Creating trustworthy marketing claims in 2025 isn't just about writing better copy — it's about discovering what your customers already love about your product and proving it with data.
But wait, don't send your copywriters home just yet. They still play a vital role in this process–but they become much more powerful if you give them data to incorporate in their writing.
Because while some companies still lock their creative team in a room to brainstorm catchy phrases, others – the more successful brands — are taking a radically different approach: they're letting real consumer testing drive their claims strategy. They start with collecting data, not writing a creative brief.
In this article, we'll show you exactly how to use consumer testing to develop marketing claims that ignite desire in your target audience. From choosing the right claims testing methodology to transforming user insights into compelling claims that both legal and marketing teams will love, let's get into it.
Scroll through any product category and you'll see the same buzzwords repeated endlessly: "revolutionary," "game-changing," "breakthrough," "ultimate." The problem is often an overused vocabulary — and an outdated approach to developing claims that prioritizes creative writing over consumer reality.
Marketing has become so obsessed with "storytelling" that it has lost sight of whose story we're actually telling.
Instead of reflecting real customer experiences, brands create elaborate narratives about fictional characters facing fictional problems with suspiciously perfect solutions. You know the ones — the busy mom who somehow maintains a spotless home while running a startup, or the young professional whose life is transformed by a slightly better breakfast bar.
These claims fail for three key reasons:
This creative-first approach isn't just ineffective — it's expensive. Brands spend weeks crafting the perfect claim, only to have it shot down by legal teams or fall flat with consumers who can spot manufactured marketing from a mile away. Meanwhile, your actual customers are probably saying things about your product that would make perfect claims — if only you were listening.
The difference in effectiveness of tried-and-tested claims and creative-led claims is clear. When you base claims on actual in-home product claims testing and third-party validation rather than creative writing, you get:
We've covered what doesn't work, and now we'll get to what does. Let's break down the five types that actually work on modern-day consumers:
These focus on specific product attributes and measurable performance. They have to be specific, and easy to understand. "Superior cleaning performance" doesn't mean nearly as much as "removes 99.9% of allergens down to 0.3 microns." Consumers can't argue with numbers. Words are a lot more subjective.
Want to say you're better than the competition? Have numbers to back it up. The most effective comparative claims specify exactly how much better they are (by comparing ratings, for instance), how much time they save their users, or simply by comparing pricing.
Weak ''experience claims'' tell customers how they should feel ("you'll love how refreshing it feels"), while strong ones reflect real, specific usage occasions discovered through testing ("keeps skin hydrated through 3-hour swim practices" or "stays put during hot yoga") that your target audience immediately recognize.
Social proof leverages the collective experience and validation of real users. Tap into specific user groups or communities that matter to your target audience: "The most recommended brand by professional hairstylists" or "Preferred by 87% of marathon runners in blind tests."
Got new technology? Great. But consumers aren't concerned with your "revolutionary microfiltration system.", they want to know the added value of the innovation to them. They care that it "captures pet hair so effectively, you only need to vacuum once a week."
When putting any claim out into the world, it helps to understand the psychology behind them, to gauge whether or not it'll stick – and why. Here's what actually works:
Let's look at how different validation methods support different types of claims.
|
Testing method |
When to use |
Key benefits |
Best for |
|
When you need to understand how your product performs in real households |
• Reveals unexpected usage patterns and benefits • Captures authentic user language • Identifies actual pain points and solutions • Documents real-world performance |
• Home appliances • Cleaning products • Personal care items • Kitchen gadgets • Any product used in daily routines |
|
|
Sensory Evaluation |
When product experience and perception are crucial to success |
• Quantifies subjective experiences • Identifies specific sensory attributes that matter most • Helps prioritize product improvements • Validates sensory-based claims |
• Food & beverages • Fragrances • Cosmetics • Textiles • Personal care products |
|
Comparative Testing |
When making "better than" claims or positioning against competitors |
• Provides direct performance comparisons • Identifies true competitive advantages • Reveals unexpected differentiators • Supports comparative marketing claims |
• Household products • Electronics • Performance gear • Any product making comparative claims |
|
Longitudinal Studies |
When benefits develop or compound over time |
• Tracks product performance over time • Documents progressive improvements • Validates long-term claims • Identifies usage patterns and compliance |
• Skincare products • Supplements • Hair care systems • Exercise equipment • Habit-forming products |
|
Blind Testing |
When you need unbiased feedback on core product attributes |
• Eliminates brand bias • Focuses on pure product performance • Validates superiority claims • Identifies true product preferences |
• Food & beverages • Fragrances • Personal care • Any product where brand influences perception |
Different claims need different types of validation — and often, the most powerful insights come from combining multiple claim testing approaches, so go ahead and mix things up.
