[1] This concept is a fundamental element of marketing communication strategies, aiming to enhance brand recall, create awareness, and influence consumer behavior through repeated exposure.
From an audience perspective, Philip H. Dougherty says frequency can be interpreted as "how often consumers must see it before they can readily recall it and how many times it must be seen before attitudes are altered.
[3] Some studies have shown that audiences respond more favorably from repeated exposures to advertisements (i.e., increased frequency).
[4] Moreover, to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS), some research suggests the repeat of exposures should be spread out (once-a-week) versus multiple times in a short-time period (multiple times in a day), in order not to overwhelm the target audience.
[5] In television media, frequency is calculated by dividing the number of impressions by the total audience population that was reached.
[citation needed] Frequency capping is often cited as a way to avoid banner burnout, the point where visitors are being overexposed and response drops.
[citation needed] The effective frequency is the number of times a person must be exposed to an advertising message before a response is made and before exposure is considered wasteful.
There are also numerous studies with their own theories or models as to what the correct number is for effective frequency.
There are several definitions of effective frequency: In 1879–80, Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted research on higher mental processes; he replicated the entire procedure in 1883–4.
He discovered that distributing learning trials over time is more effective in memorizing nonsense syllables than massing practice into a single session; and he noted that continuing to practice material after the learning criterion has been reached enhances retention.
He was the first to describe primacy and recency effects (the fact that early and late items in a list are more likely to be recalled than middle items), and to report that even a small amount of initial practice, far below that required for retention, can lead to savings at relearning.
The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can't afford to buy it.
The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
Anything new or novel no matter how uninteresting on second exposure has to elicit some response the first time...if only to discard the object as of no further interest...
They just "put it out of their minds" until and unless it has some use ... and [then] the response to the commercial continues.According to Krugman, there are only three levels of exposure in psychological, not media, terms: curiosity, recognition and decision.