In his latest LinkedIn post, Kevin Goodwin, VP of Strategy at New Engen, highlights a major issue in digital advertising—brands are overspending in ways that don’t drive incremental growth.
His audits consistently show that brands spending on Google and Meta tend to waste significant budget because of two factors:
- 50% of lower-funnel Meta spend is hitting existing customers
- 30-50% of budgets are overinvested in branded search
Canadian marketers face the same challenge, with industry studies estimating that 23% to 40% of media spend is wasted due to redundant targeting and inefficient lower-funnel campaigns.
I’m sure the statistics Kevin Goodwin cites for the U.S. are very similar here in Canada.
These tactics may look good in last-click models but don’t necessarily grow a brand’s customer base.
Why an Audience-First Approach Matters
A channel-first mindset often leads to waste. Instead, brands should focus on:
- Reducing redundant spend by ensuring lower-funnel budgets don’t over-target existing customers.
- Reallocating budget to higher-performing acquisition channels, such as programmatic, social, or direct mail.
- Improving targeting precision beyond broad geographic filters to reach high-value prospects more efficiently.
The Takeaway for Canadian Marketers
An audience-first approach, supported by better data and omnichannel insights, can help brands free up significant portions of their digital ad budget for more effective customer acquisition.
Tools like intelligentVIEW provide a deeper understanding of Canadian audiences and allow marketers to target who matters most—ensuring every dollar spent drives true business growth.
Ready to stop wasting budget and start growing your customer base? Book a demo today to see how intelligentVIEW can help you target smarter and spend more efficiently.