Is marketing just throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks?

Is Marketing Just Throwing Sh*t at a Wall and Seeing What Sticks?

Let’s be honest — marketing can feel like a chaotic mess sometimes. One minute you’re crafting a data-driven campaign with the perfect demographic segmentation, and the next, you're posting a TikTok hoping it goes viral because... why not?

So, is marketing just throwing sh*t at a wall and seeing what sticks?

Sometimes, yes. But not always.

The “Wall” Analogy Isn't Entirely Wrong

In the early days of building a brand — especially in today’s oversaturated digital space — experimentation is part of the process. You’re testing creative directions, messaging, platforms, content types, audience reactions, and timing. You’re gauging what resonates. You’re learning.

This is especially true for startups or small businesses without million-dollar ad budgets or massive data pipelines. You try. You adjust. You repeat.

That’s not randomness — that’s iteration.

But Good Marketing Is Educated Throwing

Even the most creative campaigns have structure behind them. Successful marketers don’t just fling content blindly — they build hypotheses. They use insights. They track data. Think A/B testing, audience feedback loops, trend tracking, and competitor analysis. It’s not just what sticks — it’s why it sticks.

If you're not measuring what’s hitting the wall, then yeah... you're just making a mess.

Chaos Without Strategy = Wasted Budget

Throwing spaghetti at the wall with zero aim can burn out your team, confuse your brand, and waste a lot of money. Posting memes, videos, blogs, and ads across every channel without a unifying strategy often leads to diluted messaging and weak results.

Creativity is vital. But strategy is what makes it scale.

So What’s the Better Approach?

1. Test—but with intention. Build small-scale pilots with specific goals and measurable outcomes.

2. Track what sticks—and double down. If Reels are working, make more. If your email open rate sucks, pivot the subject lines or audience list.

3. Listen and learn. Your audience tells you what sticks. Comments, DMs, shares — they’re all feedback.

4. Layer creativity over strategy. The best marketers take risks, but with insight behind the move.

Final Thought

Marketing is not just “throwing sht at a wall.” It’s the art of knowing what kind of sht, where the wall is, who’s watching, and what happens after something sticks.

So yes, experiment wildly — but track ruthlessly.

Because that’s where the magic (and the ROI) really happens.