What's The Frequency?

By Harry Hoover
Posted Sunday, February 6, 2005

The more things change, some say, the more things stay the same. When it comes to marketing, I tend to agree. Consider the following list of how advertising frequency equates to advertising effectiveness. Thomas Smith wrote this in 1885:

* The first time a man looks at an advertisement, he does not see it.

* The second time, he does not notice it.

* The third time, he is conscious of its existence.

* The fourth time, he faintly remembers having seen it before.

* The fifth time, he reads it.

* The sixth time, he turns up his nose at it.

* The seventh time, he reads it through and says, "Oh brother!"

* The eighth time, he says, "Here's that confounded thing again!"

* The ninth time, he wonders if it amounts to anything.

* The tenth time, he asks his neighbor if he has tried it.

* The eleventh time, he wonders how the advertiser makes it pay.

* The twelfth time, he thinks it must be a good thing.

* The thirteenth time, he thinks perhaps it might be worth something.

* The fourteenth time, he remembers wanting such a thing a long time.

* The fifteenth time, he is tantalized because he cannot afford to buy it.

* The sixteenth time, he thinks he will buy it some day.

* The seventeenth time, he makes a memorandum to buy it.

* The eighteenth time, he swears at his poverty.

* The nineteenth time, he counts his money carefully.

* The twentieth time he sees the ad, he buys what it is offering.

About the Author
Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, (http://www.hoover-ink.com). He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.