Spotlight: Avoiding Pitfalls with Purposeful Creative Testing

By W5

As destinations compete for attention in a rapidly evolving travel landscape, it’s more important than ever to understand how brand identity and creative strategy connect with travelers. Understanding the emotional and practical factors behind travel decisions is key to crafting messaging that truly resonates. The post-pandemic landscape has accelerated the need for brands to blend data-driven insights with human-centered storytelling.

A destination marketing organization (DMO) and its agency sought to redefine and test elements of a metro area’s brand architecture and identity and then test creative to validate its alignment with the area’s target identity.

APPROACH

Example of W5 Creative Testing Deliverables

W5 developed a hybrid research approach with visitors and potential travelers from key markets to assess perceptions of the area and evaluate agency-developed creative. The first phase involved qualitative testing with consumers to explore travel motivations, needs, and initial reactions to creative concepts. Insights from this phase informed a quantitative online survey that validated key findings among a broader audience and measured creative performance across multiple formats (e.g., OOH, banner, print, social media, video, carousel, etc.).

RESULTS

Research insights provided deep analysis of travelers’ emotional and functional needs and how those needs translate to drivers of travel to the area. It also provided clear direction on the most effective messaging themes and creative elements and strategies. The hybrid research approach provided valuable learnings that shaped the DMO’s and agency’s brand strategy.

Interested in learning more about creative testing for yourself? Reach out to W5 to explore how we can build a custom research solution that gives you clear, actionable insights into your creative.