We were trying to optimize media spend across Dubai when I noticed the geo-targeting logic was too coarse. Budget was being funneled equally into Deira and DIFC. From a map, they're neighbors. From a campaign perspective, they're on different planets.

I rebuilt the targeting structure using Dubai's own GIS zoning data. We implemented a snap-to-precision layer that respected actual commercial density and adjusted bids accordingly.

We then added weather overlays and scheduled pacing adjustments based on visibility. If fog hit the Marina, conversion windows narrowed. Traffic slowed, phones came out, and the click-through rate jumped. Predictably, heh.

The problem wasn't that our geo was wrong. It was that it was shallow. You can't treat a city like a coordinate system. You have to treat it like a living model with context, habits, and layers. The map is not the territory. But it can be if you work hard enough.