Interesting Results
Advertising Repetition
Frequently, advertisers show ads repeatedly in an effort to get people to notice them, but is this effective? A recent study suggests that it depends on whether or not the people viewing the ads are familiar with the brands being advertised. This and previous studies show that some repetition leads to improved attitudes toward ads and the advertised brands, but attitudes deteriorate with too much repetition. The new research, which included one experiment examining television ads and another examining Internet ads, showed that for both media this “wear out” point happens sooner when the ad being repeated is for an unfamiliar brand as opposed to a familiar brand. The results suggest that this is because consumers process the two types of ads differently, with ads for unfamiliar brands receiving greater scrutiny. Over a small number of repetitions, this can be good (since the viewer is learning about the advertised brand), but over the longer term it can lead viewers to question the advertisers’ claims and tactics.