Burke TestThe Burke Test, the classic test of Day-After Recall (DAR), was developed during the early 1950s by Don Miller at Burke Marketing Research Inc. (The company changed its name to Burke, Inc. in 1995.) The test was designed to determine how well television commercials convey advertisers' key messages to viewers and how well viewers recall advertisers' brands. Some advertisers use DAR testing to assess the recall of their product placements in television shows. How You Do ItIn the classical form of the test, the researcher compiles a list of television viewers to be used as a sample audience for the test. Then, on the day after your commercial appears on the air, the researcher's staff people telephone the viewers and interview them about the commercial.StrengthsDAR testing can give you a rapid and roughly accurate assessment of your commercial.This test is navigational – it can help you optimize your program toward higher profitability. However, it can't help you measure profitability, as evaluative methods can. WeaknessesExperts (researchers, psychologists and advertisers) have disagreed on the methodology and accuracy of DAR testing.For example, they disagree on whether researchers should rely on unaided recall (the interviewee names a brand or a product feature without any prompting) or recognition / aided recall (the researcher prompts the interviewee in some way). They also disagree on the effectiveness of DAR testing in the case of product placements as opposed to commercials. In addition, the test's accuracy may be vulnerable to the effects of
Nonresponse Bias.
However, research experts often can mitigate these effects.
Return from Burke Test to Measuring What They Thought
|