Running A/B Tests for Campaign Variants Without Real Audiences

How a major consumer brand used Syntheo to identify top-performing creatives early — saving time, budget, and risk

The Challenge

A global consumer goods company needed to validate multiple ad creatives ahead of a large-scale digital campaign. The objective was clear: test and compare the emotional resonance, message clarity, and call-to-action appeal of three video ad variants targeting eco-conscious millennials in Europe.

However, the brand faced tight timelines and limited access to the real audience segment—especially across smaller European markets. Traditional pre-launch testing through panel respondents would have taken several days and introduced logistical hurdles, from language localization to sourcing niche profiles.

The marketing team needed fast, reliable feedback to select a winning concept before committing millions to media spend.

The Solution

Synthetic A/B Testing Powered by Syntheo

To overcome time and access constraints, the brand turned to Syntheo — DataDiggers’ AI-powered synthetic insights engine. Rather than delaying the campaign to wait for real respondents, Syntheo was used to simulate audience reactions through hyper-realistic digital personas.

Built on advanced AI models and vast demographic-behavioral datasets, Syntheo generates credible synthetic respondents that mimic real-world audiences in both structure and thought patterns. In this case, the digital cohort matched the eco-conscious millennial segment across 7 European countries—complete with country-level cultural nuances, language fluency, and media consumption traits.

Each creative was exposed to this digital persona base in an A/B testing framework that mirrored traditional survey-based testing, capturing:

• Emotional appeal
• Message recall and clarity
• Alignment with sustainability values
• Perceived credibility of the brand
• Likelihood to engage or share

The Execution

The A/B test was configured and launched via Brainactive, DataDiggers’ advanced DIY platform, integrated directly with Syntheo.

Workflow steps:

1. Creative Upload: All three video variants were uploaded along with testing scripts in 7 localized versions.
2. Target Audience Configuration: AI personas matching key segment characteristics were automatically generated using Syntheo.
3. Simulated Survey Deployment: Synthetic respondents were guided through custom survey logic, assessing ad effectiveness just as human respondents would.
4. Automated Insights: Within minutes, Brainactive generated heatmaps, sentiment scores, and recommendation dashboards based on the responses of over 5,000 synthetic respondents.

The Results

Time-to-insight:
⏱ Under 2 hours from test deployment to full results — versus the typical 3–5 days for traditional panel-based testing.

Cost savings:
💰 65% lower compared to panel-based testing due to zero incentive costs and streamlined survey deployment.

Data-driven decision:
📊 One variant stood out with 42% higher emotional resonance and 33% greater brand recall among synthetic respondents. This insight directly informed the brand’s media planning and was later validated through in-market performance metrics.

Privacy compliance:
🛡 100% GDPR-safe, as no real personal data was collected or processed — making it an ideal solution for testing in jurisdictions with strict data regulations.

Why It Worked

✅ Speed & Scale:
The client avoided recruitment bottlenecks and reached an audience that would have been otherwise hard to access, all within hours.

✅ Simulated Authenticity:
Syntheo’s AI personas offered realistic cognitive and emotional reactions, ensuring that campaign decisions were grounded in credible predictive behavior.

✅ Flexible & Future-Proof:
This synthetic A/B test can be re-run anytime using new personas, new variants, or different geographies — offering unmatched agility for global campaigns.

What the Client Said

“We were impressed by how real the insights felt. Syntheo helped us make a confident creative choice under pressure, and the results aligned closely with what we saw post-launch. It’s like having a digital focus group ready 24/7.”
— VP of Global Brand Strategy, Consumer Goods Company

Takeaway

Syntheo enabled this global brand to simulate real-world reactions without using real-world people—giving them the power to screen creative ideas earlier, faster, and more affordably than ever before. Whether you're preparing to launch a new product, test global messaging, or optimize media spend, synthetic testing with Syntheo is a game changer.

Want to Test Before You Launch?

Let DataDiggers help you de-risk creative decisions with fast, AI-powered insights.
✅ Validate campaign variants
✅ Screen concepts before costly production
✅ Simulate hard-to-reach audiences anywhere

👉 Explore Syntheo

👉 Get started with Brainactive