Here's how to transform consumer testing data into marketing claims that drive results — along with some insider tips on what actually works (and what definitely doesn't).
Start by mining your consumer testing data for patterns and unexpected insights. Don't just look for positive feedback that confirms what you want to say — dig until you find the surprising ways people use your product, the specific problems it solves, and especially the language they use to describe benefits.
Do: Look for claims hiding in complaints or "alternative" uses. Some great claims have come from customers using a product "wrong" — but getting great results.
Don't: Filter out negative feedback too quickly. Sometimes your best claims come from understanding and addressing common objections head-on.
Time to prove your potential claims aren't just flukes. Test them with fresh consumer groups, gather statistical support, and collect concrete evidence.
Do: Test your claims against competitor messaging with the same audience. Understanding how your claims stack up helps refine your positioning.
Don't: Rush to validate obvious claims everyone in your category already makes. "Easy to use" or "professional quality" rarely move the needle — focus your validation efforts on unique benefits.
Bring in the copywriters, and give them access to all the data. They'll transform your validated insights into clear, specific claims while preserving their authenticity.
Do: Create a "claims hierarchy" based on testing data. Which claims drive purchase intent? Which support your main claim? Which work better for different channels or audiences?
Don't: Let legal concerns water down strong claims before you've even tried to substantiate them. Work with legal to find ways to prove bold claims rather than defaulting to safe, generic statements.
Now test your formulated claims with consumers. How do they perform against competitor claims? Do they resonate more with certain segments? Are they memorable?
Do: Test claims in context — on packaging, in ads, on social. Claims that sound great in isolation sometimes fall flat in the real world.
Don't: Rely solely on survey data. Watch how people react to claims in user interviews. Their immediate responses often tell you more than their considered responses.
Roll out your claims strategically and monitor their performance. The best brands treat this as an ongoing process, continuously gathering validation and refining based on results.
Do: Create a "claims library" documenting your validation data and approved language variations for future marketing efforts.
Don't: Set and forget. Consumer language and preferences evolve quickly. What worked six months ago might need refreshing now.
When a women's wellness brand needed to validate claims for their perimenopause supplement, they had to prove efficacy for a product that works differently for each user.
Rather than making broad claims, we helped them conduct a 30-day in-home test with 110 women experiencing perimenopause symptoms. That led to specific, validated claims based on real user experiences, over 100 authentic product reviews, and clear data on product efficacy. Here's the full story.
Want to read more examples of how Highlight helped brands make better claims? Read on.
Creating effective marketing claims means masterfully balancing multiple competing interests.
When you start with solid consumer testing data, legal compliance becomes less about restrictions and more about building trust. The data doesn't just satisfy your legal team's requirements; it actually fuels creativity by revealing unexpected benefits and authentic user stories.
It will enable you to create claims that are both legally sound and creatively compelling, because they're rooted in real consumer experiences rather than marketing assumptions.
You'll find that the most memorable claims often emerge from this intersection of hard data and human truth — specific enough to be credible, simple enough to be memorable, and backed by robust third-party validation.
Transform your approach to marketing claims by putting your product in the hands of real consumers and letting their experiences guide your way. Here's how Highlight gets your results on average in three weeks.
Highlight provides research services aimed at supporting perceptual claims made by the Customer. While Highlight employs recognized methodologies and rigorous protocols to ensure data quality, the responsibility for the accuracy and legality of any claims made based on this research lies solely with the Customer.