Yesterday I posted some thoughts on the role human memory plays in advertising. There is so much more to know about the topic so I thought I should add to your understanding today.

Humans possess multiple types of memory, but there are two that are most related to advertising. The first is short-term memory, also known as working memory. Short-term memory is similar to RAM on a computer. The second is declarative long-term memory which is much like the hard drive on a computer. The relationship between these two memory types is that most declarative long-term memories start out as a short term-memory and then get converted to a long-term memory. Even long-term human memories are subject to being forgotten, but there are factors that lead to some memories being retained for longer periods of time. The first factor is emotional impact. The more impact an emotional event has in your mind, the longer the memory of that event will be stored. The second factor is periodic recall and retrieval. The more often you access a memory, the longer it will be stored.

It's extremely difficult to build enough emotional impact into a commercial to cause it to be stored permanently, but emotional content will definitely aid in the process. Multiple retrievals is a factor you can definitely use to increase the long-term storage of an advertiser's message. You simply provide consumers with a steady stream of reminders. In radio we call this technique frequency. The problem is that, in too many instances, we fail to sell radio in a way that provides effective frequency for the advertiser's message. That's a shame because frequency is more affordable on radio than on any other core media. This is especially critical when money is tight. Can you say recession? 

The point that I am trying to make with all this is, as I stated yesterday, if a consumer has no memory of a business in their mind, that business has little to no chance at that consumer's business. I define branding as "The establishment of an associative memory in the long-term memory of a consumer that links a product or service category to a specific provider." In other words, when you think of furniture, which furniture store do you think of first? The name that just popped into your mind is the company that is most branded in your mind. If you decide to buy furniture, that store has the greatest chance of ultimately getting your business. The percentage of consumers in your market who also think of that same furniture store first represent that store's mind share. Mind share leads directly to market share, and market share is the battlefield of business. The goal of advertising is to build, increase, and sustain mind share so that the advertiser can maximize their market share.

One last point. In any given week, in any given market, and in any given business category, there is a percentage of consumers who have an immediate need or desire for the product or service being sold by any business in that market. Let's call those consumers "now" buyers. An effective weekly frequency accomplishes several important objectives for an advertiser. First it allows the advertiser to maximize their share of the "now" buyers. Weekly frequency also is the starting point of an advertiser's attempts to effectively brand their business. In other words, it will insert a short-term memory of their message into the minds of consumers in their market. The final role frequency plays in the advertising process is that it causes retrieval of memories. These retrievals lead to memories of an advertiser being stored longer in the minds of consumers. That's why it is so important for an advertiser to make a long term commitment to their advertising. Failure to advertise consistently leads to forgotten messages, which also provides competitors with an opening.

Businesses that understand these memory dynamics and practice them consistently are the businesses that believe the most in advertising. Why? Because it has made them successful. Radio sales people who understand these dynamics and share them with their customers are the ones who have built the best personal brand for themselves in their companies and in the minds of their clients.

No memory of a business means no awareness of it. When too many people are unaware of a business, that business fails. As a radio sales person, the best way to become memorable to an advertiser is by helping them do memorable advertising. 

If you'll go back and re-read yesterday's post with all this in mind, you will get even more insight from it.

Now go out and do something memorable!