BACKGROUND

A national consumer packaged baked goods company had to make a decision on how to best represent the brand in commercial spots. They needed direction on which combination of actors to cast in the role of the family featured in the commercial. They were looking for market validation from their target consumer, primary grocery shoppers, so they engaged Lab42.

The primary objective of this research was to determine the most promising combination of characters that were likable and relatable, in order to enhance the appeal and break through ability of the TV ads. This research would help them determine the most optimal cast before they invested in the actual ad, which would save them a lot of time and money in the end. This quantitative research followed focus groups that were conducted to vet talent on a casting call. The client’s highest priority was to identify which mix of main and supporting actors were most appealing and most importantly that they were likable and relatable.

THE RESEARCH

The study design was a sequential concept test conducted among 300 female primary grocery shoppers age 25-54 with at least one child age 6-12 in the household, who had purchased baked goods in the past 3 months. This survey was recruited using Lab42’s social media sampling methodology. Each respondent was exposed to 4 videos of possible main actors combinations. Respondents rated likeability after each video and after viewing all videos ranked them from most appealing to least appealing. The respondents were then exposed to nine additional videos of supporting cast and asked to again rate likeability and rank order the videos.

THE RESULTS

The study results clearly indicated what target customers considered the most optimal combination of characters, identifying the front runners among main characters and supporting characters. As a result of the test, our client was able to hire the actors that had the most potential to positively impact the appeal and break through ability of the ad, which in turn helped them develop the final ads more efficiently and effectively.