Mere-Exposure Effect
Why repeated exposure to something makes people prefer it, and how to use the mere-exposure effect in your marketing.
In this issue
Hey 👋 The Crew here.
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If you don’t, your text might feel like a “conversation killer” according to one recent study.
We do love our emojis. But there’s a point where adding them becomes redundant, right?
… Right? 🤔
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Today, Red Bull is a leading energy drink brand in the US.
But when Red Bull was breaking into the European market in the late 1980s, the concept of an “energy drink” didn’t really exist. So how did they make it work?
Meet the London “Empty Can Campaign”: Over several months, Red Bull filled trash bins with empty Red Bull cans and placed them around busy streets and party-centric places like nightclubs.
Over time, Red Bull built popularity, and has since become an energy drink of choice— especially among the youngsters participating in London’s vibrant nightlife.
Pretty sweet, huh? Sugary, too.
What Red Bull did wasn’t exactly new, however. Something similar was the subject of research two decades earlier…
In the 1960s, psychologist Robert Zajonc proved that simply exposing someone to a familiar stimulus led them to rate it more highly than an unfamiliar one.
He called it the Mere-exposure effect—and it’s something you’ve probably noticed in your own life:
- That song that “grew on you” over time.
- The brand of cereal you bought because you kept seeing it on TV.
- A fashion trend that’s everywhere because… well, it was everywhere.
Up until today, multiple scientists have confirmed and expanded on the Mere-exposure effect, including Robert Bornstein, who confirmed the effect is “robust” and “reliable.”
So let’s see how you can take advantage of it in your own marketing…
Three ways you can leverage the Mere-exposure effect
Keep an active brand presence
Everyone knows Coca-Cola. And yet, it continues to spend millions on ads. Why?
Because Coca-Cola wants the highest possible percentage of people to feel a sense of familiarity whenever they see the white-on-red Coca-Cola tag. And it works.
You may not have a budget like Coca-Cola’s. But what’s stopping you from maintaining a steady online presence to stay top of mind?
Engaging email campaigns, active social media presence, brand awareness campaigns, and similar will make users associate your brand with a certain product or service type.
Associate your ads with familiar things
The best way to make your brand “familiar” to an audience?
Put it next to something that’s already well-known.
Brands do it all the time. They jump on viral memes and trends, or try to place their protagonists in familiar and pleasant environments—family meetings, hangouts, etc.
Just think about it—how often do you hear a popular, catchy song in a video advertisement? Yep.
Jumping on familiarity is exactly what you can do: Tools like TikTok Trends can help you discover popular bops while keeping in touch with pop culture trends.
Think about all the ways you can leverage familiarity with your brand, and don’t be afraid to test some of them out.
Engineer social proof
We’re back at the Red Bull story again.
Yes, organic social proof is king, but sometimes you have to give it a little kick from behind.
In that case, you want to create scenarios where your product is naturally used. Partner with influencers who align with your brand to endorse your products authentically.
You can also host giveaways that encourage users to share their experiences. Incentivize testimonials. Or even think of out-of-the-box campaigns like Red Bull’s.
That’s the essence of the Mere-exposure effect. The more your audience sees others enjoying your product, the more familiar and reliable your brand will appear.
Yes, our minds can be gullible like that…
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SOCIAL MEDIA:The king stays the king. Instagram was again the most downloaded app last month with 61M downloads—making it another month on the throne since November. TikTok sits in second place, with “measly” 52M downloads. If you advertise on both, you’re good.
PINTEREST:Oh wow. Pinterest has released a generative AI feature that helps you generate any background you want for your product image. At the moment, only select partners have access to the feature, which should be widely available soon. We’re waiting.
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ICYMI, last time we looked at Red Velvet Strategy.
The “Familiar-looking” Crew
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