Situation
A few years ago, I found myself leading the promotional strategy for a gift company, which, at the time, had all the enthusiasm of a toddler with a piggy bank but no clue where to spend. Should we go all-in on ads? Focus on organic growth? Bribe customers with free cookies? (Okay, maybe not the last one.) The challenge was clear: we needed a smarter way to invest in marketing that would actually boost sales, expand market share, and give us clear direction instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something stuck.