Pre-launch ad testing is critical to ensure your ads perform well with audiences when they go live. It helps fine-tune creative, predicts audience responses, and avoids viral controversies that could sink your brand. While most marketers test ads in some form, many fail to connect the dots between their pre-launch predictive scores and how their audience reacts when ads are in-market.
We think they should.
According to a recent MarketCast study, even a slight improvement in pre-launch test scores can lead to substantial boosts in key in-market performance metrics. These gains don’t just stay in the test phase—they translate into stronger performance at both the upper and lower funnel.
The Approach
In this study, MarketCast analyzed its Ad Effect Express pre-launch testing results with ads tracked by its Brand Effect in-market measurement system. Ad Effect Express uses AI and human surveys to predict ad impact, while Brand Effect uses natural exposure to measure Ad Recall, Brand and Message Linkage, and Likability with more than 19,000 people daily.
What We Have Learned
For every 4-point increase in MarketCast’s Ad Effect Score during pre-launch testing, brands can experience significant lift, including:
Why should you care about improved Ad and Brand recall and resonance metrics? Because they directly translate to consumer conversions. MarketCast data reveals that highly resonant ads—those that generate strong Ad and Brand Recall—can increase consumer sales, retail visits, and website traffic by up to 5%.
By testing ads before they launch and tracking in-market performance with real audiences, brands can make smarter decisions about creative and media placement. Learn how you can connect your copy-testing to in-market measurement to drive better results.