KPI Theatre: Why Your Metrics Might Be Sabotaging Growth

A Strategic Wake-Up Call for CMOs, Executives, and Growth Leaders

What Is KPI Theatre?

KPI Theatre is the illusion of progress.

It’s when marketing metrics are polished, dashboards are lit, and performance reviews sparkle, yet the business isn’t growing.

Your team hits ROAS targets, optimizes CAC, and celebrates CTR spikes.


But ask yourself:
Are these metrics driving market contribution or just internal applause?

People (Emotional Intelligence)

Behavior: Fear of failure drives metric manipulation

Reframe: Culture rewards truth-telling and experimentation

Metaphor cartoon of ROAS, CAC, ROI, and CTR metrics performing on a stage.

The Strategic Misalignment

Image of a principal and agent not connected nor aligned

This isn’t a data problem. It’s an agency problem.

When marketers optimize for their own incentives (bonuses, budget protection, internal benchmarks) they stop acting as growth agents.

They become performers.

Growth stalls. Opportunities are missed. And the principal (you) is left wondering why the numbers look great but the business feels stuck.

ROAS Target Blog
KPI Theatre Blog
KPI & Dashboard Services
Marketing Services

Quadrant Breakdown: What’s Really Going Wrong?

Idea (Strategic Clarity)

Behavior: ROAS/CAC targets set by budget or industry norms

Reframe: KPIs derived from margin, market, and mission

Process (Structural Accountability)

Behavior: Dashboards reward volume over value

Reframe: Systems track contribution and causality

Action (Execution Discipline)

Behavior: Optimization within fixed lanes

Reframe: Activation through testing and bold plays

Real-World Consequences

  • A marketing director rejects free ad dollars because it would “distort ROAS” and disqualify them from a bonus

  • A startup sets CAC targets based on affordability, not feasibility

  • A brand ignores its most profitable use case because it doesn’t fit the original marketing narrative

These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re symptoms of a system that rewards performance theatre over strategic growth.

Growth Marketing Blog
A four step cycle for developing marketing investment goals and driving optimal income based on full makreting contribution.

What Growth-Minded Leaders Do Differently

  • Align metrics with business outcomes, not internal optics

  • Reward contribution, not compliance

  • Build quadrant-aligned scorecards that reflect strategic clarity, process integrity, emotional honesty, and execution rigor

  • Coach marketers to think like owners, not operators

Is Your Marketing Team Performing or Contributing?

If your dashboards look great but your market share isn’t growing, it’s time to exit KPI Theatre.

At Growth Spectrum, we help executives and CMOs:

  • Diagnose misaligned agent relationships

  • Reframe marketing metrics around business impact

  • Build cultures of contribution, experimentation, and strategic clarity

Ready to Reframe?

Let’s turn your metrics into momentum.

Visit our Contact Us page.

Email Tim to start the conversation.

Or explore our blog:

The Agency Problem: When Agent Relationships Aren’t Working

The Income-Driven Strategy for Setting Profitable Growth Targets