We ask for a small number of things. Marketing spend data across all channels, agencies and activities. Commercial performance data — revenue, margin, or whatever KPI the board actually cares about. Any existing measurement reports or agency reviews. And time with three or four people — usually the CFO, the marketing lead, and whoever manages the agency relationship.
We are not expecting perfect data. Part of the value is understanding what exists, what does not, and what that gap tells you.
We spend the first two weeks mapping where the money goes. Every pound, across every channel, agency, production cost, technology platform and media buy. Then we benchmark that allocation against published evidence on what actually drives growth — including the split between long-term brand building and short-term activation, which most companies have never assessed against the research.
In parallel, we start looking at whether marketing communications is actually the right lever. That means looking at the product, pricing and distribution — drawing on data the company already has. Retention rates, churn, customer satisfaction, complaints, competitive pricing, sales by channel. If the real constraint is not an advertising problem, that usually becomes clear early. And it is one of the most valuable things the engagement can surface.
We turn to the agency relationship and the measurement. On the agency side, we look at the contract structures, the incentive model and the transparency arrangements. Not whether people enjoy working together — whether the commercial interests are aligned. We benchmark against established industry frameworks including the ISBA Media Services Framework and IPA remuneration guidance. We also look at whether the agency is genuinely challenging the client's thinking or simply executing what it is given.
On the measurement side, we assess whether what the business is being told about performance actually stands up. If there is sufficient historical data — typically two or more years of weekly spend and revenue data across channels — we run an independent analysis to estimate what the spend produced. The output is a defensible range with clear caveats, not a single number. The kind of evidence a CFO can work with.
If the engagement runs to six weeks, we use the additional time for robustness testing. Stress-testing the findings, running sensitivities, checking that the recommendations hold under different assumptions. Then we produce the report.