman
Index 165
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Foreword
Why is it that, as managers, we often know better but don’t do better?
Why is more than 90% of research confirmatory when the research of
greatest value is exploratory?
Why haven’t marketers developed a standard methodology for answer-
ing a basic question: “Did my advertising work or not?”
We know that Microsoft is not alone in dealing with these challenges.
We know we do not have all the answers. We do, however, hold a firm
belief that we see as the key to answering these and other essential mar-
keting questions: we believe that knowledge increases its value when it is
shared. Knowledge withers when it is hoarded.
Microsoft aspires to lead learning, not only to lead in the marketplace.
In fact, we believe that it is only by being at the forefront of the learning
on marketing’s critical issues that we will succeed in the marketplace. For
us, then, the opportunity to partner with the Advertising Research Foun-
dation (ARF)—the leading authority on the use of research to advance
marketing—offers unique possibilities.
The dataset comprised of the 100+ cases from the first decade of the ARF’s
David Ogilvy Awards presents a unique laboratory. Here, we thought, bur-
ied in data, hidden by time, lie some precious answers to some big ques-
tions. If we shine the light of inquiry into this treasure trove, what insights
will the data reveal? What can we learn from a decade of winners?
As it turns out, we can learn a great deal. By presenting this book, we
have initiated the learning, not concluded the process. We know that the
real learning will come in the sharing, the discussions, the experiments,
and the refinements of these initial learnings.
We hope you read these pages with the joy of discovery that we did. But
also, see this work as an invitation, an invitation to join with us, Microsoft
and the ARF, in the ongoing learning that’s required.
Each year we will update the findings. Each year we will convene lead-
ers to sift and synthesize insights and experience. We will use workshops
to build our understanding and improve our ability to apply the lessons
of history.
ix
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