STORY 03 / MEALS NOW
A circle on an advertising map looks simple. Service coverage is not. This project lives in the gap between the two.
Operations
Problem definition · Data rules · Audit direction
Database & audit
Service boundaries before media decisions.
A visual explanation of the approach. No internal systems or data shown.
01 / THE SITUATION
Market and ZIP-code information lived across multiple files, with inconsistent names and overlapping assignments. Advertising geography needed to be checked against operating coverage, rather than treated as a reliable substitute for it.
02 / THE DECISION
Assign each ZIP code to one market, consolidate the references, and bring ambiguous cases into the open. If the underlying geography is unclear, a more precise-looking campaign setting will not solve it.
03 / THE WORK
I supplied the business files, set the assignment rule, and directed the duplicate and accuracy review. Claude assisted with matching, reference checks, and workbook creation. The work later extended into coverage-map exploration and a proposed zone model.
04 / WHAT CAME OUT OF IT
A consolidated market-to-ZIP database and an audit of inconsistencies. The database was completed; the zone model remained a proposal. The audit identified issues to resolve, rather than establishing that every targeting change had been implemented.
The first targeting decision happens before you open the ad account.
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