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“The testing confirmed what we set out to do: create something bold enough to spark conversation. The insights on branding and clarity were crucial in shaping the final spots.”
Background
Kaufland, one of Europe’s leading retail chains, was preparing a campaign to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its loyalty card program. To maximize impact, the creative team developed three storyboard concepts, each inspired by reality television formats and intentionally designed to be bold and controversial.
Before investing in full production, Kaufland partnered with Behavio to pre-test the storyboards and ensure the campaign would land effectively with their audience.
Pain point
Kaufland needed to validate whether the creative approach was resonating across three key areas:
- Branding: Was the Kaufland brand clearly communicated?
- Need: Did the storylines effectively convey the value of the loyalty card?
- Emotion: Would audiences respond in a way that sparked discussion rather than indifference?
Because the campaign leaned into stereotypes in a reality-show setting, there was a risk that some viewers would reject the humor and respond negatively.
Behavio’s insight
Testing the storyboards revealed several important insights:
- Branding was generally strong, but Behavio recommended keeping branding cues clear and visible, as storyboards are harder to brand effectively than final video spots.
- Need was not always understood—viewers sometimes struggled to grasp the main point due to complex storytelling. Behavio advised simplifying the narrative and making the message clear from the start.
- Emotion was highly polarized. Some viewers appreciated the humor and controversy, while others disliked the stereotypes. This polarization, however, aligned with Kaufland’s goal of creating a campaign that provoked strong reactions.
Outcome
Kaufland moved forward with all three storyboards, adjusting them based on Behavio’s recommendations before shooting the final ads. When re-tested, the results mirrored the storyboard testing: the strongest-performing storyboard in pre-testing remained the best-performing final ad.
The brand invested most of its media spend behind this top performer, confident in its ability to spark conversation and brand engagement. While not universally liked, the spot successfully generated both strong positive and negative reactions, exactly as the brand intended.
