Social Media Advertising Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A brand runs identical ads on Facebook and Instagram simultaneously. What research method is being used to compare platform performance?
- Longitudinal study
- Cross-platform A/B test (Correct answer)
- Focus group analysis
- Ethnographic research
Correct answer: Cross-platform A/B test
Running identical ads on multiple platforms simultaneously to compare results is a cross-platform A/B test.
Question 2: Which metric is most reliable for measuring the long-term brand lift impact of a social media ad campaign?
- Click-through rate
- Impression share
- Brand lift survey results (Correct answer)
- Cost per click
Correct answer: Brand lift survey results
Brand lift surveys measure changes in consumer perception and awareness, making them the most reliable metric for long-term brand impact.
Question 3: A researcher wants to understand WHY users ignore certain social ads. Which method provides the deepest qualitative insight?
- Heat map analysis
- In-depth user interviews (Correct answer)
- Conversion funnel tracking
- Frequency capping reports
Correct answer: In-depth user interviews
In-depth user interviews uncover motivations, attitudes, and reasoning that quantitative data cannot reveal.
Question 4: What does a statistically significant p-value of less than 0.05 indicate in a social ad experiment?
- The campaign was profitable
- Results are likely not due to chance (Correct answer)
- The sample size was too small
- Ad frequency was optimal
Correct answer: Results are likely not due to chance
A p-value below 0.05 means there is less than a 5% probability the observed results occurred by random chance.
Question 5: An advertiser uses past campaign data to predict future ad performance. This is an example of:
- Descriptive analytics
- Predictive analytics (Correct answer)
- Prescriptive analytics
- Diagnostic analytics
Correct answer: Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics uses historical data and statistical models to forecast future outcomes.
Question 6: Which sampling method would give every Facebook user an equal chance of being selected for an ad effectiveness survey?
- Convenience sampling
- Quota sampling
- Simple random sampling (Correct answer)
- Purposive sampling
Correct answer: Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling ensures every member of a population has an equal probability of selection.
Question 7: A social media ad study finds correlation between video length and engagement. What must researchers avoid assuming?
- That the sample size was adequate
- That correlation implies causation (Correct answer)
- That the platform algorithm is neutral
- That engagement metrics are standardized
Correct answer: That correlation implies causation
Correlation only shows a statistical relationship; it does not prove that one variable causes changes in the other.
Social Media Advertising Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2
A brand runs identical ads on Facebook and Instagram simultaneously.
What research method is being used to compare platform performance?