This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
Executive Summary
Frequency of exposure is a critical topic in advertising research because of its theoretical and practical importance. Despite much research over the last several decades, the impact and nature of frequency on advertising effectiveness is still not well understood because of non-linear effects and a variety of psychological responses. However, despite differences in perspectives and theories investigated, researchers agree that ad frequency leads to a point of tedium and that ad effectiveness decreases after this point due to lack of consumer interest in the ad.
In order to counter the potential wear-out in ad effectiveness, advertisers often use the strategy of “ad variation” whereby different ad executions are used while retaining the same overall advertising concept and claims. The rationale underlying this strategy is that by presenting different versions of the ad, consumers will experience less tedium, and the decline in advertising effectiveness can be forestalled. Research using traditional media generally supports the stated advantages of the ad variation strategy (Grass & Wallace, 1969; Burnkrant, & Unnava, 1987; Unnava, & Burnkrant, 1991; Singh, Linville, & Sukhdial,1995).