Package testing and creative testing are two common types of market research used by brands to evaluate how people respond to different kinds of marketing materials. While the terms sometimes get used interchangeably, they actually refer to very distinct research goals and methods – and understanding the difference is essential for choosing the right approach in your next test.

What Is Package Testing?

Package testing, often called “pack testing,” focuses on evaluating the look, feel, and effectiveness of product packaging. This includes labels, logos, color schemes, overall visual design, and even perceived product attributes based on the packaging alone. The goal is to learn whether your packaging attracts attention on a shelf or screen, communicates key benefits, and motivates shoppers to consider or purchase the product.

Common objectives in package testing include:

• Testing new pack designs against current or competitor versions
• Evaluating purchase intent, appeal, and clarity of messaging
• Measuring standout or shelf impact in competitive sets

What Is Creative Testing?

Creative testing – sometimes called ad testing or concept testing – evaluates marketing materials that are more focused on messaging, emotion, and campaign ideas. This can include digital or print ads, video spots, slogans, storyboards, or brand concepts. The emphasis here is on engagement, relevance, and whether the idea resonates with your target audience from a brand or promotional perspective.

Creative testing usually focuses on:

• Assessing emotional appeal and message clarity
• Evaluating how well the campaign supports brand perception
• Measuring recall and intent to take action (such as visiting a website or trying the product)

While both package and creative testing fall under the umbrella of consumer insights, they answer very different questions. Pack testing is about the product at the point of sale; creative testing is about how people engage with your marketing before or during their decision-making journey.

Why the Difference Matters in a Platform Like Toluna

Platforms like Toluna make it easier to test various types of materials – but that means marketers and researchers must be clear about what they’re testing and why. If you place packaging and a concept ad in the same study and attempt to compare them directly, you may run into problems with how people interpret each stimulus.

Knowing the difference between pack vs. creative testing in Toluna (and in general) ensures that your study is designed to capture the right reactions, avoiding confusion and misleading results. More importantly, it helps you make truly data-driven decisions for the right reasons – not just because the numbers looked good on the screen.

Toluna is one of the most widely used DIY testing platforms for research teams and marketers looking to get quick consumer feedback. Whether you're testing ads, packaging, product ideas, or messaging concepts, Toluna offers templates and tools for rapid development and launch. But while the platform supports a range of stimulus types, comparing them within the same study requires careful planning.

What Is a Stimulus in Market Research?

A stimulus is any creative element you test with consumers to gather reactions or insights. On Toluna, these typically fall into categories like:

• Product packaging (images or mockups)
• Advertisements (static images, short videos, or digital campaign assets)
• Concept descriptions (text-only statements or value propositions)
• Brand or product names, logos, slogans

Each of these formats triggers different types of responses from consumers, which means your approach to design, questioning, and analysis must account for those differences.

The Challenge with Mixed Stimulus Testing

While it’s possible to test various stimuli types together in a single survey, such as comparing a packaging concept to a promotional ad, interpreting these results side-by-side can be tricky. People process visual packs differently than they do message-driven creatives or written concepts. This can mean that a pack performs better not because it's objectively stronger – but because visual elements tend to score higher on appeal or memorability.

This is where an experienced researcher can make a big difference. Knowing how to control for format bias – and how to structure questions so you’re comparing what matters – is key to accurate insights.

Best Practices for Testing Across Formats in Toluna

If you're using Toluna to evaluate multiple ideas, especially across formats, keep these core principles in mind:

• Label content types clearly: Make sure respondents understand whether they’re looking at a pack design, ad, or idea.
• Group like with like when possible: Compare packaging with packaging, and ads with ads. If you must compare cross-type, interpret with caution.
• Use consistent metrics: Even across different stimulus types, tools like Toluna allow you to ask standardized questions (such as appeal, clarity, relevance) to find directionally useful comparisons.

Why Involvement from Insights Professionals Can Make or Break Your Test

With DIY testing, the human element often becomes the missing link. While platforms like Toluna are easy to use technically, they still require a thoughtful strategy to uncover meaningful and accurate results. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent can help.

These are seasoned consumer insights experts who understand how to choose the right test type, apply the right questioning logic, and evaluate feedback across different formats. They can support teams with everything from planning and setup to interpreting nuanced results – especially when blending packaging and campaign testing together.

As more companies adopt DIY tools due to hybrid work, faster timelines, and tighter budgets, tapping into external research expertise – without hiring full-time – has become an essential strategy. SIVO’s flexible model means you can scale insights with precision, making your investment in tools like Toluna go further and work smarter.

Why Side-by-Side Comparisons Can Be Tricky Without Expert Guidance

When using a DIY testing platform like Toluna to compare different kinds of marketing stimuli – say, ad concepts versus packaging designs – it's tempting to evaluate them in a single side-by-side test. While efficient, this approach can lead to misleading insights if not handled with care.

The main challenge? You're often comparing apples to oranges. Creative testing typically explores abstract ideas, emotional tone, and early-stage messaging. Package testing, on the other hand, focuses on tangible aspects like shelf appeal, readability, and functional impact. Without clear frameworks, this can create confusion in both how questions are asked and how results are interpreted.

