1D4 ways Dungeons and Dragons is just like Digital Marketing

It’s early morning when the shopkeeper steps through the doors of the merchant’s guild. The office space is chaotic, with people working in tight clusters, chanting in what seems like their own language.

“AR-OH-EYE, AR-OH-EYE, AR-OH-EYE”

From across the room, a figure rises, clutching in their hand the source of their mystical knowledge, a MacBook. It’s covered in stickers like little magical marketing glyphs, glowing and radiating with the heat of a thousand open browser tabs.

“Please, I’m seeking help to save my business from a terrible beast. It thrives on vanity metrics, devours budgets, and leaves only confusion in its wake.” the Shopkeeper says

With a knowing smile, the figure responds:

“You don’t have to battle this beast alone. I will help you bear this burden, shopkeeper, as long as it is yours to bear. But first draw me a clown…”

What’s a DM?

For those not lucky enough to find a group of likeminded dorks who can meet for two or more hours on a semi-regular basis to play make believe and roll dice, the Dungeon Master (DM) is the one who brings a Dungeons & Dragons story to life. They build the world, create the challenges, and respond to every unexpected twist their players throw at them.

They set the stage, describe the environments, and build opportunities. They guide the player’s journey, and adapt in real-time.

Sound familiar? That’s exactly what a digital strategist does. We set expectations, build the strategy, anticipate challenges, and help guide clients toward their goal: growth, customers, and ROI.

Build the World

In Dungeons & Dragons, the Dungeon Master creates the world where the adventure unfolds. Every detail matters: the layout of the dungeon, the whispers in the tavern, the villains waiting in the shadows. If the world is poorly built, players get lost or disengaged. If it’s carefully designed, the story flows naturally and the players complete their quests.

Marketing works the same way. The “dungeon” is the customer journey — the channels, touchpoints, and creative assets that guide a customer from being a stranger to a business, to a loyal customer. A disjointed journey confuses customers: ads don’t connect to landing pages, messaging feels inconsistent, and customers fall through the cracks. But when the journey is built with intention, every step feels connected. Awareness campaigns spark curiosity, search ads capture customers in-market, and retargeting brings people back when they wander.

As strategists, we’re world-builders. The question to ask is: does my campaign feel like one coherent story, or like scattered rooms in a dungeon with no map?

Roll the Dice

At the heart of Dungeons & Dragons is a simple truth: every action comes down to the roll of the dice. No matter how well you prepare, the outcome isn’t guaranteed. You can line up the perfect shot, make the perfect speech, or craft the perfect plan — but the dice decide whether you succeed, fail, or land somewhere in between. Uncertainty is a key pillar of any well made game, and in life.

Marketing has its own dice rolls. Every campaign launch, every creative test, every new audience is a roll of the dice. You can stack the odds in your favor with data, targeting, and experience, but there’s always risk. Not every ad goes viral. Not every audience responds. Sometimes the campaign you were least confident in performs the best, and the one you bet on fails.

The strategist’s role isn’t to try and eliminate the dice, it’s to understand probability, play accordingly, and be ready to pivot if things don’t go as planned. That means testing multiple creative concepts, budgeting for experiments, and learning from every roll. Over time, you’re not just gambling. You’re using data to turn chance into strategy, and strategy into repeatable wins.

Every campaign involves risk. Don’t fear rolling the dice, just make sure you’re rolling with a plan, tracking the outcomes, and learning with each throw. Learn how our Paid Social strategies help brands test, adapt, and turn creativity into measurable growth.

The Rule of Cool

Every Dungeon Master knows that players will eventually ask for something ridiculous: “Can the barbarian throw me at the ogre while I throw my axe?” There’s no rulebook entry for that. You could dig through manuals, slow the game, and say no… or you could lean on the “rule of cool.” If it’s fun, if it makes the story better, if it keeps players engaged — you say yes, roll the dice, and let the moment play out.

Marketing works the same way. No strategist has the answer to every question. We don’t know for certain which headline will outperform, which channel will break through, or which creative concept will capture attention. Sometimes you just have to test the idea — even if it feels outside the norm. The “rule of cool” in marketing is about leaning into creativity, trying the bold idea, and being willing to say yes to new ideas even if you’re not 100% sure what the outcome will be.

This doesn’t mean recklessness — it means recognizing that innovation often looks a little weird at first. A TikTok challenge, a quirky piece of creative, or an unconventional audience test might not come from a textbook… but if it engages, entertains, and drives results, it was worth the roll.

You don’t always need all the answers upfront. Don’t be afraid if you’re asked to do something you’ve never done before. Dig in, do some research, trust the “rule of cool,” and let the results show you whether the idea deserves a permanent place in the strategy or not.

The Neverending Story

In Dungeons & Dragons, you can play a “one shot”, a single adventure that starts and finishes in one session. But the real magic happens in campaigns. Campaigns unfold over months or even years. When one part of the story ends, another begins. Players gain experience, level up, and move on to bigger, more difficult challenges.

Marketing is the same way. You can run a one-off campaign, but the impact fades quickly. The real growth comes from an ongoing strategy where each campaign builds on the last. Insights from one quarter fuel optimizations in the next. Small wins stack into bigger victories. As a business grows, its marketing must grow with it, evolving to meet new challenges, bigger competitors, and shifting markets.

Just like in the game, businesses “level up” over time. What worked at first won’t always work in the future. Campaigns must scale, tactics must advance, and strategies must become more sophisticated or you’ll start to stagnate.

Marketing isn’t something that has an end. It’s an ongoing need for businesses. Every win, every loss, and every adjustment helps you level up for continued growth.

Winning the Game

Whether you’re sitting behind a Dungeon Master’s screen or a strategist’s laptop, the role is remarkably similar: you’re building the story of progress. You design a world where the journey takes place, adapt to obstacles when they appear, and equip your party with the tools they need to succeed. The dice will fall how they may, competitors will make unexpected moves, and players will take detours — but the story goes on.

A good strategist, like a good DM, keeps the story alive — optimizing, adapting, and leveling up as the campaign goes on.

In the end, the goal is universal: create a scenario where everyone wins, where the story of growth keeps unfolding, and where the journey is just as important as the treasure at the end.

What’s Your Story?

Every business has its own monsters and challenges to face. Whether that’s wasted spend, confusing metrics, or marketing platforms that feel like endless dungeons. The question is: who’s guiding your party, and what’s next for your story?

What’s the biggest challenge you’re battling in your story right now?