Questions to ask before an agency reports “reach”

Reach slides arrive looking finished. A large number, a percentage of “the target,” a confident colour. In Georgia the target is often “adults 25–45, Tbilisi,” which is already a soft box. Before that number is copied into a board pack, ask the following.

Who was counted, and how often

Was a person counted once per day, once per campaign, or once per placement? Did the same phone contribute to Facebook reach and to a programmed video line that claims a separate audience? If nobody in the room can answer, the number is not ready.

Where the count stops

National reach figures are a poor friend to a brand that only delivers in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Ask for the geo the campaign could actually serve. We have seen “Georgia reach” celebrated for a store group with no presence beyond the capital.

What reach is being asked to stand in for

If the business question was “did more people book,” reach is not an answer. It may still be a fair description of a brand film whose job was to be seen. In that case, say so, and keep occupancy on a different page. Mixing them is how a boulevard board gets cut because a video line “reached more.”

Write the answers in the margin of the slide. If the margins fill with unknowns, you have the start of a measurement plan, not a result.