The Quebec City-based Cossette Communication Group is partnering with the University of Ottawa to establish the Cossette University Research Centre with the goal of advancing research in advertising.
Over the course of the next five years, Cossette will support the partnership by working with U of O communications professor Luc Dupont to conduct research on past studies and campaigns to identify what makes an ad effective, and to evaluate the impact of new broadcast platforms.
Additionally, Cossette has created a $3,000 study grant to be awarded annually for the next five years to a qualifying Master’s student recognized for his or her outstanding research on advertising (traditional, new media or new technology). The recipient will use the funds to further their research on a subject linked to the advertising industry.
‘Progress in the advertising industry has developed through close collaboration between industry insiders and academics,’ says Pierre Delagrave, president of Cossette Media and Fjord Interactive Marketing + Technology. ‘The Cossette University Research Centre and the Cossette Communication Group Study Grant are the result of a desire to ensure that the lessons learned will continue to be shared in the future.’
Phase one research will study the effectiveness of advertising using the archives of Impact Research’s Tracking Efficiency Study – the equivalent of nearly 4,000 studies conducted since 1980. It will deal with expanding the criteria normally used in assessing the effectiveness of an ad by integrating not only the value of its advertising weight, but also the linguistic, graphic and iconic codes – an industry first. Phase two will deal with understanding the impact of new broadcasting platforms.
