In 60 Seconds
Frequency Fallacy
- •The Origin: The 'Rule of 7' comes from movie studio research in the 1930s. It is nearly 100 years old.
- •The Reality: One great exposure at the 'Right Moment' beats 7 exposures at the 'Wrong Moment'.
- •Diminishing Returns: The first exposure does 60% of the work. The second does 20%. By the 7th, you are annoying them.
- •Recency Planning: Instead of blasting one person 7 times in a week, try to reach them once a week for 7 weeks. Stay 'Always On'.
- •The First Impression: If your ad is boring, showing it 7 times just strictly confirms you are boring.
"We need more frequency!" says the Media Planner. "We need to hit them 7 times!"
Why 7? Why not 6? Why not 8? Because it's a made-up number from the radio era.
Frequency vs. Reach
There is a trade-off. With a fixed budget ($1000):
- Strategy A (Frequency): Reach 1,000 people 10 times each.
- Strategy B (Reach): Reach 10,000 people 1 time each.
Strategy B wins. Why? Because of the Law of Diminishing Returns. The difference between "Never seeing the ad" and "Seeing it once" is massive. The difference between "Seeing it 9 times" and "Seeing it 10 times" is zero.
Recency is the New Frequency
You don't need to haunt them. You need to be there when they enter the market. This requires Continuous Presence.
- Don't run "Flights" (Ads on for 2 weeks, off for 2 weeks).
- Run "Always On" (Ads on for 52 weeks at lower spend).
When is Frequency Needed?
- Complex Message: If you are explaining a new invention, maybe they need to see it twice to get it.
- Low Attention Media: Billboards / Social Scrolls (they might miss it the first time).
- Resistance: They are loyal to a competitor and you are trying to break the habit.
[!TIP] Cap Your Frequency On Facebook/Google, set a "Frequency Cap" of 3-4 per week. Save the budget. Reinvest it in finding new people (Reach).
Read Next in This Hub:
- Scale Equation - Reach math.
- Why Buyers Forget - Memory decay.
Related System:
- Local Visibility Systems - Always on.