Saw something wild at a coffee shop in Portland last week

I was waiting for my order at this place on SE Belmont and noticed this guy at the next table literally building an entire ad funnel on a napkin. He had CPA goals written in pen and was crossing stuff out with a pencil like it was a real strategy. I peeked over and he was mapping out Facebook audiences for a local bakery, targeting people who follow vegan accounts. It got me thinking about how casual some buyers are with their targeting, like literally sketching it out on scrap paper. I used to do the same thing when I started, just winging it with broad interests. Now I spend way too much time on audience overlap and it feels like overkill. Has anyone else noticed how different people's approaches are when you see them in the wild?

2 comments

2 Comments

irismartinez3d ago

Saw a guy in a bar once doing the same thing with Instagram targeting for a taco truck, writing "people who like Chipotle" on a napkin and crossing it out with a beer stain. Honestly that napkin funnel probably performed better than half of my well-researched campaigns. Maybe I should go back to scrap paper and vibes instead of staring at audience overlap reports until my eyes bleed.

nguyen.tara3d ago

Wouldn't that be something if we all just went back to gut feeling and it actually worked better?