Big numbers, lots of zeros

Impressions, budgets, TAMs. Don’t fear the zeros.

Marketing math throws numbers like 2.4M impressions and $480k budgets at you. The digits are easy. The zeros are what trip people up.

The move

Set the zeros aside, do the small math, then put them back. Multiplying: add the zeros up. Dividing: cancel zeros top and bottom first.

Worked example

2,400,000 ÷ 300

  1. Cancel two zeros from each: 24,000 ÷ 3
  2. 24 ÷ 3 = 8, and you still have 3 zeros
  3. 8,000
  • k = 1,000 · M = 1,000,000 · B = 1,000,000,000
  • Sanity check: a thousand thousands is a million.