From Reach Obsession to the Resonance Economy
We’ve built a digital ecosystem based on a simple logic: the more impressions, the better. More followers, more clicks, more views. The dashboard is glowing, the numbers are climbing—and every CMO secretly wonders: does this actually achieve anything?
The uncomfortable truth: in most cases, no.
Reach has become a commodity. Cheap content for cheap attention. Algorithms reward the loud, the fast, the interchangeable. But loudness doesn’t create loyalty. And mass doesn’t create trust.
What brands need today is not a bigger stage, but deeper conversations.
Kim Notz
28. October 2025
Quality over quantity at last
The shift is already underway. Smart marketers recognize: a community of 10,000 people who truly listen is worth more than a follower list of 500,000 that merely scrolls.
The numbers back them up: micro‑influencers with smaller but more engaged communities not only achieve three times higher engagement rates than mega‑accounts; they also deliver measurably better conversion rates and up to eleven times higher ROI. Not because they’re louder, but because they’re being heard.
Relevance is the new reach. And resonance is the new ROI metric.
Concretely, that means:
• Engagement instead of impressions: how many people genuinely interact with the content? Comment, share, save—out of real interest, not because the algorithm nudged them.
• Return visits instead of first‑touch: how many come back—because they want to, not because they were retargeted?
• Recommendation instead of reach: how often is the brand recommended organically—by people who aren’t brand ambassadors but simply convinced?
These metrics are harder to measure. They don’t fit neatly into classic dashboards. But they’re more honest. And more sustainable.
Slow marketing as an answer to digital exhaustion
In a world that’s getting faster, louder, and more fragmented, slowness is a radical act. Slow marketing doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means doing things more deliberately.
The idea is actually old. In 1999, the Cluetrain Manifesto formulated a thesis that’s more relevant today than ever: “Markets are conversations.” Not monologues. Not bombardment. Conversations.
Ten years later, in 2009, Pete Blackshaw elaborated the principles of slow marketing in Advertising Age. His core thesis: brands must stop bombarding their audiences with messages and instead invest in sustainable relationships.
Back then, it sounded visionary. Today, it’s vital.
Slow marketing means:
• Fewer campaigns—better ones.
• Fewer channels—deeper relationships.
• Fewer metrics—more relevant ones.
Slow marketing doesn’t ask: “How do we reach everyone?” It asks: “Whom do we truly want to reach—and how do we earn their trust?”
Trust isn’t a metric you can build overnight. It takes time. Consistency. Authenticity. And the willingness to resist every trend in favor of developing your own stance.
That’s more exhausting than performance marketing with automated campaigns. But it’s the only thing that lasts.
New KPIs for a new era
If relevance and resonance are the new guiding values, we need different success criteria.
Some suggestions:
1. Trust Score statt Reach
How trustworthy is the brand within its community? Measurable via sentiment analyses, comment quality,
and share of voice in positive contexts.
2. Conversation Quality statt Engagement Rate
It’s not the number of comments that counts, but their depth. Are we having real conversations or collecting emojis?
3. Retention statt Acquisition
How many customers return? How does the relationship develop over time? Loyalty beats acquisition—always.
4. Cultural Impact statt Viral Reach
Does the brand shape discourse? Set topics? Become part of culture—not just the newsfeed?
5. Creative Longevity statt Campaign Frequency
How long does a campaign continue to work? Is it remembered, quoted, re‑interpreted —or forgotten after three days?
These metrics aren’t sexy. They don’t update in real time. But they reveal whether a brand truly moves
something—or just generates noise.
Authenticity is no longer a buzzword, but a survival strategy
Brands can no longer hide behind a glossy surface. People have a fine sense for what’s real and what’s performative. Purpose‑washing is exposed instantly. Influencer collaborations without real fit feel cringe. And campaigns that hop on TikTok trends just because they’re viral generate, at best, indifference.
Authenticity means:
• Having a clear stance—and living it, not just communicating it.
• Being allowed to be imperfect. Showing vulnerability. Admitting mistakes.
• Thinking long‑term. Not sacrificing everything for quick likes.
The brands that will still be relevant ten years from now aren’t the ones with the most followers. They’re the ones people trust. The ones that play a role in the lives of their community. The ones that don’t just sell, but create meaning.
The shift is uncomfortable but unavoidable
Reach was a convenient metric. Easy to measure, easy to compare, easy to sell. Relevance is more complicated. It requires patience. A deep understanding of the audience. And the courage to do things differently.
But anyone who doesn’t rethink today will be irrelevant tomorrow.
In the end, the winner isn’t the one who shouts the loudest. It’s the one who is still being heard.
