About the challenge of not annoying people with advertising and still reaching a large audience

Thomas Koch posted this valuable article on LinkedIn on 13.01.2023. Because the post gained a lot of attention on LinkedIn and because we agree 100% with his statement about reach, advertising pressure and the use of choice-driven advertising, we asked Thomas Koch to republish it here. Thank you very much!

In the digital age, advertising is more complex and challenging than ever. We are bombarded with 10,000 advertising messages every day. However, our brain is a master at filtering out the unimportant 9,990 messages. In addition to the creativity factor, it is therefore important for advertisers to find the right balance between reach and advertising pressure.

Campaigns need to reach as many people as possible. Prof Byron Sharp has been reminding us of the importance of reach for more than ten years. Even if some media decision-makers undermine reach through ‘data-based’ targeting and target groups that are far too niche, making their campaigns virtually invisible.

The issue of advertising pressure is even more complex. Since the introduction of online advertising, the number of advertising messages has tripled, while the commodity of attention has become equally scarce. Advertisers must be careful not to annoy their audience by constantly repeating intrusive adverts.

Frequency capping across media types and websites is needed to prevent advertising from becoming annoying. However, it is almost impossible to control advertising pressure across all channels without the help of the target group. The solution is to develop a strategy that involves people - via choice-driven advertising. I don't re-select a campaign that I have already seen several times. This prevents ad-annoyance, ad-fatigue and wastage. However, I continue to experience the presence of the brand. The campaign remains present free of charge and even builds up depot effects.

The way people consume media and make purchasing decisions has changed in recent years. As an advertiser, I have the choice of keeping pace with this change and adapting strategies. Or to be one of the 9,990 daily messages that have no impact. Everyone is the architect of their own fortune.