Why Marketing Uses CPM Instead of CPT | Slang with Caty Burgess

Caty Burgess dives into the world of marketing metrics, focusing on CPM (Cost Per Thousand) and why it’s used instead of CPT (Cost Per Person). She unpacks the history behind the term, explains how it simplifies calculations in the advertising world, and shares her unique perspective on managing massive marketing budgets. From Roman numerals to treating ad spend like Monopoly money, Caty offers both practical insights and a humorous look at the scale of advertising investments.

Key Topics:

• What CPM (Cost Per Thousand) means and why it's used in marketing
• The historical origins of CPM and its connection to Roman numerals
• How CPM simplifies large-scale audience targeting and budgeting
• The mental approach to handling millions in ad spend without overthinking

Quotes:

• "It’s CPM because M is the Roman numeral for a thousand. Why not CPT? I don’t know."
• "I think of the money I spend as Monopoly money. If I stopped to think about it as real money, my mind would break."
• "CPM means I’ll pay $10,000 for every thousand people I reach. That’s easier than calculating $100 for every person."
• "When you’re dealing with tens of thousands or millions of dollars, it helps to put it into perspective."