ADVERTISING & COMMUNICATIONS With extensive experience in this area, MRI strongly believes that the best communications research is first developed through conversations and background briefings with the client, leading to a thorough understanding of objectives:    * Who is the target?                             * What is the strategy?                               * What criteria will we use?                               * Who needs to do what with the results of the research following its       completion? Assignments typically focus either on communications development or on a more evaluative/diagnostic role:                     Communications Development       * Understanding the target: who they are and how they relate to the       category            * Understanding the category and the competition: emotional triggers       and key attributes                       * Developing strategic themes and positionings                      Evaluative/Diagnostic MRI evaluates advertising/communications concepts using a variety of stimuli including;       * Preliminary designs          * Message ideas/positioning           * Advertising copy           * Storyboards         * Animatics         * Photomatics          * Semi or fully-finished advertising or packaging   MRI can help clients design projects that are both productive and cost effective:     * When to use quantitative research, and when something can be       accomplished with qualitative techniques                        * When to use groups, triads or mini-groups, and when to use in-depth,       one-on-one interviews                        * How "rough" or "developed" a communications idea or prototype      advertisement needs to be to generate useful research results