AdQA is a rigorous system of Quality Assurance Questions, Tests, and Prompts used to test - and improve - the effectiveness of any form of communications, ideally before issue (Pre-test).
It is both analytical and creative.

AdQA replicates the customers’ viewpoint on a particular communication to pinpoint any mistakes or barriers to effectiveness - and stimulate ideas for solutions and improvements. It also creates ideas for new communications.

Agencies say that you can’t quality-assure creativity. This is true, but you can apply QA techniques to the result of that creativity. You can test its communication ability.

You can rigorously assess, and improve, the power of your communications to:

• capture your target’s attention and interest
• develop desire, credibility, and inspire action  
• be understood, clear, unambiguous, and error-free  
• provide the information they want to know … not what you want to tell them. This requires a seismic shift in the way you think.

We’ve seen print adverts placed upside-down. This is to some extent ‘creative’, but risks not being read. Why take unnecessary risks?

We’ve seen a full-page airline ad placed at 90 degrees to horizontal (‘creative’?) - but it looked as if the plane was hurtling towards the ground!
Nobody noticed (or mentioned) this ‘obvious’ error in normal ad testing.

AdQA developed from our experience attending trade exhibitions as Buyers. We realised that sometimes up to 20% of stands failed to answer the customers' core buying question in the time it takes to walk by - "What's being sold?"

So we began to analyse the effectiveness of communications from the customer's perspective. For example, we analysed why people walk past exhibition stands or stop at them. Why, and how, people react to advertising, selling, brochures, websites, or a lengthy report, or a sign or slogan. What captures people’s attention, interest, and desire, and what gains their trust. What inspires them to take action. Or not.

Then we used our experience of working in Marketing & Sales, and in Purchasing, and in Quality Assurance, to develop a QA system that combined all three approaches. Three very different perspectives. Very different ‘ways of thinking’. We devised a methodical - analytical and creative - Communications Quality Assurance system. A rigorous system for judging - and improving - the effectiveness of communications … as seen/heard from the target’s viewpoint.

There is only one real ‘expert’ on your communications … Your Target. They are the only people who can tell you if it is effective or not. The problem is getting his/her honest, detailed, analytical, and creative, opinion and feedback.

AdQA is a detailed critical and constructive articulation of the customer’s viewpoint on your communications that no real customer would be able, or willing, to provide.