An Empirical Investigation of Advertising Wearin and Wearout

This paper is one of 18 selected by the Editorial Review Board of The Journal of Advertising Research to be a 'classic' - an article that has withstood the test of time.

 An Empirical Investigation of Advertising Wearin and Wearout

Margaret Henderson Blair

For many years, advertisers and researchers have been debating over the issues of advertising wearinand advertising wearout.

The wearin proponents have held that the power of advertising buildsover time and with repeated exposures; that there is a 'wearing-in' process which occurs between the advertising and the consumer; and, that this effectiveness cannotbe measured with a single exposure or at a single point in time.

There are at least two sides to the wearout debate. One side argues that the selling power of advertising declines, or wears...

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