Pretest critics uphold that agencies can devise ads that test well but may not necessarily execute well in the marketplace. Proponents of ad pretesting maintain that useful analytical information can materialize and that pretests should not be used as the sole assessment standard anyway. When viewing any type of advertisement what is it that prompts a response of “what were they talking about in that ad”? Do you discuss comical ads with colleagues but never purchase the product?

Respond to the following:

• Consider the statements “Ad pretesting is often an unnecessary waste of marketing dollars” and “Ad pretesting provides an important diagnostic function for marketers as to the likely success of an ad campaign.” Take a stand and justify one statement, supporting it with examples from other sources.