Lesson 29 of 30 · 9 min
Frequency, fatigue and refresh
Every ad has a shelf life. Plan for it.
Frequency has a useful range
Too little and the message is never registered; too much and you are paying to irritate people who already decided. The right level depends on message complexity and how long the purchase takes, which is why frequency should be a plan input rather than an afterthought.
Fatigue shows up before the metrics do
Rising frequency with slowly falling click-through and rising cost per action is the classic signature. By the time CPA has clearly worsened, the audience has been over-exposed for a while.
Refresh the idea, not just the frame
Recolouring the same ad buys a brief reprieve because the audience recognises the concept, not the crop. Meaningful refresh changes the situation, the claim or the format — the things people actually notice.
Rotate deliberately and exclude the converted
Plan a creative calendar rather than reacting to decline, and suppress people who have already bought. Continuing to pay for exposure to existing customers is the most avoidable frequency waste in most accounts.
Takeaway
Treat frequency as a planned input, and refresh the idea before the numbers force you to.
Check yourself
No score, no signup — pick an answer to see why it's right.
Question 1
What is the classic early signature of creative fatigue?
Question 2
Why does simply recolouring an ad rarely fix fatigue?