The purpose of qualitative research stimulus is to present realistic scenarios to target consumers in order to isolate the areas of greatest opportunity for a brand. Unfortunately, the stimulus used in 90% of qualitative research – concept statements – does this job very badly.

Concept statements (often accompanied by mood boards) have a number of fundamental problems, but the most damaging of all is that they are completely unfamiliar and unrealistic to consumers. They have never seen a concept statement before in their lives, so have no context in which to evaluate it. Also, concept statements are completely lacking in emotion, the core of any successful brand. But there is a better way…

Adcepts work where concept statements fail because they speak in the everyday language of brands – advertising. People understand how advertising works and they can place an Adcept idea in the context of the market in which it might compete. Also, unlike bald concept statements, Adcepts communicate an emotional feeling, from serious authority right through to laid-back self-deprecating humour. And because the words and the visual are together on one page rather than split between a concept board and a mood board, Adcepts work holistically. In short, consumers ‘get’ Adcepts and react to the emotional as well as the rational element they convey.

B7 has been using Adcepts in brand development and communication for over a decade and we have taken the raw idea of Adcepts and refined it into a uniquely powerful research tool. For example, our Adcepts are made to look slightly rough and unpolished so that respondents understand that they are looking at an idea rather than a finished ad. This stops them getting lost in the detail of the execution and encourages them to build on the idea expressed. The B7 methodology is also different in the sheer volume of Adcepts shown – up to 80 in a session – which allows us to explore multiple angles within the idea areas that respondents find most interesting.

B7 partner Paul Tidmarsh says “Adcepts work because to get consumers to explore something new, they first need to start somewhere familiar – Adcepts are familiar to consumers and familiarity in this case breeds content.”