The new ROI: return on involvement?

Because impressions don’t mean a whole lot if no one gives a sh*t

For years, marketing success has been measured in reach, naturally. The bigger the number, the better the campaign. Impressions. Views. Eyeballs. Even the word "exposure" has been dragged into PowerPoint decks like it still means something in 2025.

But here’s the problem: reach without involvement is literally just background noise. You can have 10 million impressions, but if no one interacts, remembers, shares, builds on it, or cares… what was the point?

Let’s talk about ROI. No, not Return on Investment but Return on Involvement.

What do I mean by that?

Well, it’s simple. Instead of asking “how many people saw this?” ask “Did anyone do anything with it?” Did it spark a reaction? A reply? A remix? Did someone forward it, duet it, build on it, save it for later, share it in the group chat, or actually change something because of it?

We’re moving from passive impressions to active participation. The most valuable brands today are used, lived, played with, and co-owned. Not just seen for the sake of being seen.

What does “involvement” look like, you ask?

• Spotify Wrapped. Probably one of the best examples. Every year, it gets shared in millions of stories, turned into memes, and probably starts countless arguments.

• Canva makes you feel like a designer, even if you’re not. It empowers creativity and makes people proud to put their name on it, sparking recommendation and repeated use.

• Lego Ideas lets fans submit and vote on new Lego sets. People literally help design the product. That’s ROI in full technicolour, baby.

• Letterboxd transformed film-watching from a solo experience into a social ritual. Instead of logging films, fans can write mini essays, rank, comment, debate, and connect through shared taste. It’s literally a culture built on involvement.

• BeReal (in its early heyday) offered a raw, lo-fi way to participate daily, pushing people to contribute something in the moment instead of passively scrolling.

All of these go beyond exposure. They create engagement with depth.

How to start measuring engagement differently:

Involvement isn’t always easy to quantify, but here’s where to look:

• Saves and shares > likes

• Remixes, duets, stitches, re-creations

• Referrals from people who actually used it

• Comments with thought > comments with emojis

• Clicks on “try it,” “build your own,” or “customise”

• Ideas or content your audience initiates, not just reacts to

You don’t need to throw out your dashboards. Just layer in deeper signals. Start asking: “Did this make someone feel something enough to act?”

Easy enough in theory, but how on earth do you actually build a brand that fosters involvement?

First things first, it’s not about slapping a comment section on your content and calling it a day. It’s about building a brand that people want to participate in because it feels rewarding, personal, and fun.

Give people something to do, not just see.

Think beyond the scroll. What’s the action you’re inviting? Remix this? Build your own? Vote, test, stitch, rank, respond? Good content ends in a tap. Great content starts a chain reaction.

Ask yourself: what’s the smallest creative action someone could take here?

Create tools, not just stories.

Stories entertain. Tools empower. Whether it’s a template, a prompt, a quiz, a decision-helper, or a remixable format, give your audience something they can take, use, or personalise.

Think: “Steal our strategy” content instead of a “look what we did” case study.

Co-create instead of broadcasting.

Involvement means making space for other voices. Invite people behind the scenes. Feature them in your content. Let them vote on what you make next. Let them shape the brand.

If you want loyalty, let them help build it.

Build for depth, not just width.

Sure, reach is nice. But involvement often starts small. A 100-person Discord full of superusers can have more impact than 1M passive followers. Focus on community chemistry, not just scale.

Ask, are we nurturing the interaction or just chasing visibility?

Celebrate the audience, not the brand.

Remember, you’re not the main character, they are. Make them feel smart, creative, in-the-know, powerful, like they belong, and they matter.

Think: “look at what our community did” not “look what we made.”

It's time to stop asking, “Did they see it?” and start asking, “What could they do with it?” In 2025, impressions don’t quite hit like they used to. Involvement, however, is priceless.

-Sophie Randell, Writer