How Much is Too Much

By Chris Marine

A new report from Kantar came out. In it, they bring up the dangers of over-commercialization. It addresses a really important subject, which is something we discuss a lot: how, and how often to communicate with your audience and prospects. While data provides a lot of insights, one thing it won’t reveal is the damage that can be done by over-commercialization of your brand.

From the 2019 Kantar Dimensions Report, 70% of consumers agree that they see the same ad over and over again – it’s too repetitive. There is such a thing is a frequency cap with your online ads. While there are guiding principles around how much is too much, nothing is definitive. In display advertising, for example, a frequency cap is often set around 20-22. Strategists will give this number based on viewability rates that people will notice them half the time on the page and take action on them a quarter of that. But it’s tough to nail down the perfect frequency cap because it depends on the campaign, objective, media mix and ad. Proctor and Gamble back in 2018 took a whack at putting a number to this by saying their target audience shouldn’t be seeing their digital ads more than three times a month. Facebook did a study in partnership with Oracle and they suggest 1-2 impressions weekly for no less than ten weeks – granted, they sell ads. How you advertise matters. Are you on cable, connected TV, radio, and also print? Things to consider. It’s a delicate balance.

54% of people in the same Kantar report say they object to being targeted as a result of their past online activity. It all comes down to knowing your audience, your market and always learning about the different consumer journeys that your audience is on in order to best navigate the waters of over-targeting.

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