When campaign performance stagnates, the default response for many marketers is to pull the budget lever. More impressions, more channels, more money. But what if the problem isn’t the amount you’re spending but who you’re spending it on?
This is the hard truth being revealed by new industry research. In a series of experiments across eight real-world campaigns in the F&B, retail, and CPG sectors, MMA Global found that up to 80% of ad dollars delivered no measurable lift—generating a ROAS of less than $2. This isn’t just inefficiency; it’s a profound misallocation of resources.
The Culprit: A “Reach-First” Mindset
Traditional media planning operates on a simple premise: maximize reach and trust that conversions will follow. This “spray and pray” approach is rooted in a time when media was less fragmented and consumer attention was less selective.
Today, this strategy leads to a predictable and painful outcome:
- The vast majority of impressions are wasted on consumers with a near-zero probability of buying.
- Media teams often suppress current buyers, assuming they are “already loyal” and don’t need to be messaged.
- ROAS suffers, and the marketing team points fingers at creative or media mix.
But the root cause is neither the message nor the channel. It’s the audience.
What Happens When You Reallocate Intelligently
Campbell’s decided to challenge this norm. They adopted the Movable Middles Growth Framework (MMGF) to completely rethink their targeting strategy. Instead of chasing broad reach, they focused on a segment called the Movable Middle—consumers with a 20-80% probability of choosing their brand.
These are not your loyalists, nor are they the unreachables who will never buy. They are the audience with the highest responsiveness to advertising. They are persuadable. And that makes all the difference.
The Impact Was Game-Changing
By applying the Movable Middles Growth Framework, Campbell’s saw a dramatic shift in their results:
- ROAS improved by 5X.
- They acquired 5.4X more new buyers.
- Brand favorability lifted 1.9X compared to their demographic-based targeting.
This wasn’t about increasing spend. It was about redirecting it—away from people who wouldn’t be swayed, and toward those who could. Same product. Same media. A vastly better audience.
You’re Not Underperforming. You’re Misallocating.
The takeaway is sharp and simple: Your current audience targeting strategy is likely the most expensive part of your campaign. Until you realign your targeting around response probability, you’re not just wasting impressions—you’re actively sabotaging your ROI.
It’s time to stop funding the wrong audience.
📲 Join the MMGF program and shift your media from noise to performance.
