How Life Transitions Shape Response to Ad Repetition

Do big life changes make people more open to seeing the same ad again and again? In this episode, Ben Borenstein and Luke Nowlan join me to share insights from their Journal of Advertising Research article, “Life Transitions Influence Response to Ad Repetition: When Times of Change Increase Preference for Repeat Advertising Experiences,” coauthored with Tyler Milfeld.

Ben, Luke, and I talk through how moments like moving, changing jobs, or becoming a parent shift the way people respond to repeated ads. Across four experiments, they find that consumers in a life transition actually sustain enjoyment of repeated ads and form more positive brand attitudes — rather than tuning out. We also discuss why predictability feels comforting in times of change, how advertisers can spot these moments using behavioral signals, and what this means for ad frequency and targeting strategies.

Read the full paper here:
https://doi.org/10.1080/00218499.2025.2464306

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