Why CMOs should use consumer insights before producing ads

CMOs are under immense pressure to create ads that grab attention, resonate emotionally and drive measurable results — all while staying on budget. And with rising production costs and limited time to course-correct, there’s little room for error. That’s where consumer insights come in.

By tapping into consumer feedback before the cameras (or creative teams) roll, CMOs can reduce creative risk, fine-tune messaging and ensure that their ads hit the mark with different audiences. 

In fact, according to a CreativeX report, creative elements can account for up to 80% of campaign ROI, underscoring the importance of pre-testing ads to enhance creative quality. As Shannon McGahn, Chief Marketing Officer at Johnson & Johnson, puts it: 

"The more you know about your audience, the better you can deliver a message that will resonate. Insights help us create ads that aren’t just viewed — they're remembered." 

And incorporating consumer data early in the process doesn’t just prevent costly mistakes — it sets the stage for more impactful, higher-performing campaigns. In this article, I’ll explore four ways bringing consumer insights into the pre-production stage can give brands (and CMOs) a competitive edge as well as some tools to help you get there.

Creative missteps can be expensive, both in terms of money and brand reputation. 

That’s why it’s crucial to validate ad concepts before making a significant investment in production and media. These early stage insights help CMOs identify which ideas resonate with their target audience and which need a little more work.

Here’s a deeper look into what these insights can help you do: 

• Spot concept strengths and weaknesses: Testing multiple creative ideas early on allows teams to gauge initial reactions and identify which concepts align best with audiences, helping to gather predictive insights and spot potential pitfalls.

• Fine-tune storylines and visuals: Early testing provides valuable feedback on the emotional impact and clarity of the storyline, characters and visuals. This ensures that the narrative connects with the audience and doesn’t leave them confused or disengaged.

• Pivot or refine with confidence: Armed with audience feedback, creative teams can confidently make adjustments or pivot away from concepts that don’t perform well — saving time and money in the long run.

🌎  Real-world example

Procter & Gamble (P&G) took an early testing approach with its Always “Like a Girl” campaign. By testing different creative directions beforehand, P&G ensured that the final concept struck the right emotional chord — ultimately driving massive engagement and positive sentiment.

Getting the message right is just as important as nailing the creative. Pre-production insights help CMOs refine messaging to ensure it speaks directly to the target audience and inspires action.

Here’s a deeper look into what these insights can help you do: 

• Learn how consumers talk: Understanding how your audience communicates is key. Consumer research uncovers the language, phrases and emotional triggers that resonate, helping brands develop messaging that feels authentic and relatable.

• Test taglines and CTAs: Small changes in a tagline or call to action can significantly impact engagement. A/B testing before production ensures that the final version resonates best with the audience and drives desired outcomes.

• Keep messaging aligned with brand values: Consumer feedback also helps ensure that the ad’s message stays consistent with the brand’s identity while adapting to changing consumer expectations.

🌎 Real-world example

Coca-Cola perfected this approach with its “Share a Coke” campaign. By conducting pre-production testing across markets, Coca-Cola confirmed that swapping its iconic logo for personalized names would resonate globally. The result? One of the brand’s most memorable and successful campaigns.

One-size-fits-all ads rarely deliver the impact brands need. Consumer insights allow CMOs to tailor creative content to different audience segments, ensuring that ads feel relevant and engaging to everyone.

Here’s a deeper look into what these insights can help you do:

• Develop segment-specific creatives: By leveraging segmentation data, brands can build ad variations that appeal to distinct audience personas. This approach increases relevance and strengthens emotional connections.

• Personalize visuals and storylines: Audience insights help identify the visual styles, tones and narratives that resonate with each segment. This allows creative teams to build storylines that feel authentic to different groups.

• Scale personalization dynamically: This can allow brands to create multiple versions of an ad that dynamically adjust to different audience segments across platforms.

🌎 Real-world example

McDonald’s used a similar strategy for its Raise Your Arches campaign. By tailoring another version of its highly successful original spot for a localized, Middle Eastern audience, the brand built up an extra layer of resonance and cultural relevance — which  played a pivotal role in forging stronger connections with the audience.

Consumer insights not only improves creative outcomes but also makes the entire production and media strategy more efficient — leading to a stronger return on investment.

Here’s a deeper look into what these insights can help you do:

• Streamline production with clear direction: When creative teams have a clear understanding of what works, they spend less time second-guessing and more time executing. This reduces the risk of costly last-minute changes and accelerates the production timeline.

• Drive media efficiency by aligning with audiences: Ads that reflect audience preferences perform better, reducing wasted impressions and maximizing media spend. By ensuring that ads resonate from the start, CMOs can optimize performance and ROI.

🌎 Real-world example

Unilever demonstrated this with its Dove “Real Beauty” campaign. Extensive pre-production testing ensured that the visuals and messaging reflected real audience perceptions, resulting in a campaign that not only drove strong emotional connections but also increased brand loyalty and trust.

To make the most of pre-production insights, CMOs can leverage powerful platforms designed to test concepts and gather real-time feedback. Here’s our top three: 

1. Zappi Connected Advertising System

Zappi offers AI-powered predictive analytics that allow brands to test multiple ad concepts, messaging and creatives with real consumers — from as early as initial sketches. 

This tool analyzes consumer feedback to provide actionable insights, helping you gauge emotional impact, brand recall and purchase intent. 

Zappi also uses advanced algorithms to predict which creative elements will perform best in-market. By using this tool early in the process, you can refine your concepts and ensure that the final ad resonates strongly with your target audience.

✋ Reach out to learn more about our AI-powered advertising insights solutions.

2. UserTesting

UserTesting is a platform that gives brands access to on-demand consumer feedback through video-based testing. CMOs can use this tool to show prototypes, storyboards or full-length ad concepts to real consumers in their target demographic. 

UserTesting’s real-time insights help teams make fast decisions on which direction to take their ads, cutting down on time-consuming iterations during production.

3. Remesh

Remesh uses AI to facilitate real-time, large-scale conversations with targeted audiences, gathering qualitative insights in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional focus groups. 

By interacting with consumers through live discussions, CMOs can identify sentiment, preferences and creative direction before making any costly production decisions. 

For CMOs, using consumer insights in the pre-production phase is no longer just a best practice — it’s a competitive advantage. By validating creative concepts, fine-tuning messaging and tailoring content to different audience segments, brands can create ads that not only capture attention but also drive better results.

Plus, with ad budgets under increasing scrutiny and audience expectations evolving rapidly, applying real consumer data early in the process ensures that brands stay ahead of the curve. 

The CMOs who embrace a data-driven approach in pre-production will be the ones who create ads that truly connect and deliver measurable impact.