Recall tests

Recall tests

In order for an advert to affect the audience’s purchasing, the advert has to have been seen and remembered.

Interviewing people who watched a programme in which the advert was shown can measure how effective the advert has been. This can be done either by cold-calling the next day or by pre-recruiting people to watch the specific programme. The interviewer can then ask if the respondent saw an advert for the type of product but without disclosing the brand name at this stage.

If they can’t remember, the interviewer can jog the memory by using the brand name. If by now the respondent remembers seeing the advert then a number of questions can be asked to check the respondent’s recollection and gauge the advert’s impact. The interviewer might request a description of the advert and an outline of what it said about the product.

Compared with some other tests that have been developed, the recall test is considered to be of value as results are consistent. However, the relationship between recall and sales is sketchy and suggests to some researchers that there is little or no relationship at all.