There are two major components of successful media plan — frequency and continuous advertising. These need not be supported by a very heavy budget.
Brands can be built on a small budget. Even a single medium can be used to achieve frequency and continuity to reach the target audience.
People have short memories , and they tend to forget most of what they learn within half a day. It is, therefore, necessary to repeat the message for better retention. Though forgetting is faster after learning, it levels off later.
People’s Forgetfulness
Some advertisers wish to reach a wide audience at the cost adequate frequency. But they waste most of the media, spend.
It is necessary to put reminder ads for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) like soap or toothpaste. Even those products which are purchased on occasions, it is necessary to sink in a message.
When we want to achieve maximum impact so as to rise above the clutter and demand attention, we use concentration strategy. The media effort is not spread over the year. It is hoped that people will remember. But this is a moot point.
Repetitions and Retention
Effective advertising is delivered in sufficient frequency, leading to the concept of minimum effective reach.
We can afford to reduce the reach thereby reaching a smaller audience.This is preferred to larger audience but with a small budget. Perhaps this will confine advertising to fewer markets. It also means selective advertising for some products. It also means selecting media which match our target audience precisely.
It is an ideal situation when we advertise all the 52 weeks in a year. But this is not feasible, for most advertisers. We have to compromise and adjust between the effective level and budgets.
Flighting is a technique of concentration of advertising into bursts with a gap in between. Initially, it is a flight of four to six weeks each to achieve meaningful levels. This is preferable to a lower weekly level for a longer period of time. Flighting can be used to support sales promotions and to spend maximum in peak seasons.
Pulsing is another technique. It means continuous advertising together with periodic high concentration bursts to support seasonal buying, promotions and other marketing factors. Brands have specific requirements which influence frequency e.g. purchase cycle, developmental stage, competition or creative itself.
The more the repetition, the better are the chances of product acceptance. Besides, repetitions have a cumulative effect. No doubt, the message to begin with must be strong. But the more we repeat it, the stronger it becomes.
“This is not an issue between reach and frequency, but reach with frequency.” (Roman and Mass)