Why ad fatigue can reduce the impact of your brand marketing

Ad fatigue is a real challenge in such a crowded media landscape. Brands are focussed on gaining cut-through and making sure they’re getting their message in front of consumers via multiple channels and platforms. But when audiences are too exposed to high volumes of marketing content, they stop engaging with it, leading to decreased performance and even increased annoyance and damage to the brand.  

What is Ad Fatigue? 

Ad fatigue occurs when consumers become oversaturated with marketing content, be that by a single brand or exposure to such a high volume of marketing content from multiple brands. 

On average, consumers are exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 brand messages a day. This repetitive exposure can cause consumers to lose interest in any form of marketing messaging, ignore posts, and even develop negative feelings towards a particular brand. 

The concept is aligned with that of psychic numbing or compassion fatigue; the idea that repeatedly seeing coverage of wars or natural disasters on the news numbs the mind of the viewer and desensitises them to what they’re viewing. 

Signs of Ad Fatigue 

Ad fatigue may sound conceptual, but there are many ways in which you can identify its presence and the need for more compelling marketing content.

Look out for: 

• Decreased social media engagement 

• Lower viewing times of content 

• Overall reduction in campaign performance 

• Reduced click through rates 

• Rising cost per click (CPC) 

• Increased ad blocking / ‘not interested’ selections 

• Negative sentiment 

What’s the impact on your audience? 

Ad fatigue can have long-term consequences for your brand. Consumers who are overexposed to marketing messages can easily develop ‘banner blindness’. They will filter out and ignore the repetitive stimuli, thus making it harder for marketers to create cut-through and get a compelling marketing message to land. 

Constant, repetitive exposure to brand content can cause frustration and has been shown to increase the use of ad blockers or unsubscribing from brands’ communications.  

How to create compelling marketing content that combats ad fatigue 

In such a competitive media landscape where ad fatigue is a significant challenge, it is increasingly important that marketers work hard to create compelling marketing content that cuts through. 

The ability to produce marketing content at scale and pace is counterproductive to the challenge presented by this conundrum. The focus must be on quality and impact, not quantity. 

Here are a few ideas to help you create compelling marketing content that gains traction: 

• Work hard on impactful headlines and copy that speak to your audience 

• Consider the latest design concepts that garner attention 

• Look at your competition and think about ways to differentiate your content 

• Rotate your creative content by frequently refreshing visuals and messaging 

• Adjust frequency parameters to prevent overexposure 

• Target different audiences with customised adverts 

• Use A/B testing to identify which formats and messages work, and which don’t 

• Monitor performance with CTR, conversion rates, and engagement metrics 

To market effectively, teams can’t just produce lifeless and uninspiring content at volume; it doesn’t connect with audiences and won’t create any impact. It’s a waste of effort and money for everyone involved. 

Think about the suggestions above to help you create all the compelling marketing content you need.Cut through the noise and deliver a solid ROI without turning customers off. 

Further reading…

For a wider view of the challenges facing marketers today, download your copy of our Modern Marketing Playbook, available for free. We look at Ad Fatigue, the Digital Efficiency Paradox, and Omni-Channel Marketing, and explore more solutions for overcoming the many challenges of modern marketing. This guide will provide you with a number of solutions that will revolutionise your strategy and help you find ways to do more, better, and for less.