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Professional Services › Marketing & Creative Agencies › Advertising & Brand Agencies

Media Planning

New business and client engagements where creative vision, strategy alignment, and multi-stakeholder approval determine outcomes.

GroupM Publicis Groupe Omnicom Media Group IPG Mediabrands
Inside this journey

  1. Pre-Discovery

    Align the room on outcomes, decision process, and constraints before deeper discovery.

    1. Stakeholder Alignment

      Confirm decision roles, timelines, budget guardrails, and required approvals across marketing, finance, and procurement.

      Alignment Questions

      Quick Introduction: Who's In the Room?

      • What's prompted you to start this agency review right now?
      • Which functions will be actively involved in the evaluation and decision (select all that apply)? Options: Marketing / Media, Finance, Procurement, Legal / Compliance, Analytics / Data Science, Brand / Comms, Sales / Revenue, Executive / Board
      • Who is the single person or role that will ultimately sign off on the relationship or the insertion order? Options: VP / Head of Media, CMO, Director of Growth Marketing, CFO / Finance Lead, Procurement Lead, CEO / Executive Sponsor, Cross-functional committee, Other
      • How would you describe the team's current appetite for change when it comes to media buying and agency partnerships? Options: Highly motivated to change, Open but cautious, Prefer incremental changes, Resistant to change
      • Please list the core individuals (name, title) we should introduce ourselves to and their preferred mode of engagement (email, call, workshop).

      Who Really Pulls the Trigger?

      • If this engagement succeeds or fails, whose reputation is most on the line—and why?
      • Which role typically holds veto power on vendor selection in your organization? Options: Finance, Procurement, CMO / Head of Marketing, Legal / Compliance, CEO / Executive Sponsor, No single veto — consensus required, Other
      • How do the priorities of marketing, finance, and procurement differ when evaluating a media partner in your experience? Options: Lowest cost / CPM, Proven sales-lift attribution, Fee and rebate transparency, Inventory quality and brand safety, Speed to market / agility, Vendor consolidation / supplier diversity, Data control and privacy
      • Tell us about a past procurement or agency decision that became contentious—what caused the friction and how did the organization resolve (or fail to resolve) it?
      • When disagreement occurs, which escalation mechanism has actually moved decisions forward? Options: Executive sponsor intervention, Formal governance committee, Procurement arbitration, Legal negotiation, No formal path — decisions stall, Other

      Money Talks — Who Decides How It Moves?

      • Is your headline budget a hard ceiling or a flexible target that can be adjusted for performance? Options: Hard ceiling — cannot exceed, Flexible with approvals, Flexible within pre-defined guardrails, Undecided / still defining
      • Please indicate the approximate total annual paid media budget to use for planning context. Options: <$1M, $1M–$5M, $5M–$20M, $20M–$50M, >$50M, Prefer not to disclose
      • What explicit budget guardrails must we honor (channel caps, fee ceilings, third‑party data spend limits, rebate handling)? Please be specific.
      • Who must approve any mid-flight budget uplift and what is the typical approval timeframe? Options: Marketing lead (1–3 days), Marketing lead (4–10 days), Finance approval (1–2 weeks), Procurement approval (2–4 weeks), Executive sign-off (>2 weeks), Varies by request / other
      • Are there fee structures or types of spend your finance team will not approve (select all that apply)? Options: Agency markups / % of media, Performance incentive fees, Rebates / undisclosed kickbacks, Third‑party data / audience fees, Platform/exchange surcharges, No hard restrictions — case by case
      • Share a concrete example where budget constraints materially changed the scope, channel mix, or timing of a campaign.

      Timelines: Real Deadlines or Optimistic Targets?

      • If you had to bet, how often do your 'required' launch dates survive cross-functional review without slipping? Options: Almost always, Most of the time, About half the time, Rarely, Never
      • What is the target launch window for the initiative we're discussing? Options: Within 2 weeks, 2–6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, Next quarter, Next 6 months, TBD
      • Which immovable business milestones must the media plan align to (product launch, earnings, holidays, promotions)? Please name and date where applicable.
      • What lead times do procurement, legal, or vendor onboarding usually add to a new agency engagement? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, >8 weeks, Varies by vendor / contract complexity
      • Do you have blackout dates, seasonal adjacency restrictions, or channels that cannot be used? If yes, please list them. Options: Yes — will list below, No
      • If you selected 'Yes', please list blackout dates, adjacency policies, or channel exclusions.

      Transparency & Risk: What Won't Be Tolerated?

      • What specific opacity in reporting, fees, or supply chain would make you walk away from an agency pitch?
      • Which delivery and quality metrics are non-negotiable for your team (choose all that apply)? Options: Viewability rate, Invalid traffic / fraud thresholds, Placement-level reporting, Audience match / reach diagnostics, Brand safety adjacency controls, Attribution traceability, Other
      • Do you require independent verification or audit rights (e.g., IAS, Moat, third‑party reconciliations)? Options: Yes — mandatory, Preferred but negotiable, No — not required, Undecided
      • What minimum thresholds should we commit to for viewability and invalid traffic (please provide numbers or acceptable ranges)?
      • How comfortable are you sharing conversion data, sales lifts, and customer-level PII (under NDA) to support transparent attribution? Options: Fully comfortable (with NDA), Comfortable with anonymized/aggregated data, Comfortable only with modeled/limited data, Not comfortable sharing
      • Are there contractual transparency clauses or vendor disclosures you insist on (e.g., rebate disclosure, vendor list, pass-through IOs)? Please list.

      Decision-Day Playbook: How Do We Get to 'Yes'?

      • Assuming we present a solution that meets your KPIs, what non-technical factor is most likely to block approval? Options: Procurement terms / SLAs, Budget sign-off, Executive skepticism / change aversion, Existing vendor relationships, Legal / compliance concerns, Other
      • What are the top three acceptance criteria that must be satisfied before contracts are signed? Options: Proven sales-lift attribution, Transparent fee schedule, Inventory quality guarantees, Clear measurement plan and KPIs, Defined escalation and governance cadence, Pilot performance milestones
      • Which artifacts will most accelerate approval (select up to three)? Options: Independent audit / verification report, Case studies with comparable sales lift, References from similar clients, A mock media plan with scenarios, Draft contract / legal redlines, Pilot statement of work
      • Who will own internal follow-up and closure if we move forward—please provide name, role, and preferred contact method.
      • What would make a pilot acceptable to leadership (acceptable duration, budget cap, KPIs, exit terms)?
      • Realistically, what is your ideal decision timeline from receiving a full proposal to signing the insertion order? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, 8–12 weeks, >12 weeks

    2. Current State Mapping

      Document today’s media mix, vendor contracts, CPM benchmarks, measurement gaps, and supply-chain risk vectors.

