Decision
Anton Buchner, Founder, Front Foot Marketing Last updated 8 August 2026
How much evidence is enough?
The question behind the question
Are we asking for certainty?
Are we asking what would actually change our mind?
The straight answer
You rarely get perfect information. The goal isn't certainty. It's confidence good enough to act.
Businesses can spend enormous amounts of time trying to eliminate uncertainty. More research, more analysis, more attribution, more modelling, more testing.
The deeper answer
Sometimes that improves the decision. Sometimes it just delays it.
The useful question is: what evidence would materially change the decision?
If more information wouldn't change what you do, you may already have enough.
Good decision-making isn't about knowing everything. It's about knowing what matters, what you don't know, and how much uncertainty you're prepared to accept.
The uncomfortable bit
Sometimes "we need more data" is a decision dressed up as a delay.
What we know
- What the current research, testing or attribution already shows
- Roughly how confident that evidence is
What we don't
- What another round of research would actually change about the decision
- What the delay itself is costing you while you wait
What we need to decide anyway: Whether to act on what you have, or spend more time and money confirming what you already suspect.
What I'd challenge
I'd challenge the idea that more research always de-risks a decision. Past a point, it just delays it, and gives everyone something to hide behind.
The Anton Test
If we waited another quarter for more data, would we actually decide anything differently?
What I'd do next
I'd write down what evidence would change my mind before commissioning any more research. If nothing would, I already have enough.
The decision
This is ultimately a decision about whether to act now or wait, and what that wait costs.
This connects to the broader decision on Marketing effectiveness, if you want the fuller picture.
Keep asking
Related answers
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Don't automatically believe the number that looks most precise.
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Good marketing decisions consider downside as well as upside.
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What are we assuming that we haven't proved?
Every marketing strategy contains assumptions. The danger is forgetting they're assumptions.
Still working out what the real question is?
Sometimes the hardest part isn't finding the answer. It's knowing which question to ask.