Effective Reach and Frequency: Does It Really Make Sense?

Abstract

The article examines the validity of the effective reach and frequency concepts in advertising. Notwithstanding the enormous popularity of the effective reach and frequency concept, this paper has argued that there is virtually no theoretical or empirical evidence available in the literature. Few studies have been published that support it, and those that have been published are not as supportive as they appear. Discussions of effective reach and frequency have tended to pay lip service to the distinction between media vehicle exposure and actual advertising exposure. But key studies have failed to consider the implications of the distinction. While the results are ambiguous, when analyzed carefully, they cannot be construed as supporting the effective reach and frequency concept according to accepted social scientific methodology. And if they were supportive, they would only represent a single case. The discussion of effective frequency is not a simple academic exercise. There are real media-planning issues involved. If the first advertising exposure is the most effective, followed by diminishing returns, the basic emphasis of advertising should switch from frequency to reach.