      Current State

      Tell Us About Today's Media Habits

      • Which channels currently make up your media mix (select top 3 by spend)? Options: Programmatic display, Connected TV / OTT, Linear TV, Social (Paid), Search (Paid), Audio (streaming / radio), Out-of-Home (DOOH), Print, Retail / POS media, Other
      • Roughly what percentage of your total paid media budget goes to each of those top channels? (list percentages or ranges) Options: 0–5%, 6–15%, 16–30%, 31–50%, 51–75%, 76–100%
      • How long are your typical campaign flights for brand and performance activity? Options: Under 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1 quarter, 2 quarters, Ongoing / rolling
      • Who owns media strategy vs. execution inside your organization today (roles or teams)? Options: In-house media team, Central marketing, Brand team, Procurement, External agency partner(s), Hybrid (in-house + agency)
      • Which external agency or vendor names should we know about for your current buying relationships?
      • When was the last time you materially changed channel mix or vendor partners, and what prompted it?

      Are We Spending to Reach People—or Just Chasing Numbers?

      • What percent of your programmatic impressions do you estimate were non-viewable or low-quality in the last 12 months? Options: 0–5%, 6–15%, 16–30%, 31–50%, 51%+
      • How have you detected or validated those viewability / quality issues (third-party verification, internal reporting, audits)? Options: Third-party verification partners, DSP reports, In-house measurement, Vendor assurances only, External audit (most recent date)
      • Can you share a specific example of a campaign where delivery looked good on paper but failed to drive meaningful reach or outcomes?
      • How does that gap make you feel about current vendor recommendations—confident, skeptical, or resigned? Options: Confident, Somewhat skeptical, Deeply skeptical, Resigned / accepting
      • How long have you tolerated these quality shortcomings before deciding to act? Options: Under 3 months, 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 1+ years

      Contracts, Fees, and the Parts Hidden in Fine Print

      • How much of your CPMs do you believe are driven by direct media cost versus fees, rebates, and undisclosed vendor economics? Options: Mostly media cost, ~70% media / 30% fees, ~50/50, More fees than media cost, Unsure
      • Which fee structures are present in your current contracts? Options: Flat management fee, Percentage of spend, Performance-based fees, Hybrid fee + commission, Hidden rebates/volume deals, No standardized fee
      • Do your contracts include strong audit rights, third-party verification requirements, or pass-through transparency clauses? Describe briefly. Options: Yes — explicit audit & transparency, Partial — limited clauses, No — minimal transparency, Unsure / need to check
      • When it comes to rebates, preferred deals, or programmatic discounts, have any terms historically been opaque or hard to reconcile with invoicing? Options: Always clear, Occasionally unclear, Often opaque, Consistently opaque
      • If procurement were to push for a single change in your vendor contracts right now, what would it be?

      If Our Measurement Were Speaking Truth, What Would It Say?

      • Which attribution or measurement models do you currently rely on to claim media-driven sales lift? Options: Last-click, Multi-touch attribution, Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), Unified measurement / blended models, Experimentation (geo/A-B tests), Unsure
      • Where do you see the largest measurement blind spots (e.g., offline conversions, cross-device, upper-funnel impact)? Options: Offline sales linkage, Cross-device identity, Incrementality measurement, Frequency and reach accuracy, Creative-level impact, Other
      • How frequently do you run controlled experiments (holdouts, geo tests) to validate channel contribution? Options: Regularly (monthly/quarterly), Occasionally (annual), Rarely, Never
      • How confident are you that your reported digital contribution to sales isn't overstated by last-click or cookie-reliant models? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Doubtful, Not confident at all
      • What data sources would unlock better measurement for you if we could reliably access them? Options: CRM / POS data, Ad server logs, Unified ID or identity graph, Third-party sales data, Store footfall / attribution, Other

      Where Are the Biggest Supply-Chain Risks Lurking?

      • Which parts of your programmatic supply chain would you describe as most vulnerable to fraud, arbitrage, or hidden middlemen? Options: Open exchange inventory, SSP relationships, Resold PMP inventory, Ad networks / remnant pools, Unknown/anonymous sellers, Other
      • Do you currently require seller disclosures, seller-domain lists, or supply-path transparency in IOs and programmatic deals? Options: Yes — strict SPT mandated, Partially — in select buys, No — minimal SPT, Unsure
      • Which verification and anti-fraud tools are in use today (select all that apply)? Options: MOAT / IAS / DoubleVerify, Proprietary fraud detection, DSP-native filters, No verification tools, Other
      • Have you experienced a specific supply-chain incident (e.g., buybacks, non-delivery, unexplained CPM spikes) in the past year? If so, what happened?
      • How willing would you be to pay a premium CPM for guaranteed, disclosed, and directly-sourced inventory? Options: Very willing, Somewhat willing, Depends on ROI evidence, Not willing

      What Would Trustworthy Inventory Feel Like?

      • If you could set three non-negotiable inventory quality rules for every buy, what would they be?
      • What minimum viewability and brand-safety thresholds would you accept for desktop, mobile, and CTV? Options: Viewability ≥ 50%, Viewability ≥ 70%, Viewability ≥ 90%, Brand-safety strict (block categories), Contextual targeting only
      • Which inventory certifications or seller attestations would make you relax about quality concerns? Options: Certified sellers/publishers, Private marketplace (PMP), Direct-sold guaranteed deals, Supply-path transparency reports, Third-party viewability/fraud certification
      • Would you accept fewer impressions or higher CPMs if we could show stronger reach and sales lift per dollar? Explain your threshold. Options: Yes — prefer efficiency over volume, Depends on channel and campaign, No — need volume for awareness, Unsure
      • Give an example of inventory you consider unacceptable today and why.

      Quick Wins and Roadblocks — What's Realistic in 90 Days?

      • If we audited your current media next week, what one outcome would make you say “that was worth it” within 90 days?
      • Which of these would you prioritize as a near-term fix? Options: Improve viewability / remove invalid traffic, Clarify contracts & invoice reconciliation, Set up controlled incrementality tests, Shift spend to PMPs / direct deals, Unify measurement with offline data
      • What internal approvals or stakeholders could slow down recommended changes (roles, committees, or procurement constraints)? Options: Procurement review, Legal, Finance / budget owners, Brand leadership / CMO, Media operations team
      • How quickly can you share the data we’d need for an audit (ad logs, IOs, invoices, conversion data)? Options: Immediately (within 1 week), 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, Longer / constrained
      • How would you prefer we deliver findings and next steps? Options: Interactive dashboard + scorecard, Executive summary + workshop, Full audit report + line-item reconciliations, Live presentation only

  2. Outcome Discovery

    Define target business outcomes, KPIs (reach, frequency, sales lift), success signals, and must-have constraints for the engagement.

