Measuring What Moves People
Why your metrics might be missing what matters most.
Marketers love to measure
We track impressions, clicks, open rates, pipeline growth, and attribution models that stretch across spreadsheets like spider webs. But what if the real magic — the thing that actually changes behavior, builds trust, and drives loyalty — can’t be captured by your CRM?
The truth is, most of us measure what’s easy, not what’s meaningful.
That’s why Disruptive Awe exists. It’s both an act and an assessment — a way to ask, “Did we make someone feel something?” before we ask, “Did we make someone click something?”
Because awe can’t be faked.
It’s that moment when attention stops running and finally stands still. When your message cuts through the noise not by shouting louder, but by creating curiosity, surprise, or resonance.
When marketing doesn’t just inform — it moves people.
The 9 Measures of Disruptive Awe
These nine checkpoints aren’t about vanity or volume. They measure transformation — in how people see, feel, and remember your brand.
Break Expectations – Does it interrupt the pattern of sameness in your category?
Create Emotional Resonance – Does it make people feel something real — curiosity, surprise, empathy, pride?
Build Meaning – Does it connect your brand to something larger, more human, or more purposeful?
Reveal Truth – Does it say what others won’t? Does it expose a deeper insight that reframes the conversation?
Show Tension + Delight – Does it balance friction and reward — the unexpected twist that holds attention?
Engage the Senses – Does it look, sound, or feel different enough to be remembered?
Invite Participation – Does it draw people in, not just as consumers, but as co-believers in your message?
Drive Action Through Emotion – Does it move someone to act because they want to, not because they’re told to?
Leave a Trace – Will it still be remembered — or talked about — ten days later?
Together, these form a new kind of scorecard. Not for perfection, but for provocation.
They help you assess whether your next campaign, launch, or post will simply inform — or inspire.
Why This Matters
In technical, complex, or “unsexy” industries, differentiation doesn’t come from louder claims or shinier data. It comes from courage — from being willing to measure feeling with the same rigor you measure ROI.
That’s where marketing shifts from output to outcome. From metrics that report activity to stories that reshape perception.
So here’s your challenge this week:
Before you send your next email, approve your next ad, or post your next update, ask yourself —
“Would anyone feel this?”
If the answer is no, the measurement doesn’t matter yet.
— John Kowalski
B2B Marketing Veteran | Disruptive Awe Architect