“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

“Media Audit” is a fairly meaningless term for a lot of very different processes. Here’s what it means to us and why we (reluctantly) use that term.

A creative director once told me he had received a brief for a fast- food restaurant with the insight statement ‘they (the target) will be on O’Connell street and they will be hungry’. Insights take time and effort and demand a point of view. We are information full and insight-empty.

Having the best resources is an essential element of marketing effectiveness. The right level of expertise is critical, but even more important is the finding the right fit.

As the first Effie deadline approaches, you might be feeling the pressure to put pen to paper on your entries. As my old mentor used to say, they won’t write themselves. If, like me, you see the task of writing them as a marathon that requires time and focus, neither of which you have to give at the moment, then you might be tempted to keep that pin in them. Remember, Pressure builds!

Ok, in truth we’ve nothing against econometrics studies. Why would we? Conducted in the right way, at the right time, examining the appropriate level of data, econometrics studies can yield useful insights to feed into marketing investment decisions and media strategy and planning.

So what’s our issue?

Start at the end! What better place to start than with the proof. Start to gather the data and look for the killer proof that this was a success. There is no such thing as too many results at this point.

We all know they’re coming, they tend to spin into view about a year out, they look like a monkey and they sit on your back for the next 10 months, then they start to poke you in the temple until you do something about them- at least this was my experience. But, as I say to the kids in my athletics coaching- it’s all about winning!

One thing we’ve learned is that when it comes to marketing effectiveness, marketers like to know how their organisation compares to others. So when we developed Diagnostic 78™, we included a framework that teams and organisations could use - not just to benchmark themselves but also to set targets for where they want to get to. We call this the Pt78 Marketing Effectiveness Matrix™.

Before you pick up the phone to initiate a pitch consider this - rather than thinking that opportunity with your current agency has been exhausted, remember that your existing agency has travelled the learning curve with you and knows the category and your position within it…

You have options!

Embedding a culture of marketing effectiveness into your organisation changes the conversation.

Marketing is now viewed as a growth driver, not as a cost centre.

Diagnostic 78™ is a guided self-assessment used to measure the marketing effectiveness culture and practices in an organisation.

Agency pitches involve cost, time and business risk for clients. Do you need a pitch?

Marketing is essential to business success and yet every year marketeers go Oliver Twist to maintain often already too small budgets.

So what do I need for the journey? Sun cream? Swimmers?

Sadly not today.

Today we are on a journey to a culture of Marketing Effectiveness. Strap in and enjoy the ride.

A good media audit should not drown you in data that is ‘nice to know’. It should give you information that you can use to improve results, drive efficiencies and eliminate waste.