Reach and frequency (RF) are the fundamental building blocks for planning and measuring the success of advertising campaigns.
- Reach refers to the number of people exposed to a particular ad.
- Frequency is the number of ads one person is exposed to in a given period.
Brand advertisers often use these metrics to define campaign goals.
Whether reach and frequency are used to optimize branding or to audit ad delivery, they are an essential piece of the online advertising puzzle. When marketing online, many marketers often do not have access to RF reporting, or are limited to reports that only provide average frequency. Average frequency provides an incomplete view of campaign results and leads to misdirected planning and optimization. The reality is that different people are reached at very different rates of exposure. This spectrum of frequency on any given campaign is best measured by what is called the frequency distribution.
To demonstrate the importance of the frequency distribution in online marketing, Microsoft Advertising Institute examined data from one month of a typical online campaign. The challenge is that two different media plans may produce the same average frequency, but perform completely differently. Without frequency distributions, it would be impossible for marketers to evaluate the success of their campaigns correctly.
Microsoft provides detailed RF reports that measure frequency distribution at all levels of online advertising—campaign-wide as well as for individual sites, placements, and creative. These reports enable marketers to plan, buy, and optimize online media with the same strategies they apply to offline channels.
Microsoft Advertising Institute publishes Digital Marketing Insights (DMIs), a series of publications by digital marketing experts that help our customers improve their digital marketing effectiveness. Many of these findings are also made available to the digital marketing industry at large. Each DMI is designed to help marketers more successfully build value with their customers, throughout the customer lifecycle: from awareness to acquisition and from retention to growth. Microsoft Advertising Institute also provides education in digital marketing to Microsoft customers. Learn more about Microsoft Advertising Institute.
Download the complete Digital Marketing Insight report to learn more about research findings and key takeaways.
