Assertion (A): Advertisements do not yield the desired effect for many brands/products.
Reason (R): The pre-tests and pilot tests for advertisements are done in artificial surrounding, hence, the effectiveness cannot be determined.
- Both (A) and (R) are true.
- Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (1).
- (A) is true, but (R) is false.
- (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Correct Ans: (B)
Explanation:
Many brands invest heavily in advertising, expecting it to boost awareness, sales, and loyalty. Yet, not all campaigns deliver the expected results. This reality validates the assertion (A)—some advertisements do not produce the intended impact. Various factors, such as poor messaging, lack of audience connection, or oversaturation, can reduce an ad’s effectiveness.
The reason (R) explains that many ads undergo pre-tests or pilot tests in controlled or artificial environments, such as focus groups or simulated media contexts. These settings rarely mimic the natural conditions under which consumers encounter ads—like watching TV while multitasking or scrolling on a busy phone screen. Consequently, these tests may not accurately reflect how the target audience will respond in real-world situations.
While both the assertion and the reason are true independently, the reason doesn’t fully explain the assertion. An ad’s failure could stem from several causes beyond testing environments—like mismatched tone, unclear value proposition, or market misjudgment. Therefore, while artificial settings may contribute to poor outcomes, they aren’t the sole reason behind a brand’s advertising failure.
So, the correct answer is (B) – Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).