From Opinions to Outcomes: The Power of Surveys and Experiments in Marketing
- Laura Castiblanco
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
If you’ve ever wondered how brands figure out what people really want—or how they test new ideas before launching them—you’re not alone. Understanding your audience is key to building a strong brand, and two powerful tools marketers use for this are surveys and experiments. While both help gather information, they work in very different ways.
Let’s talk about Surveys!
A marketing research survey is basically asking people what they think. Imagine sending out a set of questions to your audience about their preferences, opinions, or buying habits. Surveys are super useful when you want to understand how people feel about your brand, product, or campaign—without changing anything in the real world.
For example, if you’re launching a new product, a survey could help you learn what features people care about or how much they’d be willing to pay. You’re listening and gathering insights, but you’re not testing anything in action yet.
And What’s the Difference with Marketing Experiment?
A marketing experiment is more about doing than asking. It’s where you actively change something in your marketing strategy to see what effect it has. Think of it like a science experiment, but for your brand.
Instead of asking someone which ad they prefer, you might show two different ads to two different groups of people and measure which one gets more clicks or sales. It’s all about observing real behavior and seeing what actually works, rather than just hearing opinions.
Dan Rogers, CEO of LaunchDarkly, puts it well: "Experimentation is not just about pushing features faster. It’s about delivering more intelligent products that resonate with users, reduce risk and drive measurable business outcomes."
That’s exactly what makes marketing experiments so valuable. They’re not only about speed—they help you make smarter decisions that are backed by data and directly tied to real business results.
When Should You Use a Survey vs. an Experiment?
When deciding which one to use, it really depends on your goal. If you want to explore ideas, gather general feedback, or understand customer attitudes, surveys are your go-to. But if you're ready to test a specific change—like a new headline, pricing model, or email layout— and you want real-world results, that’s when a marketing experiment comes into play.
At the heart of every experiment is a simple structure: you have a control group (which doesn’t experience the change) and a treatment group (which does). This helps you see whether your marketing tweak made a difference.
For example, if you want to test a new subject line in your emails, half your audience could get the original version, and the other half gets the new one. Then you measure which email got more opens or clicks!
There are a few different types of marketing experiments that marketers love to use:
A/B testing is one of the most common—where you compare two versions of something, like an ad, webpage, or offer.
Copy testing is another useful method where different versions of text—like headlines, taglines, or product description —are tested to see which one resonates best with your audience.
Conjoint analysis helps you understand how people make decisions by showing them different combinations of product features and asking them to choose their favorites.
It’s great for figuring out which features matter most to your audience.
Build Smarter Strategies with the Right Marketing Tools
Both surveys and experiments are powerful in their own way. Surveys help you understand the “why” behind your audience’s thoughts, while experiments show you the “what works” in practice. The magic happens when you use them together—asking people what they think and then testing what they actually do.
At The Creative Crew USA, we believe in creative thinking backed by smart strategy. So, whether you're just starting to explore your audience or you're ready to test your next big idea, knowing the difference between surveys and experiments can take your marketing game to the next level.
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