The clarion call for any brand advertising is to reach more people. Somehow it seems to come with the territory.
If there is more money on hand, more to spend on, it is tempting to reach more people. Reach is probably erringly coveted. In a culture obsessed with adding, less but better seems out of sync.
The IPL has reach both on broadcast TV and on OTT|Social. So has the English Premier League. The Super Bowl. The FIFA World Cup. The NBA. The Rugby World Cup. The Oscars. All these reach would tantamount to nothing if the audiences associated are not invested in where your message or brand is taking them.
What we need to look at is how much of that ‘more people‘ that you are trying to reach are in on the journey that you have embarked on. Because if they are not, it’s a waste to counter so much friction and spend good money after bad.
What if the idea is ‘ less but better ‘? Reaching the right people. In fact paying extra to reach the right people rather than paying extra to reach more people. More people who don’t care about you is never the smart thing to do.
The idea is to distill and find your MVA- Minimum Viable Audience. People willing to travel with you and back you. Wield the megaphone on your behalf. Cajole the late adopters. Influence the laggards. People who are the inspired innovators. Your job isn’t to inspire people with interests that have nothing to do with yours. Rather spend time, effort and resources to reach people who care about you.
The idea of reach is over cooked. Time to turn the flame down.