NEW JERSEY, December 9, 2002: Media buy. Frequency. Placement. Four color. Dollar spend. All part of the matrix used to determine the return on investment for your brand's ad campaign.

But what about return on the conceptual approach? The tone of the copy, the style of the art? Is it possible to measure the return on investment of the conceptual approach -- the words and images used in the brand expressions -- that connect the brand to the customer?

It would seem to me the most important determinant of the success of the ad campaign is exactly that -- the level of the emotional connection that is established between the brand and the physician.

Has this ever been measured? Has it ever been shown to have an impact on the success of the brand?

What if we could measure the value of the campaign's conceptual approach - and connect it to the brand's success in the marketplace? Can we make it part of the matrix used for determining return on investment?

Atlanta-based BrightHouse Institute for Thought Sciences¹ may be on to something. The company calls a new technique "neuromarketing," in which an MRI records not only a consumer's likes and dislikes about a brand, but measures the emotional connection that exists between the consumer and the brand.

Applying this approach to physician market research, wouldn't it be great to know which concept -- out of let's say, three -- that created the strongest emotional connection between your brand and the doctor?

I believe it's time to develop a matrix that can help pharmaceutical marketing executives create campaigns that better speak the language of the audience - campaigns that communicate with the reader with an unspoken, mutual understanding -- a recognition that says, I see into your world, understand your needs, I share your mindset -- to connect on a much more personal, more persuasive emotional level.

A level I like to call brand intimacy. Because when you think about it, intimacy can really be spelled "into me see."

Wouldn't it be great to add brand intimacy to the mix that determines how successful ad campaigns really are? To measure brand intimacy for a particular conceptual approach, and then determine the return on intimacy for that approach?

Then, market research could be used to inform the creative process, not just report back the likes and dislikes of the audience. But help the writers and art directors tp shape the words and the images -- so that the ad campaign makes the most intimate connection with the audience. Because research shouldn't just collect opinions, it should help us better communicate -- because its our job to shape those opinions.

Remember, you heard about "brand intimacy" first -- from me -- at RxME.

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