As a follow-up to Part 1 of our claims webinar, “Make a Statement (PART 1): Why claim substantiation matters”, Applied Marketing Science's team of survey researchers provide some pre-planning tips before beginning the process of substantiating an advertising claim:
Claim language
The first step may seem obvious, but it’s important to identify the claim(s) that you are interested in substantiating. We know that the process of identifying one claim to pursue can be difficult because there’s often many qualities worth advertising, but it’s critical to know what you want to substantiate before attempting to design a study.
One reason specifying claim language is so important is because the claim language will inform other critical decisions such as: the mode of data collection (e.g., online, central location, or home-usage test), the universe from which you should sample to make the claim (e.g., consumers, sensory judges, doctors), and the type of data that is most appropriate to measure (e.g., opinion data, purchase intention, preference judgement).
Ensure the claim is consumer relevant
Once you have identified the claim language you are interested in substantiating, you should pause and evaluate whether the claim is consumer relevant. If you haven’t evaluated how consumers will react to the claim, it is advised to first test the claim with consumers to ensure your claim will resonate with them and drive sales before substantiating the claim.
Test consumer perception
Another recommendation is to evaluate how consumers will interpret the claim. Advertisers are responsible for all reasonable interpretations of advertising claims. Therefore, companies should ensure that the claim language communicates to consumers what they intend for it to communicate. We advise companies who are unsure about the messages communicated by the claim to engage in pilot-testing prior to substantiation to obtain data on consumer perceptions.
Once you’ve decided on the claim language, remember that advertising claims must be supported by “competent and reliable scientific evidence.” AMS survey experts have experience substantiating claims and we will work with your team to develop defensible research. If you’re interested in more information, subscribe to our blog to receive updates straight to your inbox when new blog posts are published. For more on claim substantiation, watch our webinar, “Make a Statement (PART 1): Why claim substantiation matters”.