What is Frequency capping?

Frequency capping is a term used in advertising that is defined as restricting the number of times a specific consumer is shown a specific ad. This allows brands to limit the maximum number of ads that consumers see in a certain span of time in the online environment. This feature uses cookies to track impression count and is applied to all websites that serve ads from the same ad network. When advertisers set a manual frequency cap for campaigns, they set a limit for the number of impressions that a consumer is shown and can be customized by day, week, or by month. This is a service offered by many ad tech companies. When running display campaigns, this permits advertisers to control how consumers are shown ads and can play a role in individual campaign goals.

Frequency capping can be defined by different parameters, such as the number of days a consumer will see the ad or the lifetime of a campaign. Many advertisers will use frequency caps as a strategy to avoid banner fatigue – because if your audience sees an ad too many times, they’ll tune it out completely.