    Discovery Questions

    Quick Grounding — who are we talking with?

    • Please tell us your name, title, team, and how you prefer we refer to you in reports.
    • Who is the ultimate decision-maker for selecting media partners and approving IOs for this project? Options: VP/Head of Media, CMO, Director of Growth/Performance, Procurement lead, Finance lead, Other
    • Which roles or groups actively influence media strategy decisions beyond the approver listed above? Options: Brand/Comms, Legal/Compliance, Data/Analytics, Finance, External consultants, Creative/Studio, Other
    • How long is your typical procurement and contracting cycle from initial brief to signed IO? Options: Under 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 2–3 months, 3+ months
    • How is responsibility currently split between internal teams and external agencies for planning, buying, and measurement? Options: Fully internal, Agency-led planning, internal execution, Agency-led planning and buying, In-house trading desk + agency oversight, Hybrid (describe in next field)
    • If you selected 'Hybrid' or 'Other', please briefly describe those boundaries and any contractual obligations we should know about.

    Are we solving the right problem?

    • Many teams ask for 'more conversions'—but is that actually the most valuable thing for your business right now? Options: Yes—incremental sales/conversions are top, No—brand equity or awareness matters more, We need a blend of both, Not sure—help us clarify
    • What is the primary business objective this engagement must move (e.g., incremental revenue, new customer acquisition, retention lift, brand consideration)? Options: Incremental revenue/sales, New customer acquisition, Customer retention/LTV, Brand awareness/consideration, Other
    • What time horizon matters most for evaluating success (short-term quarter, backhalf, 12 months, other)? Options: Immediate (30–90 days), Quarterly (90 days), 6 months, 12+ months
    • How does your current attribution practice map media activity to the business outcome you just named? Please cite the model and its main limitations.
    • Tell us about a recent campaign that felt confusing to interpret—what metric looked good but the business result didn’t follow?

    What Would Success Look Like in Real Numbers?

    • If the executive team asked for one headline number in 90 days, which single metric would you want us to report back? Options: Incremental sales lift (%), Incremental sales ($), ROAS / ROI, Cost per incremental acquisition, Reach & average frequency
    • Do you have a target range for incremental sales lift or conversion improvement you would deem a win? Please state a specific percent or dollar target.
    • What reach and average frequency do you believe are required to drive the outcomes above for your category? Options: Reach 25–40% / Freq 2–3, Reach 40–60% / Freq 2–4, Reach 60%+ / Freq 3+, Not sure—want recommendations
    • What is the minimum acceptable ROAS or CPA threshold that would allow you to continue funding the program? Options: ROAS > 2x, ROAS 1–2x, ROAS < 1x acceptable short-term, CPA target (enter below)
    • Please specify the dollar value or range for CPA or the lift in revenue per incremental conversion that you expect.

    The Hidden Constraints Nobody Mentions

    • What hidden rule or 'this is how we've always done it' constraint would derail a plan faster than any other? Options: Brand safety/legal restrictions, Procurement rate floors or preferred vendors, Strict channel exclusions (e.g., programmatic), Data privacy limits / no user-level data sharing, Creative or tech stack limitations, Other
    • Do you have mandatory brand safety or adjacency lists, whitelisted vendors, or verification partners we must use? Options: Yes—specific vendors required, Yes—standards only (e.g., GARM), No mandatory partners, Unsure—need to check
    • Which channels are off-limits or heavily restricted for regulatory/brand reasons (list all that apply)? Options: Programmatic open exchange, CTV/OTT, Social (e.g., influencer placements), Paid search, OOH, None
    • Are there procurement, billing, or rebate rules that affect how media fees or vendor rebates must be treated or disclosed? Options: Yes—detailed disclosure required, Yes—rebates retained by agency/clearing rules, No special rules, Unsure—we'll provide contract language
    • Are there legal/compliance data constraints (e.g., no PII export, specific GDPR/CALOPPA requirements) that will limit measurement approaches? Options: Strict PII limits, Consent-required audiences only, No cross-device identity sharing, No special constraints, Other

    Who's Involved When Results Matter

    • When performance is trending positively or negatively, who gets alerted and how quickly would you expect a response? Options: VP/Director only, Cross-functional leadership (weekly), Immediate cross-functional alert + daily ops, Ad-hoc escalation as needed
    • What governance cadence would make you most comfortable (steering committee, weekly ops, monthly exec updates)? Options: Weekly ops + monthly exec, Bi-weekly ops, Monthly only, Ad-hoc as needed
    • Who on your side will own measurement, access to datasets, and sign-off on attribution conclusions? Options: In-house analytics/BI, Marketing science/measurement team, External measurement partner, Shared ownership, Other
    • Who will have final sign-off on optimizations that alter channel mix or budget allocation?
    • What format and level of detail do decision-makers prefer for regular updates (executive slide, live dashboard, raw tables)? Options: Executive summary slide with topline metrics, Live dashboard with drilldowns, Raw data exports + methodology notes, Combination

    How Will We Know Early If We're Winning?

    • If we had to pause after two weeks, what early signal would convince you to continue rather than stop the program? Options: Pacing to reach and frequency targets, Positive trend in incremental conversions, Improved engagement quality (time on site, view-through), High viewability & low fraud, Other
    • Which leading indicators should we prioritize in the first 30 days (select up to three)? Options: Reach pacing vs. plan, Frequency distribution health, Conversion rate lift, Lower funnel CPA movement, Viewability %, Invalid traffic/fraud metrics
    • How often would you like a formal check-in during the initial learn-and-adjust phase? Options: Daily for first week, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly
    • What level of variance from forecast would you accept in week one vs. plan before asking us to intervene (e.g., +/- 10%)? Options: ±5%, ±10%, ±20%, No tolerance—immediate flag
    • What quick tests or hypotheses would you want us to run early to validate learning (creative A/B, audience tweaks, frequency capping)?

    What Are We Willing to Change?

    • If the data shows a channel consuming spend without delivering incremental value, how comfortable are you reallocating budget mid-flight? Options: Very comfortable—data-driven shifts, Somewhat comfortable with documented thresholds, Comfortable only with pre-agreed reallocation rules, Not comfortable
    • What quantitative threshold or condition should trigger an automatic reallocation (e.g., CPA > X, lift < Y, viewability < Z)?
    • How frequently are you willing to refresh creative or messaging during flight (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Only when data strongly indicates
    • Would you be open to adopting a different attribution or measurement methodology if it produces more defensible incremental lift estimates? Options: Yes—open to change, Maybe—need pilot evidence, No—must use internal model
    • Who on your team will approve mid-flight shifts to strategy, creative, or budget?

