 Repetition and Redundancy.

 Repetition and Redundancy. If Maggi runs the same ad for maggi noodles 100
times, that‟s repetition. If Maggi runs 10 different maggi noodles ads 10 times
each, that‟s redundancy. What impact does repetition have, and does redundancy
moderate its effect?
Interestingly, repetition has two different outcomes. First, a little repetition leads
to a lot of persuasion. Second, a lot of repetition leads to a lot of frustration. There
is a balance point with the lever of repetition. Using repetition up to that point is
effective, but once you‟ve got past the balance point, you get diminishing returns.
In the first outcome a little repetition works for an obvious reason:
Comprehension. As you repeat a message, over and over, more and more
receivers understand the message. For example, advertisers know that if a
hundred people are exposed to a TV commercial, most of them won‟t even
remember it. But if you show that same commercial over many different times,
more and more people in the audience will finally begin to „see‟ it for the first
time. And even if a particular receiver recognized that new ad the very first time,
repeated viewings are still effective. They permit the receiver to learn more about
the ad and consider it more carefully.
But, if this repetition is overused, the second outcome occurs. You‟ve heard the
expression, „Familiarity breeds contempt.‟ That is exactly what happens with
messages that are repeated too much. The ad comes on the TV and you go, “Oh,
no, not that again!” Instead of thinking about this wonderful ad, you start getting
angry or frustrated or bored with it. That is not good persuasion.
Now, redundancy (saying the same thing in a different way) can permit repetition
to work effectively for a while. Redundant messages essentially fool the receivers
into thinking that they are seeing something new. However, even with redundant
messages, you will still reach that balance point eventually. The moral of this is:
do not overuse repetition in an effort to emphasize a point.