What is frequency capping and why is it used?

What is frequency capping and why is it used?

• A. Limiting the number of times a single user sees a given ad; reduces ad fatigue and improves response rates.
• B. Setting a cap on total spend per channel to avoid budget waste.
• C. A method of rotating creatives to avoid fatigue.
• D. Tracking how many users see an ad across devices.

Answer: (A)

Frequency capping limits how often a single user sees the same ad within a defined period. This helps prevent ad fatigue, where repeated exposure makes people tune out or become annoyed, reducing engagement. By keeping per-user impressions under a sensible limit, campaigns reach more unique users and keep the ad memorable without overwhelming anyone. This tends to improve response rates and makes the media spend more efficient, since impressions aren’t wasted on the same audience over and over. Note that other concepts—budget pacing (spending caps), rotating creatives, or cross-device tracking—serve different roles and aren’t about restricting per-user exposure.