The mere exposure effect

Also called Brand familiarity

Be seen often and look the same each time, and you start to feel like the safe choice.

Bring them back
Get the click or enquiry

The idea

The more often people see something, the more they tend to like and trust it, even without a pitch. In marketing, every consistent post, ad and profile photo adds to that familiarity.

Illustration of The mere exposure effect

Why it works

Robert Zajonc showed in 1968 that simply repeating a word, shape or face made people like it more. It is one of the most repeated findings in psychology, with two limits: the boost levels off after many exposures, and repetition cannot fix something people already dislike.

Research: Zajonc 1968

Where to use it

Retargeting

Show people who visited your site or watched your videos something new each time: a review, a behind-the-scenes clip, then the offer. Cap the frequency and rotate the creative.

Still thinking about your kitchen? Here's one we finished last week.

Ad creative

Keep the same colours, fonts, face and layout across your ads, so a new ad still reads as you at a glance. Change the message, keep the look.

It's us again. This week: how to tell if your gutters need cleaning.

Social posts

Pick a posting rhythm you can keep for a year and stick to it. Familiarity builds with every sighting, so a steady schedule does more than a burst that stops.

Tip Tuesday: the one question to ask before you sign any quote.

Google Business Profile

Post updates and fresh photos on a steady schedule, with the same logo, colours and faces as your ads, so the profile looks like the business people have already seen.

New photos from this week's jobs, and the same team you've seen in our videos.

Founder videos

Put the same person on camera regularly. A face people see again and again becomes familiar, and it's easier to call someone you feel you've already met.

Hi, it's me again. Quick one today: what to check before you book anyone.

Steal these

Fill in the brackets and use them in your next post, ad or email.

It's [name] from [business] again. This week: [one useful tip].
[Series name], part [number]: [one useful thing].
Still thinking about [service]? Here's [proof or example] from this week.
You've probably seen our [van, face or colour]. Here's what we actually do: [service].
Every [day] at [time]: [series name]. Follow so you catch the next one.

Before and after

Before

Check out our website for more information

After

It is Tuesday, so here's this week's tip: how to spot a quote that leaves things out.

The first could come from anyone. The second is part of a series people have seen before, in a voice they recognise, so each post adds to the familiarity instead of starting from zero.

Where it backfires

Showing the same ad until people hate it. Liking levels off with heavy repetition, and repetition makes a bad ad or a bad experience more memorable, not less. Refresh the message, keep the look, cap the frequency.

Pairs well with

The Von Restorff effectLook the same as yourself every time and different from everyone else in the feed, so each sighting adds up to you.

Common questions

How often should I post?

Pick a rhythm you can keep for a year, and keep it. Familiarity builds with every sighting, so a steady schedule that never stops is worth more than a daily burst that fades after a month.

Can people get sick of seeing my ads?

Yes. The boost from repetition levels off, and a disliked ad doesn't improve with more views. Rotate the message every few weeks, keep the look the same, and cap how often one person sees the same ad.

Want this working in your marketing?

Eighteen minutes with Jakob. He looks at your ads, pages and Google profile first, then tells you straight what to fix.

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