Since WARC released the “Multiplier Effect” report in early 2025 and coined the term “Doom Loop,” I’ve been intrigued by it. The theory and as a lived reality.
I have experienced the frustration and the struggle of being inside that loop. I know what it feels like when your thinking is entirely filled with the “optimisation of the now.” You are constantly asking: How can we fix the current campaign? How can we squeeze 1% more efficiency out of this asset or this audience?
When you are stuck in that cycle, you physically cannot think about future campaigns. You lose the ability to dissect your ideas into short-term performance plays and long-term brand building. You are just running on a treadmill. The speed keeps increasing and jumping off it feels like you’re quitting.
But I have also experienced the revelation, the excitement of getting out of it. The secret to escaping isn’t a new tool or a new channel.
Not even a brand campaign.
Yes, the Doom Loop is a strategy problem but it goes deeper than this.
The Story Here is About Humans
We often talk about marketing effectiveness as if it were a math problem, but all big decisions are made by humans. And why do humans make decisions? Because they are motivated against specific incentives.
If leadership sets the wrong KPIs, the wrong decisions will continue to be made. It is that simple.
If the culture dictates that “Easier KPIs = Bonuses,” then the teams will naturally gravitate toward the easy way out. There will always be a demand for the path of least resistance. This is why we see such a heavy focus on short-term sales within marketing teams, therefore creating a distinct lack of appreciation for the creative ideation process that actually drives innovative thinking.
The Doom Loop exists because the wrong KPIs were chosen but made worse by the silos that exist between teams. When Strategy, Creative, and Media operate in isolation, they optimise for their own narrow metrics rather than the business goal.
The Foundation for Effectiveness
So, how do we exit the loop? We have to stop looking for quick fixes and start rebuilding the foundations of marketing effectiveness.
We need to address the cultural challenges. Specifically the lack of trust in the “fuzzy” front end of creativity and replacing them with a rigid operational framework.
Here is a 4-step process to reset the foundation:
1. Define the Stages
Stop treating “marketing” as one bucket. Clearly distinguish between Brand, Performance, Sales, and Customer. Each plays a vital, but different, role.
2. Set Distinct KPIs
Set specific KPIs for each of those stages. You cannot judge a brand campaign by a direct-response metric, and you shouldn’t judge a sales activation by brand lift.
3. Identify the Metrics
Determine the leading metrics that actually drive those KPIs. This moves you from “reporting on the past” to “influencing the future.”
4. Build the Process Between Teams
This is the most critical step. You must build a process that forces collaboration between **Insights, Strategy, Creative and Media. **In that specific order. If these four functions aren’t talking to each other from day one, you are already slipping back into the loop.
The “Hard Way” is the Best Way
A culture of true ideation and testing is probably the single biggest operational challenge marketing teams have today. It is difficult to build.
The truth is that the best marketers don’t choose the easy way out.
They choose the hard way. They do the difficult work of aligning leadership, setting the right (often harder) KPIs, and breaking down silos upfront. They understand that by addressing the “hard way” now, everything else… The ideation, the creative, the execution, the results. All becomes easy downstream.
The demand for the easy way out will always be there. Your job is to resist it.