In Excel, go to Formulas > Name Manager > New. Enter MKT_FREQUENCY as the name, paste the full LAMBDA into Refers to, and save. Use =MKT_FREQUENCY(A2,B2) for one row, =MKT_FREQUENCY(A2:A20,B2:B20) for a traditional range, =MKT_FREQUENCY(A2:.A600,B2:.B600) for trailing Trim References, =MKT_FREQUENCY(A2#,B2#) for spilled ranges, and =MKT_FREQUENCY(A2:.A600,B2:.B600,1) for numeric output.
Marketing
MKT_FREQUENCY
Calculate Ad Frequency in Excel
Calculate average ad frequency from impressions and reach for media reporting.
Syntax
=MKT_FREQUENCY(IMPRESSIONS, REACH, [NUMERIC])What It Does
What this function calculates
MKT_FREQUENCY calculates average frequency, or impressions divided by reach. It helps campaign reports show how many times the average reached person saw an ad, while supporting modern Excel ranges, named ranges, Trim References, and spilled arrays.
Syntax
Function syntax
Syntax
=MKT_FREQUENCY(IMPRESSIONS, REACH, [NUMERIC])Interactive Demo
Try MKT_FREQUENCY
Edit the impressions or reach below to see how MKT_FREQUENCY recalculates the result.
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Arguments
Inputs this function expects
| Argument | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
IMPRESSIONS | Required | The number of ad impressions delivered. Can be a direct numeric value, compatible numeric text, single-cell reference, traditional range, named range, trailing Trim Reference, or Microsoft 365 spilled range. | 120000 |
REACH | Required | The number of unique people, users, households, or accounts reached. Can be a direct numeric value, compatible numeric text, single-cell reference, traditional range, named range, trailing Trim Reference, or Microsoft 365 spilled range. | 40000 |
NUMERIC | Optional | Optional. Leave blank for presentation-ready text output. Enter 1 to return a numeric value suitable for calculations. The formula checks whether NUMERIC is supplied with ISOMITTED(NUMERIC), not whether the value specifically equals 1. | 1 |
Example
Example calculation
IMPRESSIONS120000
REACH40000
Expected result3x
Impressions divided by reach. Use numeric mode when frequency needs to feed pacing, saturation, or threshold formulas.
Sample Data
Copy/paste-ready sample data
Sample Campaign Data
Copy and paste this campaign dataset into Excel starting at A1, then test the function against the metric columns.
| Impressions | Reach | Campaign |
|---|---|---|
| 50000 | 25000 | Search Brand |
| 84000 | 42000 | Paid Social |
| 36000 | 18000 | Display Prospecting |
| 120000 | 40000 | Video Awareness |
| 10000 | 0 | No Reach Check |
Example Formula
=MKT_FREQUENCY(A2:.A600,B2:.B600)Expected outputWith the sample data pasted at A1, the formula spills formatted text results: 2x, 2x, 2x, 3x, and 10000x. Add ,1 for numeric frequency values. The zero-reach row is intentionally visible for diagnosis.
Traditional ranges, trailing Trim References, named ranges, and spill references are supported when impressions and reach have compatible dimensions.
Result
What the output means
Returns frequency as formatted text with an x suffix by default, or a numeric value when NUMERIC is supplied. Aligned ranges spill one result per row. Zero reach is substituted with 1, which prevents divide-by-zero errors but can create a non-standard frequency.
Function Definition
LAMBDA definition
LAMBDA
=LAMBDA(IMPRESSIONS,REACH,[NUMERIC],IF(ISOMITTED(NUMERIC),
ROUND(IFERROR(VALUE(IMPRESSIONS),"")/IFERROR(VALUE(IF(REACH=0,1,REACH)),""),2)&"x",
ROUND(IFERROR(VALUE(IMPRESSIONS),"")/IFERROR(VALUE(IF(REACH=0,1,REACH)),""),2)))Installation
Add this function to Excel
Troubleshooting
Common errors
#SPILL! means Excel cannot place the dynamic-array result; clear blocked cells below or beside the formula. #NAME? usually means the function was not saved in Name Manager or the name was typed differently. Numbers stored as text are generally handled with VALUE(), but non-numeric labels, extra symbols, or incompatible text can still return blanks or unexpected results. If ranges are mismatched, align the numerator and denominator ranges before using dynamic arrays. When the denominator is zero, this function substitutes 1 before division to avoid divide-by-zero errors; that can create unusually large or non-standard results and should be reviewed. Omit NUMERIC for formatted text output; enter 1 for numeric output. Because the formula uses ISOMITTED(NUMERIC), any supplied third argument triggers numeric mode.
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