Have you ever been in the market for a new car? You’ve become increasingly interested in a particular make and model and have begun to do your research.
Out of nowhere that car now seems to be appearing everywhere. You see it in traffic; there’s one parked across the street; and there’s another, this time blue, next to you in the parking lot. They’re seemingly everywhere. What is going on??
No, this isn’t some elaborate marketing ploy by your local auto dealer, those cars have likely always been there, it’s all a phenomenon called frequency or recency illusion.
Frequency Illusion is a cognitive bias that causes people to notice something more frequently after they’ve recently become aware of it. It’s related to the fact that things that are more important to you, at the moment, receive more attention.
In marketing, this product or service sensitivity can be a valuable tool for understanding the importance of long-term advertising, particularly in business categories characterized by low purchase frequency.
Business categories with typically low purchase frequency include major appliances, furniture, cars, luxury items, high-end electronics, jewelry, solar panels, and home renovations and home services. Essentially, any product that is considered a significant investment with a long lifespan, requiring infrequent replacement or upgrades, is a low purchase frequency item.
Let’s take for example your water heater. Like most, you might not spend much time thinking about your water heater or considering your next water heater purchase…Until there’s no hot water.
The moment you learn you need a water heater, frequency illusion strikes. Because it is now something you are keenly interested in, anything related to water heaters receives your attention.
In your scramble for solutions, you may recall reading your Keene Sentinel or www.KeeneSentinel.com and seeing an ad for a plumber specializing in water heater installations. You go back to search for that information.
An ad in your local newspaper that may have appeared tangentially to you many times, because it was largely irrelevant to your immediate interests, suddenly becomes top-of-mind. You find the ad or recall the name of the business and call them to schedule the repair.
This is an example of awareness advertising at its best. The local plumber patiently advertised her business knowing the vast majority of readers were not actively in the market for water heaters in the moment. But over time, this low purchase frequency category of business becomes highly relevant to most in the market…And when it does, this plumber is top of mind through awareness developed over the long term. It’s always best to be there when your customer needs you.
Brand awareness plays a major role in consumer choice, making familiar brands more likely to be considered first.
Awareness in advertising, supported by frequency illusion, leads to sales by making potential customers familiar with a product or brand, which increases the likelihood that consumers will consider buying it when the need arises as familiarity breeds trust and encourages consumers to choose a recognized option over lesser-known competitors.
The greater your brand awareness, the higher your sales are likely to be. It is estimated that steady brand promotion leads to a 23% increase in revenue.
Of course, once you visit a vendor’s website, the phenomenon of frequency illusion is no longer just a cognitive bias. Through the power of re-marketing that car you’re seeing everywhere is literally following you around the internet. We have technology to thank for that!
You can put the power of frequency illusion and top-of-mind awareness advertising to work for your local business. If you’re interested in learning more Sentinel Solutions are expert in awareness advertising and how to integrate those tactics effectively into a multimedia campaign.
Give us a call if we can help at 603-352-5896 or e-mail to Advertising@SentinelDigitalSolutions.com. We’re here to help you succeed.
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