    The Evidence We Need to Believe This Will Work

    • Which types of evidence would make you confident enough to scale (audited uplift study, third-party measurement, pilot with matched control, raw data access)? Options: Third-party uplift/audit, Controlled pilot (Causal test), Real-time raw data + methodology, Client references & case studies, Other
    • Do you have a preferred or required measurement partner for validation (e.g., Nielsen, Kantar, internal econometrics team)? Options: Nielsen, Kantar, Google MMP, Internal econometrics/analytics, Other / not required
    • What minimum pilot duration and sample size do you believe is necessary to generate defensible learnings? Options: 2–4 weeks, One month, One full quarter, Sample-size-driven (we'll provide guidance)
    • What level of data access will you permit for measurement (user-level hashed IDs, aggregated events, conversion server-side logs)? Options: User-level hashed IDs, Aggregated attribution events, Server-to-server conversion logs, Only high-level aggregated reporting, Unsure—need legal check
    • Would you require an independent audit before endorsing findings to the board? If so, who should perform it? Options: Yes—third-party audit required, Optional—recommended for large pilots, No—internal validation acceptable

    Final Ties — Acceptance Criteria & Red Lines

    • What non-negotiable guardrails would make you stop the program immediately (e.g., viewability, fraud thresholds, brand-safety breach)? Options: Viewability below threshold, IVT/fraud above threshold, Brand safety incident, Missed contractual SLAs, Other
    • Please specify numeric thresholds you consider non-negotiable (minimum viewability %, maximum IVT %, maximum CPM overrun, etc.).
    • What acceptance criteria must be met for final payment or renewal (e.g., measurement report, KPI attainment, audit sign-off)? Options: KPI attainment documented, Third-party audit delivered, Final reconciliation and reconciliation report, Stakeholder sign-off
    • Do you require contractual language around transparency—e.g., vendor-level line items, pass-through fees, or rebate disclosures? Options: Yes—full vendor-level transparency, Partial transparency acceptable, No specific requirement
    • Who owns creative and data after campaign completion, and are there any restrictions on reuse? Options: Client owns creative & data, Agency retains certain rights, Shared ownership with usage terms, Other—describe below

    Close the Loop — Next Steps & Timing

    • If we leave this meeting without a clear next step, what will you most regret not deciding today? Options: Delaying pilot start, Not aligning on measurement, Missing procurement window, Not confirming budget guardrails, Other
    • What is your ideal start date for a pilot or initial flight, and do you have hard windows we must respect? Options: Immediately / within 2 weeks, Within 4–6 weeks, Next quarter, Specific campaign window (specify below)
    • What documents or approvals do we need to deliver to your procurement/finance/legal teams to move to IO stage?
    • What would you like the next meeting to accomplish (e.g., pilot scope, measurement plan sign-off, commercial terms)? Options: Pilot scope agreed, Measurement approach signed, Commercial terms outline, Governance cadence set, All of the above
    • Who will be our point of contact to coordinate the next steps and receive drafts/IOs?

  3. Solution Experience

    Validate how the agency’s planning, inventory-quality controls, and attribution approach deliver the customer’s desired sales lift using real scenarios.

    Experience Meetings

    • Current State & Consequence Alignment
    • Future State Definition & Success Metrics
    • Scenario Planning & Inventory Quality Proof
    • Attribution & Measurement Validation Workshop
    • Decision & Pilot Acceptance
    • Approve the holdout/experiment design or agree on alternative causal method with documented tradeoffs.
    • Procurement/legal to list any contract constraints that impact acceptance criteria.
    • Scenario Framing
    • Demonstrate, using customer data, that planned media allocation can meet or exceed agreed KPIs in at least one feasible scenario.
    • Obtain stakeholder acceptance of inventory quality controls and vendor rules to be enforced in pilot.
    • Agree on which scenario(s) will be executed as the pilot and any adjustments required.
    • Share detailed scenario workbook and inventory filter configuration with stakeholders.
    • Customer to approve or annotate the allowlist/denylist and viewability/fraud thresholds.
    • Agency to update scenario assumptions based on validation feedback and prepare pilot budget allocation.
    • Attribution Model Overview
    • Obtain stakeholder agreement that the attribution approach will produce a credible, auditable sales‑lift measure.
    • Confirm the specific data feeds, access, and governance needed to run the model for the pilot.
    • Introductions & Objectives
    • Deliver the full attribution model specification, including feature list, privacy mitigations, and statistical plan.
    • Customer to grant data access or provide agreed extracts and mapping documentation.
    • Analytics teams to finalize power calculations and sample size requirements for the pilot test.
    • Recap Validated Proof Points
    • Obtain stakeholder sign‑off on the pilot scope and acceptance criteria so execution can begin.
    • Assign clear owners for execution, measurement, and governance with agreed timelines.
    • Ensure all pre‑deployment dependencies (contracts, data access, tracking) have owners and deadlines.
    • Prepare and circulate the Pilot Plan (IO, budgets, targeting, KPIs, signoff sheet) for signatures within 48 hours.
    • Set up initial tracking tags, data feed endpoints, and schedule the Pilot Kickoff meeting.
    • Procurement/Finance to confirm billing terms and any transparency commitments before IO execution.
    • Achieve explicit, stakeholder‑agreed one‑sentence current state.
    • Surface and quantify the business consequence in dollars, reach/frequency loss, or KPI delta.
    • Confirm required artifacts are complete so the Solution Experience can proceed factually.
    • Identify any data gaps and owners for closure before Scenario sessions.
    • Update and circulate the one‑sentence current state and quantified consequence with stakeholder approvals documented.
    • Customer to deliver any missing artifacts (raw delivery logs, contract addenda, sales time series) within 3 business days.
    • Assign an owner to reconcile any discrepancies in the presented consequence numbers and report back.
    • Purpose Recap & Accepted Current State
    • Agree and document a one‑sentence future state describing operational outcomes.
    • Establish specific, measurable KPIs and acceptance thresholds for the Solution Experience.
    • Lock the measurement windows and validation rules so scenario work can use consistent assumptions.
    • List any constraints that will limit solution options during pilots or execution.
    • Produce and circulate the Future State & KPI sheet with explicit acceptance thresholds.
    • Analytics lead to map required data feeds and confirm feasibility of measurement windows.
    • Worked Example with Customer Data
    • Pilot Scope & Parameters
    • Prework Verification
    • One‑Sentence Future State Proposal
    • Simulation: Reach/Frequency & Expected Sales Lift
    • Acceptance Gates & Reporting Cadence
    • One‑Sentence Current State Readback
    • Inventory Quality Controls Demonstration
    • Translate Future State to KPIs & Acceptance Criteria
    • Counterfactual & Statistical Validity
    • Measurement Window & Validation Rules
    • Data Feed & Governance Check
    • Governance, Roles & Escalation
    • Quantify Consequence
    • Cost & Efficiency Comparison
    • Constraints & Must‑Haves Review
    • Tiebacks to Problems & Forced Validation
    • Decision Criteria & Constraints Check
    • Validation & Acceptance Criteria
    • Next Steps & Timing
    • Confirm & Sign
    • Validation & Signoff

  4. Solution Scope

    Define channels, audience targeting, deliverables, measurement methodology, fee structure, and acceptance criteria.

