Reach, in the context of advertising, quantifies the number of distinct individuals exposed to a specific advertisement or campaign within a defined period. This metric reflects the unduplicated audience size, meaning each person is counted only once, regardless of how many times they encountered the advertisement. For example, if an online banner ad is displayed one million times but seen by only 500,000 unique users, the reach is 500,000.
Understanding the breadth of audience engagement is crucial for evaluating campaign effectiveness and optimizing media spend. A broad audience exposure indicates a wider potential impact on brand awareness and message dissemination. In the past, reach was primarily assessed through estimates based on circulation figures for print media or viewership data for television. Today, digital platforms offer more precise tracking and reporting capabilities, providing advertisers with granular insights into audience engagement.