It’s a lot more complicated to be a marketer today than it was 25 years ago. Not surprisingly, I occasionally encounter marketers who feel dizzy at times by the overwhelming amount of tactical choices they have available. My reminder to them goes something like this: sometimes, the best way to cope with complexity is simply to voice their imagination. These days, if they can dream it, it’s probably something they can do.

But just because something is possible does not make it right. For that reason, I’m a big believer in setting aside test budgets and pushing vendors to accommodate testing new tactics before making big commitments.

In a column I recently penned for the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), I make the case for testing an audience-based, data-centric approach to TV advertising.

Here are just some of the recommendations you’ll find regarding how to structure a test:

• Define the conversion event – for example, a sale, a website visit, a new user sign-up, etc.
• Choose what I call a “Goldilocks” approach to targeting – I mean one that is not too narrow, which tends to be pricier, and not too broad, which can be wasteful
• Don’t just buy cheaper spots, because they don’t necessarily result in better key performance indicators, or KPIs

Click here to access the full column (ANA subscription required).