WRL Blog

Since I began my career in 1965, the world of advertising has seen many important changes. When I started out, there were no computers, no emails, no cell phones, no fax, but there was a lot more person-to-person contact. The impact of technology has been amazing. Computers have replaced drawing boards and typewriters. With online shopping, pop ups and flashing banners, advertising has never had more presence than it has today, all thanks to the omnipresent Internet.

Yet, one important component of advertising remains unchanged:
Repetition

I learned from experience, early on, that the medium you choose may be important, but how often you use that medium is every bit as important.

It was easier in those days to convince a client to use station XYC to convey your message than it was to convince that client to keep repeating that message long enough to be recognized and remembered. Those days haven't changed.

Repetition is as vital to successful advertising today as it ever was. As some of our clients did forty years ago, many advertisers still get tired of their advertising campaigns and tag lines long before they have built a consumer connection. They still can’t comprehend the importance of repetition. Convincing clients of that was always one of our most difficult jobs. How many times do you need to see an ad before you respond? How many times do you need to see or hear a company name before you can remember it? Many more times than you might imagine.

More than just remembering, repetition enhances believability. If people keep telling you that Joe Smith is a nice guy and you hear it often enough, chances are you will believe it. You may even start telling other people that Joe Smith is a nice guy and you have never met him.

It takes repetition and lots of it to familiarize people with the names of your company and its products and services. Repeated often enough, when people need that type of product or service, your company brand will be the first that comes to mind.

Websites, emails, blogs and social networking may have changed the world of advertising, but the need for repetition is still fundamental to its success in the marketplace.