Monster brands appearing in the 2024 Super Bowl are paying upwards of $7 million for 30 seconds of exposure, with the only clear benefit being a review in Adweek the next day. That’s great if you’re an agency creative director negotiating a raise. But if you’re trying to sell a product, that’s a high price to pay for a lot of uninterested viewers.

What you really should be asking is, “What’s my waste?” Because 50% reach is 50% waste. And who can afford to spend half their budget on people who will never buy your product or service?

Stories of over-the-top pricing can lead a marketer with a more realistic budget to think media advertising may be out of the question. However, it doesn’t take $7 million—or even a quarter-million dollars—to get in front of your audiences. Well-targeted media, selected for the right reasons, can bring you the prospects that actually matter for far fewer digits.

Thinking in terms of waste, not reach

Often, especially when people are talking about TV or mass media, they start by asking, “What’s my reach?” No surprise—it’s how media companies have been articulating their value since the beginning of television and radio. But what you really should be asking is, “What’s my waste?” Because 50% reach is 50% waste. And who can afford to spend half their budget on people who will never buy your product or service?

The great news is that zero waste is absolutely attainable.

Reframing the way we define “media”

It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking that media refers to print, radio and TV. Sure, ad buys now include the realms of digital and mobile. But there are great opportunities in audio, video, and out-of-home. In addition to digital billboards in every shape, size and location, digital out-of-home buys can connect you to potential buyers as they wait at the gas pump or grocery checkout. Spotify and podcasts bring new, precisely targeted ears, and pre-roll YouTube ads can reach the right people at the right time very efficiently.

Imagine it—a sports lover seeing your full-page ad as they open ESPN over morning coffee? What a way to start their day, and yours.

Get tight with programmatic media

I recently wrote about the value of programmatic media, in which a third-party provider serves your ads to your audiences based on thematic categories, rather than negotiating with specific sites. Driven by algorithms and AI, you set the limits on pricing and impressions among news, sports, home improvement, etc. content defined as narrowly as you like. As a result, your messaging appears on high-visibility, premium media in a startlingly cost-efficient way.

Media advertising shouldn’t be reserved for high-profile companies with deep pockets. If you know what things should cost and where to find your audience, effective advertising can fit any marketer’s budget. Let’s talk about it. FATFREE can help you get the most for every dollar you spend.