Advertising reach and frequency

In this instalment of ‘Best Practice’ Colin McDonald examines the issue of reach (or cover) and frequency of advertising exposure.

Advertising Reach And Frequency

Colin McDonald

'Reach' (Cover in US) and 'frequency' are easy to define. Reach means the proportion of the target population who will see our campaign at all, 'frequency' means the number of times those people will see it. Advertising schedules aim to achieve the best affordable combination of reach and frequency. An ad should be seen often enough to cut through clutter and get noticed, but too often is wasteful, or even counterproductive (15). The term 'effective frequency' denotes the 'right' level...

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