The spacing effect in marketing: A review of extant findings and directions for future research

Abstract

The spacing effect refers to the advantage in memory for information repeated at separate points in time over information repeated in massed fashion. This phenomenon has been extensively studied in psychology and has a wide scope of application. In spite of its possible applications, particularly related to advertising effectiveness, the spacing effect and its underlying theories have received limited attention in marketing. Evidence suggests that encoding variability theory, the one most frequently cited in marketing to explain the spacing effect, cannot explain existing empirical evidence as well as two other theories, reconstruction theory and study-phase retrieval theory. This paper reviews these theories, as well as extant research, and discusses implications for advertising and directions for future research in marketing.

Self-Directed Learning Online: An Opportunity to Binge

“…Whether intentional or not, the traditional setting where classes meet once or twice a week over a roughly 15-week semester is optimal for learning to occur. Psychologists refer to this type of design as “spaced learning,” and have found that information presented at different points in time, rather than presented in a massed format, yields better learning outcomes (Cepeda et al, 2008; Dempster,1989; Noel & Vallen, 2009). When information is spaced, each piece has its own set of unique associations during encoding.…”

Should We Hire David Beckham to Endorse our Brand? Contextual Interference and Consumer Memory for Brands in a Celebrity's Endorsement Portfolio

“…However, it is important to note that these findings have been established with consumer attitude being the focal measure of celebrity advertising effectiveness. While attitude toward the ad emerged early to become a prominent measure of advertising effectiveness (e.g., Mackenzie, Lutz, & Belch, ; Shimp, ), other measures of theoretical and practical importance also exist (e.g., Misra & Beatty, ; Noel & Vallen, ; Shavitt, Vargas, & Lowrey, ) and have been shown to have strategic implications that differ from those suggested by attitude (e.g., Berger, Wagner, & Schwand, ; Van Reijmsersdal, ). The present research extends the literature by examining the effectiveness of celebrity advertising for a brand in an endorsement portfolio using two different measures, attitude toward the ad and recall of the product being endorsed in the ad.…”