    Scope Configuration

    • Launch programmatic display and video campaigns
    • Execute private marketplace (PMP) deals
    • Negotiate and place linear TV spots
    • Execute connected TV (CTV) buys and ad serving
    • Book out-of-home (OOH) inventory and flight ads
    • Buy audio and podcast ad placements
    • Launch and manage paid social campaigns
    • Implement viewability and fraud blocking tags
    • Activate first-party audience segments in DSPs
    • Implement server-side conversion tracking and tags
    • Tag and traffic creative across channels
    • Run in-flight bid and frequency optimization
    • Reconcile media invoices and rebate pass-through
    • Deploy multi-touch attribution reporting dashboard

    Scope Questions

    Launch programmatic display and video campaigns

    • Do you want programmatic display, video, or both launched? Options: Display only, Video only, Both, Not sure
    • What are the primary campaign objectives for programmatic (select the top 2)? Options: Brand awareness/reach, Frequency and reach, Site conversions, Sales/ROAS, Lead generation, Foot traffic/store visits
    • What geographic scale and target markets should we plan for? Options: National, Regional, Top DMAs only, Specific cities/zip codes (will specify), International
    • What inventory quality controls are required (viewability, brand safety, publishers to avoid)? Options: Viewability threshold (e.g., 50%/1s), Brand safety categories to block, Blocklist publishers/domains, Allowlist preferred publishers, IAB/third-party category settings
    • What is the expected monthly media budget for programmatic display/video? Options: Less than $25k, $25k-$100k, $100k-$500k, More than $500k, Budget to be decided
    • Are creative assets (sizes, VAST/VPAID tags) ready for trafficking, or do you need production? Options: All assets ready, Partial assets ready, Need creative production, Need ad templates/variants
    • How frequently should performance reporting be delivered for programmatic (dashboard, cadence)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly

    Execute private marketplace (PMP) deals

    • Do you intend to include PMP deals as part of the media mix? Options: Yes - priority, Yes - as option, No, Undecided
    • Which PMP deal types are acceptable for your campaign? Options: Preferred deals, Private auction, Programmatic guaranteed, PG + preferred mix, Open to publisher suggestions
    • Are there specific publishers, publisher groups, or deal IDs you want to target or prioritize?
    • What floor CPM or deal pricing guidelines should we adhere to? Options: Provide target CPM, Allow agency negotiation within range, No floor - negotiate best rate, Will specify per-publisher
    • Do you require guaranteed reporting/placement screenshots and reconciliation for PMP buys? Options: Yes - required, Optional, No
    • What is the timeline for executing PMP contracts and IOs? Options: Within 1 week, 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, Flexible

    Negotiate and place linear TV spots

    • Are linear TV spots in scope for this flight? Options: Yes - national, Yes - local/spot markets, No, Undecided
    • Which markets and dayparts should be targeted (e.g., prime, daytime, weekend)? Options: National, Specific DMAs (will specify), Prime time, Daytime, Weekend, Drive time
    • What GRP/CPP or weekly reach/frequency goals should the TV plan achieve?
    • Do you require third‑party measurement (e.g., Nielsen, Comscore) or ACR-based measurement? Options: Nielsen/GRP-based, ACR/Set-top measurement, Both, None/prefer agency reporting
    • Are creative versions and legal clearances available for linear TV spots? Options: Final creatives ready, Need editing/formatting, Need legal clearance support, Not applicable
    • What are the invoice/IO terms and approval SLAs for linear TV buys? Options: Standard 30 days, Expedite 14 days, Prepayment required, Other - will specify

    Execute connected TV (CTV) buys and ad serving

    • Should CTV buys be executed programmatically, publisher-direct, or both? Options: Programmatic CTV, Publisher-direct, Both, Undecided
    • Which targeting methods are required for CTV (household, IP, audience segments, contextual)? Options: Household/addressable, Device ID/household, Custom audience segments, Contextual/program genre
    • What ad serving and measurement requirements exist (VAST, viewability, completion rate)? Options: VAST/VPAID support, Completion tracking, Viewability/completion thresholds, Third-party verification
    • Are there frequency caps, pacing, or dayparting rules specific to CTV? Options: Yes - specify limits, No - default pacing, Undecided
    • Do you require device/OS exclusions or publisher allowlists/blocklists for CTV? Options: Exclude specific devices/OS, Allowlist preferred publishers, Blocklist specific apps, No exclusions
    • Are creative assets (lengths, codecs) and ad server access ready for CTV trafficking? Options: Assets and ad server access ready, Assets need formatting, Ad server access required, Need both

    Book out-of-home (OOH) inventory and flight ads

    • Which OOH formats are you planning to book (digital billboards, transit, street furniture, DOOH programmatic)? Options: Static billboards, Digital billboards/DOOH, Transit (bus/train), Street furniture, Retail/instore
    • Which geographic areas and routing patterns should OOH flights cover? Options: Specific cities (will list), Top DMAs only, Regional corridors, National rolling schedule
    • What are flight dates, daily impression targets, or expected GRP-equivalents for OOH?
    • Are creative formats and file specs for OOH available, or do you require adaptation? Options: Final creative available, Need creative adaptation, Need new creative
    • Do you require attribution methods tied to OOH (e.g., footfall, location-based uplift)? Options: Yes - footfall attribution, Yes - mobile location analytics, No attribution required, Unsure
    • What procurement/PO/invoice terms and lead times should we plan against for OOH placements? Options: Standard lead time (4-6 weeks), Expedite (2 weeks), Long lead (>6 weeks), Flexible

    Buy audio and podcast ad placements

    • Which audio formats should be considered (streamed audio, podcast host-read, dynamically inserted ads)? Options: Streaming audio (Spotify, Pandora), Podcast host-read, Dynamic podcast insertion, Radio spots
    • What targeting and audience granularity do you require for audio buys? Options: Contextual/show-based, Demo-based, Behavioral/listen history, Geo-targeting
    • What creative lengths and variants will you supply (15s, 30s, companion banners)? Options: 15s, 30s, 60s, Multiple variants, Need production
    • Do you require third-party measurement or verification (e.g., Podtrac, IAB v2, audio verification vendors)? Options: Yes - Podtrac/IAB, Yes - another vendor, No third-party measurement
    • Do you want audience frequency limits or capping across audio and other channels? Options: Yes - specify caps, No, Manage via unified frequency strategy
    • What is the expected monthly spend or CPM/CPV targets for audio placements? Options: Less than $10k, $10k-$50k, $50k-$200k, More than $200k, To be decided

