reach and frequency

Definition

The two fundamental metrics of advertising campaigns: reach measures how many unique people see your ad, while frequency measures how many times they see it. The eternal balancing act between annoying everyone once versus annoying some people repeatedly.

Example Usage

Our reach and frequency analysis shows we're hitting 2 million people with an average of 3.5 exposures, which is perfect for brand recall and just short of restraining order territory.

Origin

Classic advertising measurement framework from traditional media planning in the mid-20th century

Fun Fact

The ideal frequency is hotly debated, but research suggests 3-7 exposures is optimal—beyond that you're just burning money and goodwill.

Source: Traditional advertising and media planning terminology

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Intermediate

frequency cap

The limit on how many times an individual user will see the same ad within a given time period. Preventing your target a...