In advertising metrics, which statement best defines reach?

In advertising metrics, which statement best defines reach?

• A. Geographic area of the ad
• B. Number of media carrying the ad
• C. Number of people who see the ad
• D. All of these are correct

Answer: (C)

Reach refers to the total number of unique individuals exposed to the advertisement at least once during a defined period. This measures how broad the audience is, focusing on how many people actually see the message, not how many times they see it. This is why it’s the best fit: it captures the size of the audience reached by the campaign, whereas impressions count every exposure (including repeats), frequency measures how often the average person sees it, and geographic area or the number of media carrying the ad relate to where or through how many placements the message runs, not how many people see it. In practice, reach can be expressed as a count or as a percentage of the target population.

Reach refers to the total number of unique individuals exposed to the advertisement at least once during a defined period. This measures how broad the audience is, focusing on how many people actually see the message, not how many times they see it.

This is why it’s the best fit: it captures the size of the audience reached by the campaign, whereas impressions count every exposure (including repeats), frequency measures how often the average person sees it, and geographic area or the number of media carrying the ad relate to where or through how many placements the message runs, not how many people see it. In practice, reach can be expressed as a count or as a percentage of the target population.