Solving a Tough Problem with a Simple Trick

As someone who works in marketing technology, we all face challenges. Recently in Propell Action, I came across a real business problem with one of our cosmetic clients. They were struggling to get more returns on their ad spending (ROAS) for months, and no immediate solution seemed clear. That’s when I decided to use the 5 Whys analysis to dig deeper and find the root cause.

What is the 5 Whys Method?

The 5 Whys method is a simple but powerful problem-solving tool. It's pretty simple. You ask "why" five times to get to the root of a problem. It originated from Toyota in the 1930s as a way to improve manufacturing processes. Today, it’s used across industries, including Market Technology, to solve complex problems by breaking them down step-by-step.

How I Applied 5 Whys to Solve My Client’s Problem

Our client, a well-known cosmetic brand selling online, had been seeing flat ROAS for a few months. We couldn’t figure out why until we used the 5 Whys.

Why is ROAS not increasing? The conversion rate was down.

Why is the conversion rate down? The audience wasn’t engaging with the ads as much.

Why is the audience not engaging? The ad creatives hadn’t changed in a long time.

Why haven’t the creatives changed? There wasn’t a process for regular creative updates.

Why wasn’t there a process? It wasn’t identified as a priority before.

Along with this, we also found another issue: No Proper Competitor Analysis had been conducted for a while. So, two key reasons stood out—No creative refresh and Lack of competitor analysis.

The Results

With these insights, we revamped the creatives and started competitor monitoring. We’re already seeing improvements in engagement and ROAS.

Why You Should Try the 5 Whys

If you're stuck with a business problem, the 5 Whys method can help you untangle the mess and find the real cause. It’s simple, efficient, and often leads to surprising discoveries.

So, the next time you face a challenge, just start asking “Why?”