Mere Exposure leads to Big Returns?

Another business lesson from my psychologist wife:

The mere exposure effect states that simply being exposed to an image or a name increases your attraction to that. So when you look at an array of photographs, you’re more likely to respond positively to the ones you’ve seen before.

Sound familiar? This is advertising at its simplest: when you go into the store to buy margarine, you’ll respond better to the brands you’re familiar with even if you’ve never tried them before.

As several smart marketers and fundraisers have learned, the one-two punch can have a measurable effect on your returns. Send a newsletter three weeks before you send your appeal letter. Double your phone calls and visits in the days following a news story about your organization. Take advantage of that awareness. The mere exposure will do its part.

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