Opportunities to See (OTS) and Opportunities to Hear (OTH): The Metrics That Still Matter

Remember when marketing wasn’t a screaming match?

When it wasn’t about pumping out endless, disposable content that vanishes faster than it was posted?

Back in the day, traditional media worked with something that the digital world seems to have forgotten.

It worked with clarity. Consistency. A single message that hit home.

And at the heart of it? Two metrics that were anything but noise.

Opportunities to See (OTS) and Opportunities to Hear (OTH). Metrics that weren’t just about reach but about real reach. About delivering your message where it matters, when it matters, and as often as it takes for people to get it.

Why These Metrics Still Matter

OTS and OTH weren’t sexy buzzwords. They were smart strategies. They measured how often the right eyes and ears landed on your message - not just passing it by, but returning to it again and again.

These metrics understood something digital marketers seem to have forgotten in their race to flood your feeds. That repetition, done well, is the backbone of memory.

Here’s the reality.

People don’t buy because they saw your logo once. They don’t connect to your brand because you shoved five reels a day into their face. They buy because they’ve felt something.

Seen it. Heard it. Over time. A single, consistent message, working like the perfect drumbeat, creating rhythm and recognition in their minds.

That’s what OTS and OTH were all about. Not shouting. Not flooding. Just showing up clearly and consistently enough to plant a flag in people’s brains.

From Noise to Resonance

Fast forward to now, and what do we have? Social media. Questions over there, competitions here, hashtags everywhere. Content, content, content. All shouting for attention but rarely saying anything worth hearing twice.

Here’s the problem. Social media marketers have obliterated the idea of consistency. Instead of a clear, strong melody that plays over time, we’re living in a world of noisy, fragmented notes. Everyone’s running around trying to go viral, posting for the sake of posting, chasing likes, shares, and short-lived engagements that evaporate in minutes.

And what’s left when it’s all over? No message. No impact. Just the memory of a shouting match you’d rather forget.

The Forgotten Power of Repetition

Here’s the thing about the traditional media approach, though. It wasn’t flashy - but it was effective. The key was repetition. Repetition that didn’t scream at you but stuck with you. A billboard you drove past daily. A TV spot you heard night after night. A radio ad that became the backing track to your commute.

It wasn’t about drowning you in noise. It was about strategically weaving the message into your life until it clicked. Until you understood what the brand stood for. Until you couldn’t think of that product without thinking of that brand.

This isn’t about being old school or stuck in the past. This is about a principle that works. Period. A consistent, clear message, delivered over time, will always trump the fractured, throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall madness of social media content.

Aligning Metrics with Meaning

OTS and OTH get to the heart of thoughtful differentiation.

They’re about more than just throwing a net out wide. They’re about carefully calculating where your net lands and who gets caught. They force you to focus, to build campaigns that serve a purpose beyond “we should post more.”

It’s about making sure the right people don’t just see your message but see it enough times to get it. And when done right, to feel it.

The beauty of these metrics is that they’re simple. They remind us that less is so often more. One clear story, told time and time again, is infinitely more powerful than vomit-posting vaguely related memes and trying to stitch them together later.

Your audience doesn’t need 25 different pieces of content in a week. They need one, great, undeniable story that keeps showing up until it becomes part of their mental landscape.

Message Over Madness

Here’s the deal. Social media is a powerful tool, but only when it’s used with restraint. Stop shouting. Stop flooding the airwaves with “stuff” just because the algorithm told you to. Go back to the fundamentals. Focus on the constant drumbeat of a clear, consistent message. Measure how many times your big idea genuinely lands in the right places.

Forget vanity metrics. Likes and shares are noise. Start thinking like a brand that knows its worth. Start tracking the right opportunities. How often did they see you? How often did they hear you? And more importantly, does your message even deserve to be seen or heard more than once?

Because here’s the thing. Bombarding people with junk doesn’t make you louder. It makes you forgettable. But show up with a message so clear, so distinct, so you that it doesn’t just sit in their ears but burrows into their brains? That’s what hits home.

Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Remembered.

This is the advantage of understanding OTS and OTH. It’s brand building, not content chucking. It’s about making marketing that’s not just noticed but remembered. That’s how you stop flailing for attention and start owning it.

That’s how traditional media succeeded, and it’s what your modern, bold brand needs to bring back. It’s not better. It’s different. And it works.

You in? Good. Because this is where the game changes.

John (Nick) Atkinson, The CreActivist Marketer who is Doing it Differently

john@doingitdifferently.com