The "Mere Exposure Effect" in Advertising.

Posted on December 4, 2007 | Permalink

By Lane Casteix

For a long time I have been saying that advertising establishes familiarity with a brand that creates a sense of trust in the brand. My mantra, "The brands you know and trust are the brands you buy and use."

When faced with a buying decision where the customer has no established brand preference based on experience, he will choose the brand that he has some level of familiarity with. This familiarity usually means he has seen advertising for the brand, even if he never read the ads, and that has given the brand some level of credibility.

This is called the "mere exposure effect".

Science Daily reports this, "The majority of advertising exposure occurs when the audience's attention is focused elsewhere, such as while flipping through a magazine or browsing a web site. However, a new study reveals that even this incidental exposure to advertising may have a positive effect on consumer attitudes."

Not only does advertising have an effect on the consumer, but he doesn't even have to focus on the ad. It can be there only in his peripheral vision, and the mere exposure to the ad can still have impact!

One thing this study pointed out is that banner ads, even those that don't annoyingly flash in obnoxious colors, are being noticed by the mind when the site visitor is focused elsewhere on the page. That means the standard click-through method of measurement may be of questionable value.

What I have been saying, "Advertising works!"