of Repetition
Ask the average lay person which is more important:
- Reaching a very large number of people, or
- Reaching a smaller number of people multiple times,
and nearly everyone chooses the first.
When I see the same thing multiple times it makes me mad.
Intuitively this makes sense. Too much repetition and a brand can feel pushy.
But quite simply, a key to brand awareness is repetition (frequency) – and it might be even more important than just broadly reaching as many people as possible.
Yes, creativity dictates how much attention you’ll pay, and where you’ll direct that focus. But repetition is king!
Your Brain Reacts to Repetition
We’re worse at remembering information than we often might think. In fact, we forget no less than ninety percent of what we learn within thirty days! At least, when it comes to new information. However, when (new) information is presented to us repeatedly, the brain reacts differently. At the end of the nineteenth century, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus called this effect the ‘Forgetting Curve’. The Forgetting Curve describes how new knowledge fades over time. However, this downward trend can be broken by repeating information over and over. By repeating information, there’s a better chance of understanding and internalizing it.
Therefore, repetition plays an important part in communication. For example, an advertisement must be shown three to twenty times on average before a consumer considers buying, or actually buys a product. Only after an exposure of three to twenty times, the message will linger. The Forgetting Curve can also be applied to internal communication. Employees see, hear, and understand your messages better, once they are repeated a few times.
3 to 20 repetitions
It shows they’ve keyed in on the Magic Seven as their suggested repetition.
But note this doesn’t mean repeating the EXACT same message on the EXACT same channels. They’ve woven together a Customer Journey Path that includes passive and active exposures, in channels where you read, view, and/or listen.
That’s part of the key to repetition. Yes, it’s safe to show the same thing multiple times, but that will induce wear-out.
The key to repetition is saying similar things, but not always the same thing. This does mean you have to stay “on brand,” and this is easier with a top-down approach.
1. By Building Familiarity and Trust
The purpose of repetition is to create a sense of familiarity and trust with potential customers. Studies have shown that the average consumer needs to see a message several times before they take notice, and even more before they remember it.
2. For Brand Awareness and Recognition
Additionally, repetition can help to build brand recognition and ensure that potential customers are able to quickly identify a company’s products or services.
The more people see your ad, the higher the chances they’ll remember your brand. And if they see your ad enough times, they might even start to recognize your brands without even seeing the product itself. That’s the power of repetition!
3. For Brand Loyalty
When you see or hear something multiple times, it starts to feel like part of your everyday life. And when something feels like part of your everyday life, you’re more likely to develop a positive association with it. That’s why companies often use repetition to build brand loyalty — the more times you see or hear their name, the more likely you are to become a loyal customer, even without you knowing it.
4. To Initiate Word-of-Mouth Marketing
When people see an ad multiple times, they’re more likely to talk about it with their friends and family members. This is especially true if there is something exciting, funny, or mysterious about your ad.
We also see this with non-profits. The average volunteer doesn’t talk about the experience with friends, or invite them to participate, until they’ve done so four or more times.
5. For Positive Association
Repetition helps to create an emotional response. Ads that elicit an emotional response are more likely to be memorable and persuasive. And while it’s possible to create an emotional response with a single exposure, repeated exposures can help to intensify the effect.
6. For Better Understanding of the Message
Repetition helps viewers understand the message. Have you ever seen an ad and felt so confused afterward that you actually want to see the ad again just so you can get your closure?
Ads are often designed to convey complex information in a short amount of time. By repeating the ad, viewers have a better chance of understanding and internalizing the message.
7. To Increase Sales
Repeat customers are the bread and butter of any business, so it stands to reason that increasing sales starts with increasing repeat business. And what’s the best way to encourage repeat business? That’s right, repetition!
- Repetition increases belief. When people hear a statement twice, they’re more likely to believe that it’s true as compared to when they’ve only heard it once.
- Known as the “illusory truth effect.”
- “Familiarity breeds positivity.”
- Awareness and Top-of-Mind Awareness are common MKT metrics. Positively impacted the most by repetition over any other factor – regardless of creativity!
- In a fast-paced world, the ITE kicks in even more. Those that are “busy,” are even more susceptible to the illusion.
- If you are ”new” to the brand, you are MOST susceptible to ITE. This means repetition impacts your passive and new fans more than your core.
So how much repetition is really needed? (Summary)
Examples above suggest 3-20 times.
Many times
- If a person doesn’t really know your brand, or the category of brands, high repetition is probably needed.
- If you’re viewing something in a noisy environment. That includes digital and social, as you’re in a noisy environment seeing many hundreds of posts on a smaller screen.
- If the difference between your brand and the competition is hidden, or not physically perceptible.
Fewer times
- If a person is beyond the brand awareness stage (ToFU) and is in a consideration mindset.
- If your brand is easily perceptible as being different.