This presentation aims to inform and educate the audience about Media Audits.

1. Myths & Realities of Media Audits

2. “If you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change”
- Wayne Dyer

3. Media Audit can be defined as “an unbiased examination and
evaluation of the means of communication (and the process)
used by an organization to reach people”.
Media Audit defined

4. 23% 25%
42% 46%
16%
51%
62% 66%
49%
56%
33%
47%
37%
28%
41%
A look at approximately what % of 2010 TOTAL media INVESTMENT
was audited in the following audit markets
Source: WFA online member survey. September 2011. Base: 33. The list of WFA company members can be found at www.wfanet.org
World Audit Scenario

5. Why Audit Media?

6. Today it’s imperative for an advertiser to work in the most
efficient & productive way to ensure more value for every rupee
spent.
A neutral unbiased assessment
therefore helps an advertiser
to keep a closer eye on media
investments and make
stakeholders more accountable.
This is the heart of the
concept of Media Auditing.
For a neutral unbiased assessment!

7. Benefits of Media Audit

8. Helps a marketer maneuver the
media process with insights of
where their investment is
creating most value and where it
isn’t.
Provides a marketer an
indication of what they are
paying for a particular vehicle
compared to the average market
price.
To the Advertiser
Improves transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in the media
process while educating the client on a lot of areas which usually tend
to get ignored.

9. For an agency whose client is
being audited, it would
definitely mean that they have
to ensure an outstanding media
product.
The focus of an agency must be
to balance cost & value to
deliver appropriate, effective
solutions.
To the Agency
Audits encourage transparency at the agency end, which could help
boost the agency-client relationship.

10. Bottlenecks in Audits

11. Media Agencies see auditors as outsiders who come and tear
apart their plans. But this is far from the truth.
Agencies need to understand the benefits of audits and
contribute to a productive Advertiser-Agency-Auditor
relationship.
1. Media Agencies

12. Clients are averse to ‘rocking’ the boat with their agencies and
offending them by appointing Auditors to audit their work.
Clients need to understand that these are nothing but
bottlenecks to a good transparent process which can benefit all.
2. Client

13. Media Owners are concerned that popularity of auditors will
depress media prices.
Media owners need to understand that prices get depressed by
their offering selective discounts to agencies.
3. Media Owners

14. Are Audits only for
large spenders?

15. An audit more or less serves the same
purpose for a small or a large client!

16. For a small spender who is
active only once/twice a year
due to budget constraints, an
audit could prove very
beneficial in ensuring more
“bang for the buck” each time
they are active.
It could also mean savings
(on costs and wastage on
delivery beyond requirements)
in the 2 campaigns to partially
fund a 3rd sustenance activity.
Ensures more ‘bang for the buck’

17. Audits deliver actionable
insights that help marketers
from repeating mistakes.
It also builds rigor in the media
management process at both
client and agency end ensuring
sustainable improvements.
Throws light on critical efficiency issues

18. Are Audits always Post Facto?

19. A large number of advertisers
in South Asia engage with audit
firms for planning and buying
advisory at the pre campaign
stage.
In such a case, every media
dollar spent gets reviewed
BEFORE it is spent to ensure
higher efficiencies.
Audits can be conducted at Pre-Campaign stage

20. Are there other marketing
spends that can be audited?

21. Apart from ATL,
BTL spends are also audited

22. There is a need for clients to categorize
and analyze BTL / Production spends.
Creative services such as design are often combined
with fairly standard, transactional services such as
printing and artworks.
There is a need to customize
the taxonomy for specific
client environment.

23. Creative agencies design a
promotional campaign and also
manage the print providers and
the digital campaign.
When thinking about new
approaches to marketing
procurement, it is essential to
have a solid, structured view of
the different elements involved.
An audit in this space results in savings and a
more transparent process
An audit in this space can help a marketer get a better understanding
of these “dark areas”, which could result in savings and a more
transparent process.

24. Who can commission an Audit?

25. Marketing, Finance, Procurement!
Finance & Procurement’s initiative for
an audit could be largely similar i.e. to
answer the questions like:
• Are we investing more than
required?
• Do we really need to increase
budgets?
All these questions largely point
towards the direction of greater
efficiency, but from different angles.
For ‘Marketing’, efficiencies
from an audit will be for
reallocation of savings while
Finance or Procurement
would view it as cost saving!

26. Agency – Auditor symbiosis can
deliver value to clients only if agency
perceives auditors as collaborators.

27. Are Audits here to stay?

28. Given present situation of the
market place, advertisers have
become demanding value
seekers.
Thus fueling a spread of audits
both as part of corporate
governance and demand for
greater accountability from
partners.
Audits are a fact of life

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