How Many Times Should You Advertise? Thomas Smith has some advice.
We recently came across an old article from 1885 (yes, 121 years old, honestly!) in which London businessman Thomas Smith offered the following advice to advertisers. It is still applicable today:
The 1st time people look at any ad they don't even see it.
The 2nd time, they don't notice it.
The 3rd time, they are aware that it is there.
The 4th time, they have a fleeting sense that they've seen it somewhere before.
The 5th time, they actually read the ad.
The 6th time, they thumb their nose at it.
The 7th time, they start to get a bit irritated by it.
The 8th time, they start to think "Here's that confounded ad again".
The 9th time, they start to wonder if they may be missing out on something.
The 10th time, they ask their friends and neighbours if they've tried it.
The 11th time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
The 12th time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The 13th time, they start to feel the product has value.
The 14th time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
The 15th time, they start to yearn for it because they can't afford to buy it.
The 16th time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The 17th time, they make a note to buy the product.
The 18th time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
The 19th time, they count their money very carefully.
The 20th time that a prospect sees your ad, they buy what is offered.
