Opportunities and Risks for AI Use in Marketing Research
This report on AI, prepared by the ARF’s research team, recommends using AI for several specific tasks in the research process.
survey questions
The Value of “Imperfect” Polls
New York Times Chief Political Analyst Nate Cohn explains how we can learn from survey data – even though they are likely to be deeply flawed.
- Past Event Highlights
- Article
Tune-In to Discover What is Making Audiences Tune-Out
Travis Flood – Executive Director of Insights, Comcast Advertising
Duane Varan, Ph.D. – CEO, MediaScience
Travis Flood (Comcast Advertising) and Duane Varan (MediaScience) presented research, which explored improving ad pod architecture, aimed at better engaging audiences by understanding what makes them tune-out. To provide framework to their research process, Travis indicated they started with a literature review, to understand the existing viewer experience. Focus was placed on the quantity, quality and relevance of the ads, in addition to media effectiveness studies (e.g., pod architecture, ad creative, getting the right viewers, etc.). Duane indicated that the literature review unveiled gaps, particularly in the examination of the content within the middle section of an ad pod. Based on this, the goal of the subsequent research was to understand the optimal duration of ad pods to optimize both the viewer experience and brand impact, difference in impact (e.g., more ads vs. fewer ads in the same break duration) and the impact of frequency on viewers and brands. The research included 840 participants who watched a 30-minute program with structured ad breaks. Feedback was measured using a post-exposure survey, neurometrics and facial coding. Results revealed that shorter pod length, grouping consistency in ad length and capping frequency at two to three ads per program as most effective. Key takeaways:- Optimal pod length: Two minutes or less leads to better results. After viewing 2 minutes of ads, recall begins to decrease. Recall is 2x higher at 2 minutes vs. 3 minutes, and after 3 minutes, recall is at its lowest point.
- Viewers are more engaged as ads begin. Using facial coding data showed that for a heavy clutter cell, there was marginally less joy in the first 5 seconds of the ad, indicating that ad load impacts how viewers experience ads.
- Facial coding data revealed that ad clutter can diminish how funny scenes are for viewers.
- Consistency is key in ad lengths within a pod. Viewer testing showed that when ads had different lengths in a pod, it made the ad break feel longer compared to pods with ads of the same length.
- Ad frequency was optimized at two per program. There was significant boost in ad recognition and purchase intent going from 1 to 2 exposures in a program. Capping frequency at 2-3 per program can positively impact recognition and purchase intent.
- Past Event Highlights
- Article
AI Unveiled: The Future of Advertising
On February 28th, the ARF Young Pros gathered, both in person and virtually, to learn about the utilization of AI tools and their capabilities by companies like Comscore and LinkedIn. Paul Donato, representing the ARF, began with an overview of the recently published ARF Handbook on AI in advertising research. Following that, Danan Ren and Tiffany Terilli from Comscore shared insights on how the company currently leverages AI and how we can all benefit from this technology. Virtually, Rogier Verhulst and Kendra Speed from LinkedIn presented how they use ChatGPT to understand brand association, with Kendra providing a practical example of integrating AI tools into our daily work. Finally, attendees practiced creating surveys using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Bard.
Member Only AccessUsing AI in Advertising Research
To address the substantial advancements in AI usage, the ARF has created a handbook for advertising research, which will be continually updated.
- Research & Data Quality
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The ARF Handbook for Using AI in Advertising Research
Significant developments in AI have occurred in the last two years, allowing it to be used in various places in the advertising industry. One area that has received little attention however is advertising research. Recognizing this, the ARF has conducted a significant number of its own research. The product of this effort is an AI handbook that offers practical advice in several key aspects of using AI for advertising research. Moreover, an interactive function allows experts to leave comments that, once verified, will be integrated into the report, making it a living, breathing document that continues to evolve as AI advances.
Member Only AccessNew Insights on Attitudes about Privacy
The findings of the ARF’s Sixth Annual (2023) Privacy Study have just been released. It reveals changes in many consumers’ attitudes and awareness of privacy regulations and practices.
AI, Chatbots and Market Research
While the impact of AI and chatbots on advertising is widely discussed, there has been less focus on their role in marketing research. MSI events and an MSI working paper have addressed the issue and reached noteworthy conclusions. Read more »
How to Measure Trust in Brands
A new study indicates that most measures of brand trust are flawed because they are based on questionable assumptions about consumers’ understanding of “trust”. Read more »