How many times do customers need to be exposed to TV advertisements to take purchasing actions?

Abstract

Customers are exposed to large quantities of advertisements daily and often struggle to process them. As a result, customers tend to avoid them entirely. The popularization of digital video recorders, which allow television advertisements to be skipped entirely, has made this even easier. Hence, some scholars argue that television advertisements are less influential than in the past. However, companies think that television advertisements may still be effective in expanding awareness of new products, so they have not been able to lower the cost of television advertising. In fact, the scale of television advertisements in Japan has remained almost constant over the last 10 years. This study examined the effective contact frequency of television advertisements for attracting customers to the website of Japanese automobile manufacturers, particularly whether the frequency was inferior to the “three-hit theory.” As it is difficult for respondents to accurately report contact frequency, television viewing and Web browsing data (smartphone, PC), which were linked via ID numbers, were used. The study findings showed that the three-hit theory held, although the effective frequency differed somewhat depending on the presence/absence of celebrities, the advertisement length, and the broadcasting time zone. With many companies concerned about the decline in business performance and lack of efficiency in television advertisements, this study offers companies the means to refine their marketing promotion plans.