Impact – retention matrix

Advertising is basically a process of learning and forgetting. For learning to take place, ads must go beyond the level of recall, often through repeated exposure.

Impact – retention matrix

Erik Du Plessis

Advertising is basically a process of learning and forgetting. For learning to take place, an advertisement has to get beyond the threshold level of recall (“impact”). Repeated exposure may increase the rate at which recall develops (“impact rate”). After exposure, forgetting also sets in. The learning and forgetting processes determine the percentage of people who recall the advertising – the 'retention rate'.

The impact-retention matrix expresses the relationship between the short-term impact rate and the longer-term retention rate of advertisements. Four cells are distinguished:

  1. Low impact/low retention:This may result from low media...

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