1. What can Adcepts do that concept statements can’t?
Concept statements (often used with mood boards) are of very limited help when trying to develop a new brand, or re-focus an existing one for growth. They are unrealistic, unfamiliar and lacking in emotion. Our Adcepts speak to consumers in the familiar language of brands – advertising – so that they can easily put an idea into the real-world context of the particular market being discussed. Adcepts convey emotion in a way that a cold concept statement can’t and winning theme areas can be explored from multiple functional and emotional angles to give precise insights into the most compelling routes in.

2. Why do you show so many Adcepts to a focus group?
We show up to 80 Adcepts per group which often strikes new clients as very high. There are two reasons why this quantity is so effective. Firstly, it allows respondents to examine a greater number of theme areas than is possible with concept statements, so that no opportunity area is missed. Secondly, having quickly narrowed down the themes it finds most interesting, the group moves on to isolating the most compelling expression of each winning idea area by evaluating multiple angles around the theme, expressed by subtly different Adcept executions. One client described our process as ‘having the breadth of a blunderbuss and the precision of a sniper’s rifle’.

3. Isn’t this what the advertising agency should be doing?
Getting a clear, precise and confident advertising brief is central to creating great advertising. The clarity and richness of insight our Adcept methodology produces ensures buy-in from client and agency alike about what should go into the creative brief. It also means that the agency doesn’t waste creative time exploring strategy. Another advantage of our methodology is that creative areas are ‘road tested’ within the research, so that the advertising creatives have a more informed view of fertile areas to explore.

4. How long does all this take?
Despite the high quality and quantity of the stimulus we produce, a typical project from briefing to agreement of key conclusions takes just six weeks. Many clients have remarked that our process saves them considerable time because we can research many more theme areas than concept statements allow. This means no wrangling within the project team about which areas to exclude, or worse still, trying to force-fit separate ideas into one concept statement. Another time saving benefit is that creative briefs become much more easily written with very little time lost in debate.

5. What’s your track-record?
The B7 Adcept methodology has aided the development of some of the world’s most successful brands. Examples include: Repositioning / communication for Dove in the developing markets and positioning of multiple innovations globally; positioning for several innovations for Flora / Becel in Europe and communications strategy for Unilever spreads in the US; repositioning / communication strategy for Bell’s Whisky, Pimm’s and Archer’s brands worldwide; Positioning of several initiatives for Tesco (e.g. re- launching their .com service and the launch of their first tablet computer).

B7 founder Paul Tidmarsh comments “We have spent 10 years perfecting our Adcept methodology and believe that there is no more effective way to find the compelling insights that drive brand growth. We have never advertised or chased new business because all our work comes from repeat business or referrals.”