Services
Independent help at every stage of your media agency relationship.
Most engagements start with a Media Governance Review. From there, we can run your agency tender or keep your agency contract on track.
Who it's for: marketers and procurement leaders at businesses that spend $3 million to $25 million a year on paid media and work with a media agency.
Where most engagements start
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.
Questions the review answers
- Are we getting value for money from our media agency?
- Is our agency contract in line with best practice, and is anyone checking it's being followed?
- Are hidden costs in our digital supply chain eating into our budget?
- Are we paying too much for our media?
What we look at
- Your agency contract
- How the contract is managed
- Agency fees
- Media prices
- Technology and third-party costs
- Principal media
- Reporting and accountability
- How much of your budget reaches real media
Ascent's 22 points cover contracts, commercial terms, principal media and the digital supply chain. Every review is shaped around what you need to know.
How it works
- Sign an NDAYour documents and data stay confidential.
- Share your documentsUsually your agency contract, a recent media spend report and examples of media agency invoices.
- We interview the key peopleWe hold short interviews with your marketing team and your media agency.
- Receive your reviewFindings and recommendations in order of priority, presented in person.
What you get
- A written review setting out what's working, what isn't, and why
- The value at stake, with an estimate of what can be captured
- Prioritised recommendations that are specific and practical
- An in-person presentation of the findings to you and your team
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 the review typically uncovers
These are the issues that come up most often in our reviews. Each one has a cost, and each one can be fixed once it's out in the open.
"Media is often the largest marketing expenditure at most companies. Advertisers need to 'lean in' and be more active stewards of their media investments rather than delegating that entirely to their agencies."
- A contract nobody checksCommitments aren't tracked and invoices aren't reconciled.
- Ads in the wrong placesOne major advertiser's YouTube ads ran 37% of the time against unsuitable content. Nobody was checking.
- Results reported in the best lightPlatform reports, last-click attribution and no testing of what really drives sales, leading to over-spending on performance channels.
- Partners pulling in different directionsSeveral agencies, no shared plan, and value lost between them.
- A contract written by the agencyDrafted in the agency's favour, with basic protections for the marketer missing.
- 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.
Not sure which of these apply to you?
Answer 20 yes or no questions about how your media is managed, and see where the gaps are before you talk to anyone.
Tender management
We run your media agency tender from end to end, from alignment to appointment. Chilon is the single point of contact for every agency at every stage, so the process is fair, consistent and well documented.
Three stages
- 1Pre-tenderScoping, tender plan and evaluation scorecards, agency brief, a media pricing exercise, and a best-practice media agency contract.
- 2Long listRequests for information, review of responses, chemistry sessions and a shortlist recommendation.
- 3Short list, selection and negotiationRequests for proposal, tender meetings, evaluation against scorecards, reference checks, negotiation of commercial and contract terms, and appointment.
Contract management
A strong contract only protects you if someone checks it's being followed. Every six months, we hold a formal governance meeting with you and your agency, with each side's contract manager and day-to-day lead in the room, to check the commitments in your contract are being kept.
What we check
- Delivered media pricing, against the prices your agency committed to
- Agency service levels
- Digital controls, including technology costs, brand safety and ad verification
- Contractual commitments, including rebates and other benefits owed to you
How well is your media managed?
Take the free self-assessment and get a score out of 100 in five minutes. Or talk to us directly.