In her latest article for Forbes, our CEO Rebecca Brooks underscores the challenge brands face in reaching diverse audiences across digital platforms, stating that “brands are forced to become ‘jack of all trades’ in hopes of reaching their audiences across a multitude of platforms.” The fragmented landscape of social media and other channels demands that brands tailor their content and advertising strategies to fit each platform’s unique format and requirements.

As traditional ad effectiveness and programmatic testing methods are becoming obsolete, especially with the impending cookieless future, she recommends an alternative:  in-context evaluation methods. This type of strategic approach allows brands to “determine if a particular message is suitable for a particular channel or if it will engage the target audience effectively.”

She goes on to describing the in-context testing methodology, during which participants could be directed to a contextual environment that replicates popular digital platforms after taking a short survey. In this environment, branded content is integrated, and behavioral data is collected, including “clicks and hover actions.” The insights gathered from this approach encompass both behavioral and attitudinal data, providing a comprehensive evaluation of campaign effectiveness.

By incorporating in-context testing, brands can gain valuable insights into how users engage with content in specific contexts, allowing them to “understand the factors that influence their decision-making processes” and optimize sales funnels, conversion paths, and calls to action. She emphasizes the importance of managing content effectively across platforms and recommends tools like in-context testing to help marketers and advertisers focus their efforts where they are most effective. Instead of adopting a “spray and pray” approach, these methods enable brands to “focus efforts where they are most effective” and improve brand recall and engagement.

Read the complete article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2023/11/08/cutting-through-complexity-in-context-testing-to-better-engage-brand-audiences/