Ruben Balfoort is the founder and owner of Commercialreview.nl. He has a background in Business Administration and completed a Masters in Marketing Management. He says he is passionate about his profession through the combination of marketing, strategy and psychology. He finds many of the challenges to be found in positioning issues and influencing customers based on thorough research and analysis of data.

Pieter Meinema is his partner: co-owner of Commercialreview.nl. Pieter has eight years of experience in software engineering and a background in Psychology. He says he gets a lot of energy from designing and developing applications that help a customer in data-driven marketing. 'The best challenge is to develop this as efficiently as possible so that it costs the customer little time and money.'

Can you indicate what has improved or changed in pre- and posttesting in recent years? Pieter: 'The options and types of pre- and posttesting have increased. A good example of this is the strong development in the field of neuroscience. We do see in the market that many market research agencies often build on traditional forms of offline research. These studies are often in-depth and expensive, while we see that the market demands a fast and efficient approach. These often online tests require a different approach and approach than traditional testing. This has been our approach from the start: as a customer I have a marketing concept of which I would like to know the effect on my target group. I want to present this concept to my target group and receive a response quickly, so that I can include it in the development of the concept. This principle is efficient and does not have to cost much.'

Is there more creation testing, in your impression, than before? Why? Ruben: 'There is more testing because the importance of data has become increasingly important. More and more companies are convinced that good marketing is also data-driven marketing. From other channels we see that constant use is made of, for example, A/B testing. Companies are increasingly looking for these forms of validation/certainty to measure and increase impact.'

What are the options in this area at Commercialreview.nl? What sets you apart? Ruben: 'We started setting up a test environment about three years ago where we "imitate a living room setting" as much as possible. We became aware that the most important feedback can be gained if it is as pure as possible, for example from the couch: what are your first thoughts when seeing this commercial? A research setting often makes thinking about marketing communications very different than if you simply see an expression and give your first reactions about it. That is the foundation of our platform: being able to provide feedback very easily and quickly. We think it is important that it is also fun for the panel members to give feedback, in addition to being very easy. We do this through our self-developed savings program where points can be saved. Moreover, our approach is to make setting up a test very easy for agencies and companies and we are constantly working to improve the tests per research type and to create as many standard models for this as possible based on our experiences and collaborations with advertisers and agencies.'

Pieter: 'The same applies to data feedback: this can also be done better and more visually on standard dashboards where users can filter and select themselves. We are in frequent discussions with experts and experienced experts to further optimize the research models and data visualizations. What is also unique is that we have built up a huge database of commercials about which we have insights and data. This makes benchmarking very accessible. This database is constantly expanding because we make it very accessible for advertisers to submit their commercials to us. Moreover, our approach from the start has been: how can we make testing as scalable and efficient as possible with the help of software and data models.'

What do you give back to the advertising agencies? Is that often surprising? Pieter: 'It is often surprising how much you can uncover in a quick survey, especially based on responses such as open answers. You often quickly discover a line in the responses and it is possible to recognize good points for improvement on that basis. These can be details that can make a difference. Clear responses are regularly received about the music, lighting, voice-over, characters or images that you had not noticed yourself but that seem logical after responses. That is why it is always advisable to take a test. Comparing two or more concepts can often be a strong indicator: choosing the right concept at an early stage through testing can prevent you from continuing to develop various other concepts. This can save a lot of time and costs.'

Is it an expensive joke? Ruben: 'A small test is possible from €299 and gives you a first impression of the effects of a commercial. An extensive test of all types of marketing communications with N=100 in a self-chosen target group can be done for €1250 and you will receive the results within 24 hours.'

Pieter: 'Our experience shows that in many cases this is a fraction of what you can save by testing at an early stage and thus achieving a "first time right" more quickly.'

Finally, what would you recommend to marketers when it comes to pre- and post-testing? Ruben: 'Make (pre-)testing a standard part of the creation process. Testing at a very early stage can save a lot of costs and time, but it is important to make it a permanent part of the entire process, so that all teams take it into account and it is not skipped because there is actually no more time. Details can make the difference!'

Read the interview on MarketingTribune here