The Marketing Equation: M=eC

Marketing "M", like all information, is the product of two variables, exposures "e" (what we perceive), and credibility "C" (what we believe of what we perceive). These are the only variables. Nothing in marketing or information exists outside this equation.

If either variable is zero, impact is zero. This is not a metaphor. It is a mathematical certainty with direct consequences for every dollar spent on media and marketing.

The attention economy spent 20 years optimizing exposures. Reach, frequency, impressions, engagement. The cost of exposure rose. The credibility of the sources delivering those exposures declined. The equation held. The results did not.

M=eC has a corollary that changes how marketers should think about both variables. M(max) = e(optimum) x C(maximum). Optimum exposure is the minimum required to activate credibility. Not the maximum affordable. Credibility has no ceiling and no marginal replication cost. It is the only variable in the equation with unlimited upside.

The mechanism for manufacturing credibility at scale already exists. It was formalized in a December 2000 patent application and proven by Wikipedia, Investopedia, and Autopedia. It is called the Pedia Effect.

Control exposures and you have reach. Control credibility and you have the future.

For the full treatment of M=eC, visit marketing.pedia.com or request a private briefing.