Know-How Exchange : Branding

It depends on many factors ... the category, the frequency of purchase, the industry, B2B or B2C, how good the branding element is and what it communicates, how and where the element appears, etc., etc.

There is no simple answer to your question. It can range from "just a few times" to "not even after 100 exposures."

Dear hdickson,

How long is a piece of string? Where is "there"? The answers to these questions are the same as the answer to your question: it depends.

People connect to brands for dozens of reasons, and what might take just one anchoring element for one person might take dozens of connections for another.

The other thing is that seeing a branding element isn't enough.
We connect to brands through use, through exposure, and through experience of the values and benefits of those elements, not just through seeing them.

It's worth remembering that logos in and of themselves don't mean anything: they're just symbols, they're abstracts. This makes logos no different to things like money, art, time, written and spoken language, colours, and mathematics: they represent only what we associate with them.

The complexity of the meanings we give logos, the things we instill into them and the things they then emboss in our minds through shape, colour, texture, proportion, proximity, alignment are going to vary from person to person, from group to group.

In terms of an answer I know this is less than ideal, but it's the best I can do.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

The average number of impressions based on reports of late is 9.

There is a difference between presentations of a logo or brand, and a perceived identification with the brand. Seeing the logo or the product on the shelf does not make the connection of the usefulness, quality, or need. Having a consumer able to say, "Yeah, I've heard of that" isn't as important as the connection. In a perfect world, the value and benefits are making an impression as steadily as the logo.