A Practical Guide to Experimental Advertising Research

Abstract

Experiments are conducted to help establish cause-and-effect relationships, and they can be powerful tools for doing so. We review fundamental concepts for conducting experimental advertising research. Good experimental research involves careful consideration of independent and dependent variables, and what they are supposed to represent. To this end, we review threats to construct validity as well as offer some suggestions on how to think about external and ecological validity in ad research. We review three quasi-experimental research designs and three simple, randomized experimental designs, along with more complex factorial design experiments. Finally, we discuss ethical considerations and the crucial role researchers play in maintaining research integrity.