Effectiveness, objectives, and the EFFIE awards

A study of how briefs are constructed for the EFFIES award program - which showcases effectiveness in advertising - is presented. The objectives used and the design of the evaluation mechanisms by which the effectiveness was assessed are investigated. It was found that most of the objectives were not measurable as stated. Of the cases used in the analysis, only 17% stated measurable objectives. Most of the cases (50%) were focused on communication objectives, although some were centered primarily on marketing effects (25%) with little attempt to assess communication effects; the remaining 25% were split between communication and marketing effects. The marketing effects were dominated by sales and share objectives; the communication effects were dominated by persuasive effects that focused on behavior and attitude. In terms of support, it was found that 91% of the evidence statements were clearly linked to objectives; however, it was also found that few of the cases made a clear causal argument linking the effect to the advertising message.