{
  "schema_version": "1.1",
  "id": "rule-of-7-marketing",
  "slug": "rule-of-7-marketing",
  "url": "https://groundedkit.com/claims/rule-of-7-marketing/",
  "api_url": "https://groundedkit.com/api/claims/rule-of-7-marketing.json",
  "claim": "Prospects need 7 touches before they buy (the Rule of 7)",
  "commonly_cited_as": "\"1930s Hollywood studios found 7 exposures are needed\"",
  "verdict": "unsourced",
  "verdict_definition": "No primary data found; the trail ends in a roundup, a disowned quote or a circular citation.",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "rating": {
    "value": 1,
    "best": 5,
    "worst": 1
  },
  "origin": {
    "publisher": "Jeffrey Lant (book, 1990) — rule of thumb, not a study",
    "title": "No study found for the Hollywood story",
    "year": "1990"
  },
  "quote": "We searched for the Hollywood 'seven posters' research and couldn't find a single source that names the studio, the year or the study.",
  "method": "Measured advertising research points elsewhere: Krugman (1972) argued 3 exposures; Naples (1979) found 2 exposures within a purchase cycle effective (as summarized by the source). Lant’s book itself was not accessible online, so confidence stays medium.",
  "drift": [
    "Lant's rule was about prospects noticing a message within 18 months, not about buying"
  ],
  "interest": "n/a",
  "safe_rephrasing": "The 'Rule of 7' is a rule of thumb; advertising research on effective frequency has proposed 2–3 exposures, and results vary by brand and channel.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "SalesBlog — Myth: the Rule of 7 (2026)",
      "url": "https://salesblog.co.uk/articles/myth-rule-of-seven/",
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "title": "Business Insider (2011): Lant’s Rule of Seven, 7 contacts within 18 months",
      "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-contacts-does-it-take-before-someone-buys-your-product-2011-7",
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "kind": "stat_check",
  "as_of": "1990",
  "last_checked": "2026-10-16",
  "stale": false,
  "date_reviewed": "2026-10-16",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}