| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
Chapter 1.
Introduction
Frequency of exposure is a major variable that affects advertising effectiveness, and has received substantial attention from researchers over the last several decades. However, the role of frequency in advertising is complex because the relationship between frequency and advertising effectiveness is non-linear in nature. It is a well-known fact that the impact of frequency begins to “wear-out” after a certain level of exposure because of the tedium caused by ad repetition. In order to counter such wear-out, researchers have proposed an “ad variation” strategy that employs different executions but maintains the same overall advertising concept and claims. The reasoning underlying the ad variation strategy is that by presenting different ad versions while keeping the same concept and claims, less tedium is experienced toward the ads and advertising effectiveness can, therefore, be maintained. Indeed, empirical studies on ad variation suggest that varied ads forestall tedium and result in higher advertising effectiveness (Schumann & Clemons, 1989;