The subtle art of getting the right results

Marketers like big numbers. Impressions. Clicks. Views. There’s something comforting about size. The feeling that your message is everywhere, that it’s working. But reach isn’t always the answer. Sometimes you don’t need everyone. Sometimes you need one.

Digital makes it tempting to go broad. One budget. One campaign. One dashboard to rule them all. And yes, it’s never been easier to show up across platforms, across regions, across audiences. But just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s always useful. Especially when your strategy isn’t built for scale.

A company with a single salesperson doesn’t need a thousand leads. They need three good ones. A startup trying to land its first enterprise deal doesn’t need noise. They need a door to open. One. That’s where precision comes in. And the art lies in knowing which one to choose.

In August 2024, Renault UK ran a cheeky digital‑billboard stunt aimed just at Tesla drivers. Positioned strategically at an EV charging hub in London, the billboard switched messages based on what car pulled up. Tesla drivers got teasing lines like “This is awkward” or “You’re probably good at other things,” while everyone else saw a generic Scenic E‑Tech ad. Targeted. Shareable. Time, Zeitgeist and culture aware. Momentum amplified.

It’s easy to think of reach and precision as opposites. But they’re not. They’re modes. Mindsets. And good strategy switches between them. Sometimes you want memory. Sometimes you want momentum. Sometimes you just want that one name to call you back.

Too often, brands get stuck in the middle. They run broad campaigns with no distinctive creative. A targeting that aims for reach but is measured in traffic to the website. Or they get so narrow, they forget to be memorable. That’s not strategy. That’s hedging your bets.

Getting the right results starts with knowing what right looks like. Then choosing the loudest or the sharpest tool to get there.

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