Independent media advice for marketers
More of your media working for you.
Chilon is an independent buyer's advocate for marketers who work with media agencies.
Our engagements typically start with a review of how your media agency and media investment are currently being managed.
Chilon reviews usually find at least 5% of your media investment in value you can get back.
25 years inside media agenciesLed by Simon Lawson, former Managing Director of PHD Melbourne (Omnicom), now working only for marketers
Ascent: a 22-point frameworkCovering contracts, commercial terms, principal media and the digital supply chain
When marketers call us
Marketers and procurement leaders usually call us at one of four moments. If one of these sounds familiar, it's a good time for an independent view.
Your agency contract is up for renewal
Should you extend, renegotiate or put it to tender? Know exactly where you stand before you decide.
You're new in the role
What have you inherited? Get the lay of the land, and a clear list of what needs looking at.
You have a savings target
Find efficiencies through closer scrutiny of the media value chain, from media pricing to invisible costs and wasted media, without hurting the media that works.
The agency relationship isn't working
Work out what's really going wrong and what it's costing you, then fix it or move on.
The Media Governance Review
An independent review of your media agency and media investment arrangements, guided by Ascent, our proprietary 22-point framework. We compare your arrangements with industry best practice, identify the gaps that are costing you money, and give you practical advice on how to close them.
The business case
We typically identify efficiencies of at least 5% of media investment. On a $10 million media budget, that's $500,000 or more. The review is a fixed fee, scoped to your needs, and can be delivered in as little as five business days.
What we often find
Gaps in how media is managed cost real money. Most are straightforward to fix once you know they're there.
- A contract in the agency's favourDrafted by the agency, missing basic protections, and rarely checked once signed.
- Fees and prices above marketNo benchmarks, and no committed media pricing.
- Invisible costsTechnology, data and middle-man costs built into media prices and never reported.
- Conflicts of interestAgencies selling you media they've bought at an undisclosed margin, then advising you on whether to buy it.
Which of these apply to you?
The free self-assessment takes five minutes, gives you a score out of 100, and shows where you could be losing value.
Recent work
Our clients' arrangements are confidential, so we don't name them. Here's a sense of what we've been doing.
A clear roadmap forward
A review of an automotive brand's agency contract, fees, media prices, working media, accountability and agency fit, with a clear roadmap to tender.
A stronger contract for the next term
We reviewed a national retail brand's media agency contract against best practice, then built a new one with stronger transparency, audit rights and committed media pricing.
A credible case for the board
We benchmarked a tourism destination's marketing investment against global best practice, giving the team an evidence-based case for its board and stakeholders.
"Chilon's review proved incredibly valuable. We've since engaged Chilon to do further work for us."
"Simon was professional, thorough in his analysis and easy to work with."
Who you'll work with
Simon Lawson, Founder and Managing Partner
Simon spent nearly a decade as Managing Director of PHD Melbourne (Omnicom), directly responsible for negotiating commercial terms, contracts and principal media with major advertisers. Before that, he held senior roles at Zenith and Starcom (Publicis).
He knows how agencies make money, and where marketers lose it. He founded Chilon to work only for marketers.
Some of the advertisers Simon has worked with
- ANZ
- Asahi Beverages
- AB InBev
- McCain Foods
- Mars
- HESTA
- Honda
- Spirit of Tasmania
- Tennis Australia
- 7-Eleven
How well is your media managed?
Take the free self-assessment and get a score out of 100 in five minutes. Or talk to Simon directly.