Effects of advertising exposure duration and frequency: a theory and initial test

For advertisements to be effective, the duration of exposure to them must exceed an identification threshold—long enough for individuals to recognize the advertised product. Repeated exposures that fall short of this threshold fail to optimize learning and positive ad evaluation. This idea challenges and extends the Total Time Hypothesis (TTH), which posits that learning depends solely on the cumulative exposure time, by emphasizing the critical role of identification in the learning process and is important in view of the systematically falling advertising exposure durations in practice and the industry focus on viewability. Two controlled experiments demonstrate that ads vary in their identification threshold and that this threshold critically determines the effectiveness of repeated exposures. Controlling the total exposure time, typical ads benefit most from more frequent but shorter exposures, whereas atypical ads benefit most from less frequent but longer exposures. These findings have implications for advertising theory, research, and practice.