Psychology | The power of repetition

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Advertisers have long understood then power of repetition and use the same or similar advert over and over again. We are brainwashed with repetition. It’s not just advertisers that use repetition, it’s the basis of nagging.

Politicians also know the power of repetition and repeat the same message day in and day out. Repetition is seen as nagging and ignored if it becomes too repetitive and negative. A positive message repeated is much more effective than a negative message. Politicians repeat what is acceptable to the people, or better still repeat what they want to hear. They tend to do the former after an election and the latter before an election. It is better to put the message or slogan you want to get across in you message. It should be part of the message, not the whole message. People like the familiar, we are all quite insecure. We do like a little excitement though, we are curious; we like something new. New things challenge our curiosity and as long as the message is in small doses and not taking us too far into the unknown, we welcome it. We do have to be in control though, feeling secure is all about being in control.

Some people are addicted to change, they appear to like being out of control. They are constantly dissatisfied with society and with life itself. These people have a deep rooted insecurity and are actually looking for security. You often see this in powerful people, in politicians and business people. They are driven and ambitious and it’s a need to feel secure, even loved; that drives them.

Getting across your message can mean banging the same drum, day in and day out. You must do it subtly. If you want your boss to promote you, find a million ways to tell him. If you want people to respect you, you have to get a message across that you are trustworthy. Getting a message across can be very visual and can be subliminal. Even a slogan or logo on a tee shirt can get a message across, if you wear it often enough. Wash it often though or the message might be quite negative!

Messages that use more than one sense are more effective. If a customer sees a powerful logo, smells the coffee or freshly baked bread and hears a reassuring message; that message is powerful and can make us willing to spend our money.

We tend to be repetitive in our behaviour and so we constantly send out quite powerful messages to the people we meet everyday. Those messages are embedded in the things we say, the fragrances that we might wear and the visual images that our clothing send out.

What message are you sharing with the world today? Please share your thought in the comments box…

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