Entering the minefield i.e the debate on testing

I’ve always been branded the numbers guy, much to my chagrin if I might add. But being number-oriented, I’ve been constantly pained by both the mistrust & misuse of testing in the communications field. Creative folks believe it’s designed to butcher their creativity, marketing/account management folks tend to (mis)use it to justify releasing or killing a piece, media/research folks obsess about the research design & interpretation to the point of death & sales folks just see it as a waste of time & money. Forgive me if I’m painting entire departments with a broad brush, but anyone of the above “folks” would agree with this view of all the other “folks”.

I was intrigued by this blog by Ken Segall, Enfatico’s Chief Creative Officer. Institutionalization of testing, leading to the process becoming more important than the objective, is something we all can identify with in the advertising/communications world. It risks ending up more of a CYA exercise than one designed to aid better investment decisions. And in this age of the ROI-mantra, that’s shooting ourselves in the foot.