When Mitsubishi Motors Australia was preparing its next major campaign for the Outlander, the team faced a high-stakes creative decision: two strong creative ideas, both with potential, but only one would go into production and onto Australian screens.
To get the decision right, Mitsubishi partnered with Redge to run a rapid, evidence-based creative development test that combined automated quantitative diagnostics with qualitative depth. The goal? Understand which idea resonated more strongly, why, and what could be improved before moving into production.
The Challenge: Two compelling concepts, one major decision
Mitsubishi had developed two early-stage animatics.
Both showcased the Outlander as a highly capable, versatile family SUV — but from different emotional angles. Before committing to production investment, Mitsubishi wanted to identify:
- Which idea had stronger appeal and emotional connection
- Whether the key messages were clear
- The impact on the masterbrand
- How believable and relevant the concepts felt
-
How well the vehicles features and PEHV option were communicated
- Which creative would ultimately encourage more people to consider an Outlander
The Approach: Redge’s hybrid quant + qual testing
Redge deployed a mixed-method research design to evaluate both ideas with prospective buyers.
1. Automated Ad Testing (Quantitative)
Each concept was tested with ~200 general-population respondents using Redge’s standard ad test framework. We measured:
- Spontaneous reactions
- Likes and dislikes
- Sentiment
- Message takeout
- Brand attribution
- Relevance
- Appeal (1–5 scale)
- Behavioural impact (e.g. likelihood to consider/test drive)
- Audience fit
The animatics were embedded directly into the survey environment, allowing for realistic exposure.
2. Four qualitative focus groups
To go deeper, we ran four online focus groups to explore nuance:
- Emotional resonance
- Humour and relatability
- Casting, tone, pacing
- Family appeal
- Story clarity
- Opportunities to refine and strengthen the creative
This dual-stream approach meant that Mitsubishi received both scale and depth — all within a tight timeline.
The Findings: The ‘Rock n Roll’ concept stood out
Both concepts generated interest, but “It’s a Bit Rock n Roll”, with the iconic ACDC soundtrack clearly emerged as the stronger creative territory.
Across both quant and qual we saw:
- Stronger emotional connection
- Clearer communication of Outlander benefits
- Higher behavioural uplift
- More distinctive storytelling
The Outcome: Creative selection with confidence
Based on the combined insights, Mitsubishi progressed with the Rock n Roll creative idea.
The final TVC — now fully produced and currently airing across Australia — maintains many of the elements that resonated most strongly during testing: the family dynamic, the playful tone, and the portrayal of the Outlander as a capable, go-anywhere SUV.
This project demonstrates how fast, structured testing with Redge can:
- De-risk major creative and media investment
- Ensure messaging is clear before production
- Strengthen storytelling
- Improve market performance before the ad is even made
Why brands choose Redge for creative testing
Redge combines expert researchers, templated diagnostics, and automated reporting to deliver:
- Fast turnaround
- High-quality quant + qual
- Clean like-for-like benchmarking
- Clear visual reporting
- Insight that directly supports creative and media decisions
Whether testing early-stage concepts, animatics or final-cut TVCs, Redge helps marketers make decisions with confidence.
If you’d like to run a creative development test or learn more about our Ad Testing framework, reach out at info@redge.com.au