Facebook Ad Frequency Analysis Shows When Too Many Impressions Lead To Diminishing Returns

Is there a point when delivering the same ad to the same person begins to deliver diminishing returns? Facebook delves into data to answer the question. 

The goal to determine whether an optimal frequency exists and how quality impacts the campaign led Facebook to explore how marketers boost effectiveness and efficiency of their campaigns.

Analysts looked at 2,439 Facebook Brand Lift campaigns measured with Facebook Brand Lift that were run between November 2019 and March 2020, before COVID-19 impacted much of the world, in EMEA, LATAM and North America.

The advertisers represented came from six areas: CPG, e-commerce, financial services, retail, technology and travel.

Facebook measured the desired response rate, the positive responses to survey polls on ad recall, and action intent.

The polls were served within 4 hours to 48 hours of someone’s last impression, except in cases where the user did not log in during the analyzed period. Three-quarters of users received the poll within 16 days of the initial impression.

The research confirmed a plateau, with the positive results no longer increasing as significantly after a handful of impressions.

While the exact number can vary, the key insight shows a point of diminishing returns.

The research, however, did not take into account ad campaign durations, but it does suggest that after a point brands receive increasingly fewer benefits from reaching the same person.

Improving quality of the ad, however, can raise the possibility of success when the bar is reached, according to the findings.

Through a combination of systematic measurement and creative intuition, advertisers can assess and improve the quality of their campaigns.

Facebook looks into how to tackle the dichotomy in a process of learning through intentional creative experimentation and measurement. It’s about using creative testing and optimization to better understand optimal frequency and extend campaign effectiveness.

1 comment about "Facebook Ad Frequency Analysis Shows When Too Many Impressions Lead To Diminishing Returns".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, November 2, 2020 at 7:34 p.m.

    Laurie, did they say whether they examined new ad campaigns  from when they started---I assume not---or whether they simply measured the campaigns when already in progress for variable amounts of time---I assume that this was so? In which case, it's very difficult to evaluate wearout effects at specific frequency levels as some campaigns might be fairly new---hence a build up is evident  as more GRPs are added while other campaigns might be quite old and on the verge of winding down---in which case added frequency may accomplish little.

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