Marketers Who Measure the Wrong Thing Get Faulty Answers

Abstract

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> The purpose of this article is to address why older advertising measurement systems (based on outdated theories of how consumers process information) are specifically leading to some marketers getting faulty answers that may undermine marketing return on investment (ROI). The article draws heavily on the book <i>What Sticks: Why Most Advertising Fails and How to Guarantee Yours Succeeds</i> (Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart, published by Kaplan in 2006) to provide data and insight underscoring the importance of using observational measurement based on design of experiments rather than self-stated approaches or advertising recall (both of which are shown to produce misleading results). Thanks to advances in neuroscience, we have a better idea of how advertising is processed; and thanks to new research systems based on design of experiments, we have a practical way to measure advertising effectiveness and marketing ROI.