One of the most respected publicists in tourism marketing, Suzanne McGovern, who played a key role within the marketing team that opened Walt Disney World in 1971, had a mantra to which she never let go:  

“Tell ‘em what you are going to tell ‘em…and tell ‘em again and again.” 

That’s because Suzanne was an adherent to the power of repetition.  

She understood the power of developing a simple message and sticking to it. Her strong belief in consistent messaging was instrumental in clarifying what was a new Disney experience awaiting guests in Florida and differentiating Walt Disney World from California’s Disneyland.  

Build a simple message and keep on repeating it 

The power of repetition is in its simplicity. A message heard repeatedly is more likely to stay in your mind. 

According to a Columbia University study:  

“…repeating simple words and phrases can convince us that they are true, even if they aren’t. This is partly because we tend to take repetition as a social cue; when we hear something more than once, we are inclined to accept it as true because we think that the rest of the group might also believe it. In addition, we are more likely to believe ideas that come easily to us; therefore, the more familiar we become with words and ideas, the more we will take them to be true.” 2 

Client fatigue 

The first audience that gets tired of message, surprisingly, are the people who project the message.  

For folks like us, at Wellons Communication, that means our clients are often the first to become weary of saying the same thing on a regular basis.   

Some of the standard arguments against repetition3:  

• “It’s too repetitive.” 

• “Repetition kills the joy of reading or listening or watching.” 

• “Don’t repeat the same thing over and over.” 

• “I have said it once, what’s the use of repeating?” 

Because of your close involvement with your message, it is easy to believe that your audience is just as involved as you are. The reality is that it requires repetition to first, reach your audience and, second, maintain continuity of your message to build recognition and trust. 

The rule of 7 

The marketing Rule of 7, simply stated, is a potential customer must see a message at least seven times before they’ll be provoked to take an action. In other words, you have to say what you are going to say a minimum of seven times before your audiences “gets” your message.  

The Rule of 7 has been around since the 1930s when it was used by movie studios. They realized that for people to want to see a movie, they needed to see the advertisement at least seven times. The gist of the Marketing Rule of 7 hasn’t changed in nearly a hundred years, and that’s because it works.4 

Can public relations help you achieve the Rule of 7? 

You bet. But not by itself. 

 No one marketing discipline, whether it’s advertising, PR, promotion, or sales, can achieve the Rule of 7 on its own.  

 It requires a complete marketing campaign to reach the Rule of 7 and continuity to keep the recognition level intact.   

Public relations serves to reinforce – or even lead—marketing efforts. Effective PR builds trust. It adds depth to your marketing program. And, with editorial recognition by a respected media source, public relations it builds respect among your employees, current clients…and potential clients…by putting your message in places that no other marketing discipline will likely reach.  

 Put Wellons Communications to work on repeating your message 

 At the end of each of our blogs, we always repeat the same message: put us to work on your marketing program.  

Sure, we’re a public relations firm. But first and foremost, we are marketers. Our sole mission is to help our clients earn the trust…and business…of their customers.  

In short, we exist our clients sell things, whether they are products, services, or ideas. 

So, in the true spirit of repetition, we ask you to give us a call at 407-339-0879 and learn for yourself how we can help you repeat your message and augment your marketing program.