Repetition advertisement refers to the number of times someone must see an advertisement to achieve optimal remembrance, elicit positive emotions and prevent the message of the ad from becoming stale or distasteful. The study of advertisement repetition also takes into account the amount of time after an advertisement is viewed that the audience is no longer affected in any way. Repetition is relevant when making marketing decisions such as media selection, scheduling and production budgeting.

Information Acquisition Through Repetition

Repetition is generally required before an ad registers with an audience. Some professionals refer to this process as the "wear-in." The exact number of views required to ensure the information is absorbed in the wear-in period is varied, as some ads are extremely effective at leaving an impact because they are designed extremely well. As audience members acquire the information distributed through ads, ad producers also hope to penetrate the audience's long-term memory, not just their short-term memory.

Attitude Formation Through Repetition

As people are exposed to advertising repetition, their attitudes about the advertisement or brand will begin to form and remain in their minds, even if the exact phrasing of the ad does not. This attitude may be positive or negative. Most researchers theorize that the continued pairing of information and its brand through repetition always increases the brand's product awareness, and advertisers rely on this as they spend money to advertise their brand or business.

Forgetting Advertisements

Inevitably, an audience will forget information over time. This, in essence, is why advertisers are consistently coming up with new ad campaigns and ways to get the word out about their product or business. One of the main goals of repetition in advertising is to reduce forgetting by reinforcing messages so the audience commits favorable attitudes and knowledge to long-term memory.

Putting Repetition to Use

Business owners and advertising professionals can use this information to make important decisions about how to use their advertising dollars. Repetition of exposure is generally a positive thing, to a point. When people are overexposed to an advertisement, they begin to show an adverse response. According to Professor Christie L. Nordhielm of Northwestern University, several studies have found that wear-out on advertisements happens after about three to 10 exposures. After this, positive attitudes decline.