Waste Isn’t Always Waste: Rethinking Efficiency in Media Buying

Marketing is a tough gig. Too often viewed as a cost centre rather than a value driver, marketers operate under constant scrutiny. When consumer confidence dips and headwinds grow stronger, the pressure to defend spend intensifies. Budgets are expected to stretch further, deliver more, and show measurable results—fast.

This pressure drives a relentless hunt for waste. But in marketing, not all waste is harmful. In fact, some of what looks like inefficiency is actually working in your brand’s long-term favour. To truly be a cost-effective value driver, marketers must learn to separate actual waste from strategic investment.

Let’s look at three types of "waste" — and why two of them are anything but.

1. Actual Waste: Ad Fraud and Made-for-Advertising (MFA) Sites

Some waste really is just that — waste. The scale of inefficiency caused by ad fraud and low-quality placements is staggering:

• Ad fraud is expected to cost businesses over $70 billion annually (Lunio).

• MFA sites exist purely to absorb misdirected programmatic spend. These sites are stuffed with ads and virtually no valuable content, delivering zero real consumer engagement.

• The ANA estimates $9 billion a year is wasted on MFA sites alone.

“We’ve built a system that optimises for the wrong things: low CPMs and easily reportable clicks, regardless of actual impact.”

Clicks don't equal sales. Chasing low-cost impressions leads to ads being shown to bots or buried on low-quality sites. This isn’t just ineffective — it’s actively damaging.

To avoid this:

• Audit your programmatic spend.

• Cut out placements that don’t deliver active, human attention.

• Partner only with curated, high-quality media providers (like those on Media Futures Market).

• Use anti-fraud specialists to monitor campaign integrity.

2. Perceived Waste: Broad Reach Builds Brand

Targeting an audience that isn’t immediately in-market may seem counterintuitive — even wasteful. But marketing science says otherwise.

Why broad reach matters:

• 95% of B2B buyers aren’t in-market right now (John Dawes).

• 84% of deals start with the first brand a buyer contacts (6sense).

• Brand growth comes from reaching more light buyers, not just heavy users (Ehrenberg-Bass Institute).

If you’re only targeting in-market buyers, you're missing the much larger group who could be your next customers.

“Long-term brand-building ads don’t just work over time—they can also deliver short-term results.” – Mark Ritson

A study of 18,000 ads by System1 shows that the best-performing brand-building campaigns also do well in the short term. So while it might not be measurable on Day One, wide-reach advertising is anything but wasteful.

3. Strategic Waste: Waste as a Signal

Sometimes, waste is the point.

High-end brands have long understood the value of waste as signal. You don’t need everyone to buy your product. You just need everyone to know about it.

Classic examples of strategic waste:

• Banks building grand branches to signal trust and stability.

• Luxury brands advertising on formats their core customers may not even see.

• Automotive brands placing ads in airports or sponsoring prestige drama.

• Apple never sharing digital ad space—exclusivity is the brand.

This kind of media strategy builds perceived value, scarcity, and prestige. It’s why CHANEL advertises to everyone, not just the 1%. And it’s why film studios pour millions into campaigns for opening weekends—ubiquity drives cultural impact.

“The brand you see everywhere isn’t being wasteful. It’s building an idea of value that reaches far beyond its current buyers.”

Strategic waste isn't about driving conversions. It's about reinforcing your brand's position in the market—visually, psychologically, and emotionally.

Shifting the Mindset: Cut What Doesn’t Work, Invest in What Does

Here’s the simple truth:

• Fraudulent impressions? Cut them.

• MFA sites? Ditch them.

• Cheap clicks with no impact? Say no.

But broad reach? Strategic ubiquity? Prestige media placement? Keep them — and double down when the time is right.

Not all waste is waste. The smartest media buyers know the difference.

Final Thoughts: What Smart Media Buying Looks Like

Strategic marketers don’t just optimise for cost—they optimise for effectiveness. That means embracing waste when it serves a purpose, and eliminating it when it doesn’t.

If you want to maximise every euro of your media budget:

• Think long-term.

• Embrace brand-building.

• Understand that visibility equals value.

At Media Futures Market, we help you make those calls with confidence. Our curated network of quality media owners ensures you invest in placements that matter — not pipes that don't.

Waste wisely. Spend smart. Grow better.