    Launch and manage paid social campaigns

    • Which social platforms should we include in scope? Options: Facebook/Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Other
    • What campaign objectives and success metrics are required on social? Options: Brand awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, Conversions/ROAS, App installs
    • Are existing social pixels/SDKs configured, or do you require tagging and server-side set up? Options: Pixels/SDKs already installed, Pixels need updating, Require server-side tracking, Need full setup support
    • What creative formats and quantities are available (static, carousel, video, stories vertical)? Options: Static images, Video (landscape), Vertical video/stories, Carousel, Need creative production
    • Do you require audience integrations (CRM-based custom audiences, lookalikes) and if so which sources? Options: Website retargeting, CRM lists, App audience, Third-party segments, All of the above
    • Preferred bid strategy and pacing for social (cost cap, bid cap, lowest cost, target ROAS)? Options: Lowest cost, Cost cap, Bid cap, Target ROAS, Manual bidding

    Implement viewability and fraud blocking tags

    • Do you require viewability measurement and/or active fraud blocking across digital buys? Options: Both viewability and fraud blocking, Viewability only, Fraud blocking only, No
    • Which verification vendors are preferred or required (e.g., IAS, Moat, DoubleVerify)? Options: Integral Ad Science (IAS), DoubleVerify, Moat, Third-party (specify), No preference
    • Should blocking be implemented client-side, server-side, or both? Options: Client-side tags, Server-side (pre-bid) blocking, Both, Unsure - advise
    • What blocking thresholds should be enforced (e.g., viewability <50%, fraudulent traffic >= X)? Options: Strict (high thresholds), Standard (industry defaults), Lenient (minimal blocking), Will specify thresholds
    • Are there reporting cadence or alerting needs for fraud/viewability incidents? Options: Real-time alerts + daily report, Weekly summary, Monthly only, Custom SLA
    • Do you require remediation rules when inventory fails verification (pause, exclude seller, refund claims)? Options: Auto-pause and exclude, Flag for manual review, Require refunds/reconciliation, No remediation

    Activate first-party audience segments in DSPs

    • Do you want first-party segments activated in DSPs for targeting and measurement? Options: Yes - activate in all DSPs, Yes - specific DSPs only, No, Undecided
    • What are the sources of first-party data to activate (CRM, site events, app events, offline transactions)? Options: CRM/customer lists, Website events, Mobile app events, Offline transaction data, All of the above
    • Are there consent, privacy, or PII constraints we must enforce when activating these segments? Options: GDPR/CCPA compliant with consent, Has hashed PII lists, No PII - only hashed/aggregated, Need privacy review
    • What size/scale thresholds are required for a segment to be used in a DSP (minimum audience size)? Options: <10k, 10k-50k, 50k-200k, >200k, No minimum
    • Preferred activation method: file upload, API sync, or partner clean room? Options: File upload (CSV), API sync (preferred), DSP data onboarding partners, Clean room activation
    • How frequently should segments be refreshed (real-time, daily, weekly)? Options: Real-time, Hourly, Daily, Weekly

    Implement server-side conversion tracking and tags

    • Do you require server-side (cloud) conversion tracking to supplement or replace client-side pixels? Options: Yes - full server-side, Yes - hybrid client + server, No - client-side only, Undecided
    • Which platforms and events must be tracked server-side (Google, Meta, TikTok, internal events)? Options: Google Ads/GA4, Meta/FB Conversions, TikTok, Custom internal events, All listed
    • Who will host the server-side endpoint (agency, client cloud account, third-party vendor)? Options: Agency-managed endpoint, Client cloud account, Third-party hosted, Undecided
    • Do you require mapping of existing data layer variables to server events, and are those data layers present? Options: Data layer present and mapped, Data layer present - needs mapping, Data layer needs to be implemented, Not applicable
    • Are there compliance or consent-managed gating requirements for server-side event collection? Options: Yes - consent gating required, No special requirements, Need legal/privacy review

  5. Mutual Commit

    Finalize commercial terms, IO processes, transparency commitments, governance cadence, and escalation paths.

    Agreement Modules

    • Master Services Agreement (MSA)
    • Statement of Work (SOW)
    • Insertion Order (IO) / Purchase Order Process
    • Fee Schedule & Billing Terms
    • Transparency & Reporting Addendum
    • Measurement & Attribution Agreement
    • Viewability, Fraud & Brand Safety SLA
    • Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
    • Governance & Escalation Plan
    • Change Order & Scope Management
    • Audit Rights & Third-Party Verification
    • Termination & Exit Plan
    • Creative Ownership & IP Agreement
    • Acceptance Criteria & KPI Signoff

  6. Deployment

    Operationalize rollout with readiness checks, enablement, and outcome validation.

    1. Pre-Deployment Readiness

      Confirm data feeds, tagging, viewability and fraud monitoring, audience lists, and legal/financial signoffs before trafficking.

      Readiness Questions

      Quick hello — the essentials we need first

      • What is your title and which team owns media strategy day-to-day? Options: VP/Head of Media, Director of Growth/Marketing, Media Manager, CMO, Other
      • What product, brand, or initiative will this engagement focus on?
      • What is your typical paid media budget range for this brand or initiative? Options: <$250k / year, $250k–$1M / year, $1M–$5M / year, $5M–$20M / year, >$20M / year
      • Where are you in the procurement lifecycle for agency or partner evaluation? Options: Just starting discovery, Request for proposal underway, Negotiating terms, Contract signed and onboarding, Other

      Are you comfortable trading sales for impressions?

      • When you review past campaigns, how often do you suspect impressions or CPM savings came at the expense of actual reach or conversion? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never sure
      • Can you share a concrete example where a campaign looked good on dashboard metrics but failed to move business results? What happened and how did it feel for the team?
      • How much of last year’s programmatic spend would you estimate was poor-quality (non-viewable, fraudulent, or off-target)? Options: <5%, 5–15%, 15–30%, 30–50%, >50%
      • Which internal KPI did those poor-quality outcomes hurt the most (brand reach, conversion, ROAS, CAC, other)? Options: Reach/frequency, Conversion rate, ROAS, CAC/CPA, Brand metrics (awareness/consideration), Other

      When sales lift becomes the north star

      • If we had to prioritize one business outcome for this engagement, what would it be—incremental sales, revenue lift, market-share growth, profitability, or something else? Options: Incremental sales (units), Revenue lift, Market share growth, Profitability / margin improvement, Customer acquisition (new customers), Other
      • What baseline period and metric should we use to calculate lift (e.g., 12-week sales prior, year-over-year, or funnel conversion rate)? Options: Last 12 weeks, Last 6 months, Year-over-year same period, Custom baseline — describe below, Unsure
      • Do you have a minimum acceptable sales lift or ROI threshold that would make this engagement a success? Options: % lift — open text, Target ROAS — open text, I need help defining this
      • How confident are you in your current ability to attribute online media to offline sales or CRM outcomes? Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Low confidence, Not confident at all
      • Share a short story of a time measurement gave you clarity — what worked and why?

