Make every message cut through.
Pre- and post-launch testing of ads, campaigns, and content that measures comprehension, emotional impact, and brand fit across every channel, so your communication cuts through and drives results. Haystack combines qualitative depth, quantitative measurement, and AI-powered Virtual Audiences to show what works, what doesn't, and what to change.
About the solution
What is Communication Testing?
Every campaign competes for a few seconds of attention. In that moment it has to be noticed, linked to the right brand, understood, and felt — and then remembered when it matters. Communication testing tells you whether your ad, campaign, or content does that job, and why.
At Haystack, we test communication at every stage: from a first idea or script, through storyboards, animatics, and finished executions, to the campaign once it is live. We combine qualitative exploration, quantitative measurement, and Virtual Audiences in the setup that best fits your question, your timing, and your budget.
Before and after launch Pre-tests help you choose the strongest route and fine-tune it before media money is spent. Post-tests and campaign tracking show what the campaign actually achieved in market — and what to improve in the next flight.
Human insight at AI speed Virtual Audiences let you test scripts, claims, and creative routes with AI-powered personas within hours, guided by our moderators. Real-consumer research then validates and measures the routes that matter most.
Why rigorous communication testing matters
Media budgets are large, attention is scarce, and a campaign that is not linked to your brand works for your competitor. Testing gives you the evidence to commit to the right creative, optimise it, and prove its impact — across TV and online video, print, out-of-home, radio, digital and social, claims, and in-store communication.
Marketing & brand teams Choose the strongest creative route with confidence, check that your message and brand come across as intended, and make sure every campaign builds on what your brand stands for.
Creative & media agencies Get clear, constructive diagnostics that show which scenes, visuals, words, and moments work — and which ones lose attention or meaning — so creative can be optimised rather than rejected.
Communication departments Whether you inform, reassure, or want to change behaviour, testing shows whether your message is noticed, understood, and credible among the audiences you need to reach.
Insights teams Build a consistent framework of pre-test and post-test KPIs, so campaigns can be compared over time and learnings feed directly into the next brief.
Test before you spend. Learn before you launch again.
At Haystack Consulting, we never reach for a standard template. We design the communication test that answers your specific question — with the right mix of Virtual Audiences, qualitative depth, quantitative measurement, and in-market evaluation.
Ideal Partner
Why partner with Haystack Consulting for communication testing
Since 1974, Haystack has built its reputation on one principle: human understanding is the foundation of commercial success. In communication, that means understanding not only what people remember, but what they feel, what they take away, and whether it fits the brand they know.
Our qualitative and quantitative researchers work as one team, from the first creative idea to the in-market evaluation. Qualitative research explores how a message lands and why. Quantitative research measures its impact against clear action standards. Virtual Audiences add speed and flexibility, so creative can be iterated before and after launch without waiting weeks for feedback.
The result is communication research that does more than score an ad: it gives your marketing and creative teams concrete direction on what to keep, what to change, and how to make the next campaign stronger.
Unique process
From first idea to in-market impact.
Communication testing at Haystack is organised around three capability streams — quantitative, qualitative, and innovation — each suited to a different stage of the campaign, and often combined into one integrated programme.
Quantitative methods
Quantitative Ad & Campaign Pre-Test: We measure the KPIs that predict in-market performance: attention and stand-out, correct brand linkage, comprehension and message take-out, emotional response, likeability, credibility, brand fit, and motivation to act.
Eye Tracking — Predictive & Real: Predictive eye tracking gives a fast first read of where attention goes in a print ad, poster, banner, social post, or in-store material.
Post-Test & Campaign Tracking: We measure prompted recognition, recall, correct branding, message take-out, appreciation, and shifts in brand perception and intended or reported behaviour. Campaign tracking with pre- and post-campaign waves shows how the campaign moved your brand over time.
Qualitative methods:
Focus Groups & In-Depth Interviews: We uncover how the message is understood, what it makes people feel, which elements are relevant and credible, and how well the route fits the brand.
Online Communities & Diaries: Through daily tasks, diaries, and discussions, we capture how communication is noticed and experienced across touchpoints, and how it builds (or loses) meaning over time.
Innovation
Virtual Audiences — Pre- & Post-Testing: Before launch, Virtual Audiences make it possible to test and iterate scripts, claims, taglines, and creative routes within hours. After launch, they help explore why a campaign performed as it did and refine messaging for the next flight. Audiences can be tailored to your target groups, segmentation, or category data.
