The marketing rule of 27: why repetition drives buying decisions

Executive overview

Prospects don't see most of your marketing — on average, only one in every three exposures registers. To be seen nine times (the threshold for a buying decision), you must put your message in front of them 27 times.

You are far more tired of your own marketing than your prospects are — they haven't seen it enough yet.

The rule of 27

• Traditional marketing held that a prospect needed to see an ad nine times before making a buying decision.
• People only notice roughly one in three impressions — so nine visible impressions requires 27 actual touchpoints.
• The rule was developed at 1-800-GOT-JUNK 20 years ago; today the real number may be even higher.
• Channels compound: emails, Facebook ads, billboards, and flyers all count, but none guarantee attention.

Remarketing as a practical application

• Remarketing ads target visitors who have already shown interest, maximising the chance each impression counts.
• Retargeting across multiple branded sites (e.g. COO Alliance, podcast, book) accumulates impressions at low cost.
• Clicks are not the goal — repeated exposure builds the familiarity that eventually converts.
• Stopping your marketing early is the primary reason prospects never reach the buying threshold.