      What’s getting in the way of the outcome you just described?

      • Who or what are the biggest internal obstacles to making media decisions that prioritize sales lift over last-click metrics? Options: Procurement rules, Finance/ROI expectations, Brand team preferences, Agency incentives, Legacy reporting, Other
      • How long have those obstacles been constraining your media strategy and what’s been the cost to the business?
      • Have past agency relationships or vendor contracts introduced specific constraints (rebates, black-box placements, opaque measurement) that we should know about? Options: Yes — provide details, Somewhat — explain, No
      • When a recommended plan felt like it prioritized agency economics over your ROI, how did your team respond and what changes did you try?
      • Which of these would make you feel less constrained moving forward? Options: Transparent fees and placements, Independent measurement, Guaranteed viewability thresholds, Fixed vs performance fees, Clear governance and reporting cadence

      Who holds the keys — decision timelines, approvals, and politics

      • If we aimed to lock commercial terms within a single quarter, who must sign off and on what timelines?
      • Which stakeholders should be in our discovery and governance loop (select all that apply)? Options: Media/marketing, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Data/Analytics, Sales, Brand/Comms, External agencies
      • Are there procurement or legal clauses that have previously blocked campaign activation (e.g., vendor qualification, indemnity, data sharing limits)? Options: Yes — describe, Possibly — need to check, No
      • What cadence of governance and reporting do decision-makers expect once campaigns are live? Options: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad-hoc as issues arise
      • If approvals slow down, who typically becomes the bottleneck and why?

      What would early signs of success look like to your team?

      • Which early indicators do you trust most to validate a campaign is on the right path—viewability, audience reach, conversion lift, cost per action, or something else? Options: Viewability, Audience reach & frequency, Conversion lift, CPA/CAC, Incremental sales, Brand uplift
      • What numerical thresholds (e.g., viewability %, frequency, CPM range, CPA) would make you comfortable to continue scaling?
      • How quickly do you expect to see these early signals (first 2 weeks, month 1, post-first flight)? Options: Within 2 weeks, In the first month, After first campaign flight (quarter), Depends on channel
      • Which of these would make you pause a campaign early—missed viewability, wrong audience delivery, suspicious inventory, or weak early attribution? Options: Missed viewability thresholds, Wrong audience delivery, Suspicious or low-quality inventory, Weak or noisy attribution, None — we tolerate early volatility
      • Who on your team should receive early alerting and what format (dashboard, email, daily stand-up) do they prefer? Options: Dashboard, Daily email, Weekly summary, Slack/Teams alerts, Regular stand-up

      Where does your data live — and how reliable is it?

      • Do you have a single customer data platform (CDP) or master CRM we can connect for attribution and audience building? Options: CDP in place, CRM only, Both CRM and CDP, No centralized system, Unsure
      • What percent of your site/app pages are currently tagged for conversion and audience capture? Options: >95%, 75–95%, 50–75%, <50%, Don't know
      • Can you share current audience match rates or identity resolution capabilities (deterministic match %, probabilistic match %)? Options: High (>70%), Medium (40–70%), Low (<40%), Unknown
      • Are there regulatory or consent constraints (GDPR, CCPA, other) that will shape which audiences or data we can use? Options: Yes — severe limits, Yes — manageable, No significant constraints, Unsure — need legal input
      • If integrations are required (CRM, POS, loyalty), how quickly can engineering or vendor teams stand them up? Options: <2 weeks, 2–6 weeks, 6–12 weeks, >12 weeks, Depends on priority

      Deal-breakers, must-haves, and the hard red lines

      • What contractual or operational conditions would immediately rule a partner out (e.g., no third-party verification, opaque inventory, rebate-only models)?
      • Which transparency commitments are non-negotiable for you — open-book media costs, access to bid logs, independent verification, or other? Options: Open-book media costs, Access to bid logs, Independent verification (IAS/Moat/DoubleVerify), Supply-path transparency, Other
      • Would you require guaranteed viewability or invalid traffic protection as part of commercial terms? Options: Yes — guaranteed, Yes — monitored with remediation, Prefer but not required, No
      • How tolerant are you of performance variability if the long-term trend shows improvement in lift? Options: Very tolerant, Somewhat tolerant, Low tolerance, Not tolerant at all
      • Are there fee structures you absolutely prefer or avoid (performance-based fee, flat retainer, media markup, hybrid)? Options: Performance-based, Flat retainer, Media markup, Hybrid (retainer + performance), Open to discussing

      If we could wave a wand — your ideal campaign & reporting

      • Imagine launch went perfectly: how would your weekly reporting, governance, and optimization cadence look?
      • What visualization or insight would make you say 'this is working' in the first month (e.g., incremental sales by cohort, holdout test results, frequency vs conversion curve)? Options: Incremental sales by cohort, Holdout test significance, Frequency vs conversion curve, Channel-level ROAS vs baseline, Other
      • How open are you to running a controlled experiment (Geo test, ID-based holdout, or incrementality lift test)? Options: Very open — ready now, Open — with planning, Maybe — need convincing, Not open
      • What is a realistic earliest go-live date if procurement and legal align? Options: Immediately, Within 2–4 weeks, Within 1–2 months, Next quarter, Longer
      • Who on your side should we partner with to run the pilot, and who will own success after handoff?

      Ready to take the next step — commitments, risks, and expectations

      • Given everything discussed, how ready is your organization to move from discovery to a scoped pilot? Options: Ready now, Ready with minor approvals, Requires internal alignment, Not ready
      • What would be the smallest viable pilot you’d accept to test lift (budget, duration, channels)?
      • What risks do you foresee in running a pilot and how would you prefer those risks be shared or mitigated?
      • Who needs to be included in the final pilot scope sign-off and what information do they require to say yes?
      • Would you like us to draft a concise pilot outline (objectives, success metrics, timeline, roles) for review? Options: Yes — please draft, Maybe — send a template, No — we'll draft

    2. Deployment Enablement

      Schedule trafficking, insertion orders, creative delivery, bidding rules, and assign owners for campaign execution and optimization.

    3. Validation Checklist

      Run post-launch QA: verify tracking, viewability thresholds, audience delivery, early attribution sanity checks, and initial optimizations.

