Run a Message Clarity test

Which version gets your point across, rated by the people who met it cold, with their own one-sentence takeaways beside the score.

Message Clarity is the comprehension set for the everyday case: you rewrote the line, recut the middle, or moved the claim, and the room disagrees about whether it reads.

What it measures

The primary question is a 1 to 7 clarity rating, and the verdict is decided on the average for each version. Beside it sits a one-sentence takeaway in each participant's own words, which is how you check the rating against what actually came across. The card labels this set research-backed.

What people are asked

• "How clear was the message?" on a 1 to 7 scale from "Very unclear" to "Very clear". This is the question the verdict rests on.
• "In one sentence, what was the main message?" in their own words.
• "Was anything confusing?" as a yes or no.
• An open follow-up on what was confusing, for the people who said yes.

When to pick it

Pick Message Clarity when the message is the variable and the piece is meant to say something. Skip it when the goal is a feeling rather than a point, where a brand mood film is the obvious case, and reach for an emotion set instead. If the thing people have to understand is a new or complicated product, Product Comprehension asks the sharper questions. If what has to be unmistakable is the next step rather than the message, that is Call-to-Action Clarity.

What the verdict looks like

A winner is named on the clarity rating only when both groups reached the size committed at launch with balanced dropout and a gap that stands clear of chance. Otherwise you get a directional advantage or "too close to call". Either way the takeaways arrive, and a pile of takeaways that describe a different video than the one you cut is worth more than the score. See Reading your report.

What it cannot tell you

Self-rated clarity is the viewer's own impression, not proof the message landed. People who felt clear can still be wrong about what you said, which is exactly why the takeaways are asked. Read the two together: a high rating with drifting takeaways is a warning, not a win. The test also cannot tell you why a version read better, and it speaks to one viewing rather than to a campaign.

Formats

Message Clarity is available on video tests and on audio tests.