Video Research: Respondents react to an ad or campaign in their own words, on their own device — no app download needed. AI-supported transcription and coding flag themes and sentiment, and our researchers interpret the results. Numbers tell you what happened. Video tells you why it matters — and brings the consumer voice straight into your creative briefings.
Brand aligned
A partner who makes communication work harder
A strong ad does not only get noticed. It is linked to the right brand, understood as intended, and builds on what the brand stands for.
Comprehension first
We check whether your message is understood as intended — and what people actually take away — because a misunderstood message is a wasted message.
Emotion that counts
Emotional response drives memory and action. We capture how communication makes people feel, in their own words and in measured scores.
Brand fit and linkage
We test whether the ad is linked to your brand, and whether it fits your brand identity and positioning — not just whether it is liked.
From pre-test to post-test
Consistent KPIs before and after launch create a learning loop, so every campaign makes the next one stronger.
How we design and deliver your communication test
From the creative brief to the in-market evaluation, every step is built around your campaign objectives. Haystack's qual, quant, and innovation experts sit at the same table from day one.
Alignment
We clarify your campaign objectives, target audience, channels, and the decisions the test has to support, and agree on KPIs, action standards, and the right mix of methods.
Testing
Virtual Audience sessions, qualitative groups and interviews, quantitative tests, eye tracking, or in-market measurement run in the sequence that fits your timeline.
Delivery
Clear go/no-go advice and concrete optimisation recommendations, presented to your marketing and creative teams. Workshops with your agency available on request.
Design
We prepare the stimuli, questionnaire, discussion guide, or Virtual Audience set-up, tailored to the stage of your creative and the channels you use.
Analysis & integration
Scores, diagnostics, and consumer voice are combined into one clear story: what works, what holds the communication back, and how to improve it.
Alignment
We clarify your campaign objectives, target audience, channels, and the decisions the test has to support, and agree on KPIs, action standards, and the right mix of methods.
Design
Emotional response drives memory and action. We capture how communication makes people feel, in their own words and in measured scores.
Testing
Virtual Audience sessions, qualitative groups and interviews, quantitative tests, eye tracking, or in-market measurement run in the sequence that fits your timeline.
Analysis & integration
Scores, diagnostics, and consumer voice are combined into one clear story: what works, what holds the communication back, and how to improve it.
Delivery
Clear go/no-go advice and concrete optimisation recommendations, presented to your marketing and creative teams. Workshops with your agency available on request.
Don’t just take our word for it
"Great team to work with. Always innovating research agency for sensorial research!"
"Haystack brainstorms with us as a partner to create challenging, innovative, and custom-made projects."
"We have great professional experience with Haystack! They are reliable, dynamic, pleasant and highly flexible. They are specialised in sensory research among others."
"Haystack has a critical approach embedded in their company culture and methodologies. That is why we prefer to work with Haystack."
Ready to make your next campaign cut through?
The campaigns that win are the ones that are tested, optimised, and learned from. If you're ready to give your communication that edge, our team would love to connect.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a pre-test and a post-test?
A pre-test evaluates communication before launch, to choose the strongest route and optimise it before media budget is spent. A post-test measures the campaign after it has run in market: recognition, recall, branding, message take-out, and impact on brand perception and behaviour. Combined, they create a learning loop for every campaign.
At which stage can we test our communication?
At every stage. Early ideas, scripts, and claims can be explored with Virtual Audiences or in qualitative sessions. Storyboards, animatics, and key visuals can be tested qualitatively or quantitatively. Finished executions are pre-tested quantitatively, and live campaigns are evaluated with post-tests and tracking.
Which channels and formats can you test?
TV and online video, print, out-of-home, radio and audio, digital and social content, banners, newsletters, websites, claims and taglines, and in-store and point-of-sale materials.
How do Virtual Audiences fit into communication testing?
Virtual Audiences are AI-powered personas, interviewed by our moderators, that give feedback within hours. Before launch, they are ideal for fast iteration on ideas, scripts, and claims. After launch, they help explore why a campaign performed as it did and refine messaging for the next flight. They complement research with real people, who remain the basis for measuring in-market reach, recall, and impact.
Can you test communication across multiple markets?
Yes. Our quantitative and online qualitative set-ups support multi-market testing with local-language questionnaires, translated stimuli, and local moderators, with a common KPI framework so results can be compared across markets.
Ready to make your next campaign cut through?
Attention is scarce and media budgets are precious. Strong communication testing gives you the confidence to launch the right creative, the insight to optimise it, and the evidence to prove what it achieved.
If you're ready to make every message count, our team is here to help.