Two Different Stimuli, Two Different Mindsets

A consumer’s mindset will shift depending on what they are evaluating. Looking at a pack design, they may think practically and visually – “Would this stand out on a shelf?” or “Could I recognize this from a distance?” When viewing a creative concept, like an ad storyboard or tagline, they tend to react emotionally – “Does this resonate with me?” or “Would I click on this?” Mixing these formats in a single study without contextual guidance can cloud results, reducing clarity about which element actually drives preference or purchase intent.

Missteps That Often Occur in DIY Testing

• Uneven Measures: Comparing concept likes with pack purchase interest may seem useful, but these are not equivalent indicators.
• Leading Questions: Poorly framed survey questions can cause consumers to apply the wrong lens when providing feedback.
• Misinterpreted Results: A creative may test “better” simply because it’s more visual or emotionally engaging – not because it’s more effective.

With the right expertise guiding the process – even within Toluna or similar platforms – these pitfalls can be avoided. Consumer insights experts bring the knowledge to craft fair testing conditions, apply behavioral science principles, and build comparisons that lead to meaningful business decisions.

Fictional example: A mid-sized food brand tested new cereal packaging against two ad tagline concepts in the same Toluna test. While the ads scored higher on appeal, a SIVO insights expert later pointed out that consumers had interpreted the task as “which looks coolest,” not “what would make you buy?” Without this expert lens, the brand might have overinvested in messaging that didn’t actually drive conversion.

Having someone who understands the difference between pack vs. creative testing – and how to control for it in integrated surveys – ensures stimulus comparison is both fair and actionable.

How On Demand Talent Elevates DIY Platform Testing

DIY market research platforms like Toluna offer speed and agility – but they don’t replace the value of experienced insights professionals. Without proper design, DIY tests can produce results that are misaligned with business objectives or misinterpreted altogether. That’s where SIVO’s On Demand Talent comes in.

Our On Demand Talent are not freelancers or junior contractors. They are seasoned experts with deep experience across industries, product categories, and consumer groups. They know how to harness the power of DIY tools like Toluna – while ensuring your research remains strategic, human-driven, and trustworthy.

What Does an Expert Add to Your DIY Platform?

1. Strategic Study Design: On Demand Talent professionals ensure the structure of your pack testing or concept testing aligns with your marketing objectives. They help choose the right test type in Toluna, ensure stimulus materials are balanced, and select appropriate KPIs to measure success.

2. Bias-Proof Interpretation: DIY platforms offer fast topline data, but On Demand Talent knows how to read between the lines. They bring contextual knowledge that helps you recognize when results may be skewed by design flaws or stimulus format biases.

3. Integrated Learning Across Tests: Our experts can help build studies that integrate multiple formats – like creative and packaging – without sacrificing clarity. If you're wondering how to test advertising and packaging together, this is where their specialized experience shines.

4. Capability Building for Your Team: One of the biggest overlooked benefits? Knowledge transfer. SIVO's On Demand Talent doesn’t just “do the work” – they teach your team how to better use tools like Toluna moving forward, building long-term capability and confidence.

In today’s fast-paced insights environment – where testing needs to be done faster, with fewer resources – getting the most from a platform isn't just a matter of plugging in questions. It’s knowing what to ask, how to ask it, and what to do with the answers. That’s the gap our flexible talent bridges.

Whether you're filling a temporary role or need specialized guidance during a high-stakes test, On Demand Talent can step in quickly – often within days – providing immediate value and insights you can trust.

Best Practices for Interpreting Results from Mixed Format Tests

When your concept testing includes both packaging and creative stimuli – like testing a new product pack alongside ad ideas – interpreting the results takes thoughtful analysis. Each stimulus type offers different kinds of insight, and blending them requires extra care to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions.

Recognize the Role of Each Stimulus

First, clarify what each format is intended to achieve:

• Pack Testing: Measures tangible qualities – shelf appeal, distinctiveness, and likelihood to drive purchase.
• Creative Testing: Measures intangible elements – emotional tone, message recall, brand affinity.

A top-performing ad may connect emotionally but lack the clarity to drive point-of-sale decisions. A packaging design may not be exciting, but could be highly functional and recognizable on the shelf. Understanding the when and where each performance matters is key.

Best Practices to Follow

1. Set Clear KPIs by Stimulus Type: Avoid using one-size-fits-all success measures. Set specific goals for each format – for instance, “communication clarity” for creative vs. “purchase intent” for packs.

2. Look Beyond Just Top Scores: A strong performance in one metric doesn’t equate to overall success. Use a multi-dimensional view of results – such as diagnostic visuals, open-ended feedback, and emotional response scores – to understand stimulus performance holistically.

3. Segment Feedback by Stimulus: Avoid having respondents rate every type of material in the same way. Customize evaluation methods for each format to reduce fatigue and bias.

4. Use Expert Guidance for Final Decision-Making: Especially when testing in Toluna or similar DIY platforms, having someone experienced in evaluating marketing concepts across formats ensures more reliable takeaways. Misreading stimulus data can lead to wrong-time decisions – like launching a campaign with compelling messaging but underperforming packaging.

With professional insights support – whether through your internal team or fractional experts from SIVO’s On Demand Talent – you can ensure mixed-format concept testing turns into clear, actionable recommendations. This combination of strategic structure and nuanced interpretation is what separates good tests from great insights.