      Validation Questions

      Tell Us About Your Media World

      • How would you describe your current paid media program at a glance? Options: High complexity (multi-channel, programmatic-heavy), Moderate complexity (mix of direct buys and programmatic), Low complexity (primarily direct or single channel), In pilot or ad hoc experiments only
      • What is your approximate paid media budget on an annual basis (or next 12 months plan)? Options: <$500k, $500k–$2M, $2M–$10M, $10M–$50M, >$50M, Undisclosed / prefer to discuss
      • Which channels are in use today (select all that apply)? Options: Programmatic display/video, Connected TV / OTT, Social (paid), Search, Direct-sold digital/video, Audio (digital / radio), Out-of-home, Linear TV, Print
      • Who currently manages buying and optimization day-to-day? Options: In-house team, Single lead agency, Multiple specialized agencies, Platform / vendor led, Mixed (in-house + agency)
      • Tell us a recent campaign result you were proud of (one short example).

      Are We Being Honest About What’s Actually Working?

      • If we had to be blunt: which part of your media program feels like it’s working because you’ve accepted it—not because it truly delivers?
      • How often do you find impressions that you later judge as low-quality (non-viewable, domain-mismatch, bot activity)? Options: Almost every campaign, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never sure
      • What methods do you currently use to validate inventory quality and viewability? Options: Third-party verification (IAS/Moat/PubMatic), DSP built-in metrics, Post-buy logs & audits, Manual spot checks, We don't have a consistent method
      • Can you share a specific example where inventory or measurement issues materially changed the campaign outcome or perception of performance?
      • When underperformance happens, whom do you feel the frustration toward—vendors, internal teams, measurement tools, or procurement? Why? Options: Vendors/agencies, Internal teams, Measurement vendors/tools, Procurement/finance, Combination / hard to pin down

      Where Is Your Budget Really Being Spent — And Is It Reaching Buyers?

      • Do you have line-of-sight into effective CPMs and reach/frequency delivered versus category benchmarks? Options: Yes, fully benchmarked, Partially (some channels), No, we lack benchmarks, We have internal benchmarks only
      • Which pricing and fee structures are most common across your buys today? Options: Percent of media fee, Fixed management fee + media, Markup on media, Rebate/back‑end incentives, Programmatic CPMs with unknown fees
      • Which channels historically drive actual downstream sales or conversion for you (not impressions)—please rank the top three. Options: Search, Direct digital (site placements), Programmatic display/video, Social, CTV/OTT, Linear TV, Retail media, Email/CRM
      • Have you ever reallocated budget mid-flight due to quality concerns? Tell us what triggered the shift and the outcome.
      • Roughly what percentage of media spend do you suspect is captured by fees/rebates that aren’t fully transparent? Options: 0–5%, 6–15%, 16–30%, 31–50%, Unsure / no visibility

      Who Holds the Keys and the Knives?

      • If we map decision-making brutally honestly: who can greenlight a media strategy, who signs budgets, and who vetoes campaigns? Options: CMO / Head of Growth, VP/Director of Media, Finance / CFO, Procurement, Legal, Product/Category leads, Other (please specify)
      • What is a typical approval timeline from brief to trafficking across stakeholders? Options: <1 week, 1–2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, >2 months
      • Which stakeholder objections tend to derail or slow campaigns most frequently? Options: Cost / budget, Measurement validity, Brand safety, Vendor selection, Risk / compliance, Creative readiness
      • How aligned are marketing, finance, and procurement on what success looks like for paid media? Options: Highly aligned, Mostly aligned with minor differences, Misaligned on key metrics, Actively in conflict
      • Tell us about one approval or governance moment that felt particularly frustrating and why.

      If Sales Lift Was Non‑Negotiable, What Would You Change?

      • What would change in your program if proving attributable sales lift became the highest priority—even at the cost of reach or scale?
      • Which primary KPI would you require as proof of media-driven lift? Options: Incremental sales / revenue, Lift in conversion rate, New customer acquisition, Lift in store or retail sales, Brand lift metrics
      • What minimum percent lift or ROI threshold would make you say a campaign was a success? Options: <5%, 5–10%, 11–25%, 26–50%, >50%, Dependent on channel/target
      • What statistical confidence or evaluation window do you require to act on lift findings? Options: Standard significance (p<0.05), Practical significance across cohorts, Rolling cumulative evidence, Flexible depending on business cycle, Unsure / need guidance
      • Early in-flight, what signals would you accept as directional proof to optimize toward (examples: cost-per-acquisition trending, uplift in test cell, attribution path changes)? Options: CPA / CPC trends, Test-control lift signals, Incremental attribution by cohort, Site behavior (add-to-cart, checkout steps), Customer LTV early signals

      What Would 'Transparent Partnership' Actually Look Like?

      • If transparency were non‑negotiable, which three data access points must we have from day one? Options: Bid-level logs / auction data, Full vendor & partner list, Invoice-level spend, Creative & placement reports, Audience match / seed lists, Attribution model details
      • Which reporting cadence and format would help you make decisions fastest? Options: Daily dashboards + weekly sync, Weekly reports + monthly business review, Real-time dashboards only, Bi-weekly deep dives
      • How do you prefer to receive raw data for validation (select all that apply)? Options: S3 / cloud bucket access, API feed, CSV exports, BI dashboard connectors (Looker/Tableau), Secure portal
      • Has lack of transparency ever led you to terminate a vendor or reduce spend? If so, what red flags triggered that action?
      • Which governance or audit rights would make you feel comfortable during a long-term engagement? Options: Quarterly independent audits, Ad hoc access to logs, Joint governance committee, Escalation path to execs, Financial reconciliation rights

      Where Could This Transition Break Down?

      • What single technical gap would most likely cause a pilot or migration to fail? Options: Tagging gaps / missing events, CRM / transaction data mismatch, Audience data privacy restrictions, Walled garden limitations (platforms), No clear identity resolution
      • What contractual or procurement constraints could block a new agency relationship? Options: Payment terms, Long-term incumbent contracts, Procurement vendor lists, Insurance / compliance requirements, Data use agreements
      • Who in your organization would need to be engaged for integrations and legal signoffs? Options: IT / Engineering, Data Privacy / Legal, Finance, Procurement, Marketing Ops
      • How have past migrations impacted ongoing campaigns and customer experiences (examples: tagging loss, audience disruption)?
      • If a top risk materialized during the first 90 days, what contingency would you expect from a partner? Options: Rapid remediation team, Financial credit/adjustment, Alternate inventory strategy, Pause & plan governance meeting

      What Would Make You Confident to Pilot With Us?

      • What are the non-negotiable success criteria for a pilot you would sign off on?
      • What pilot budget and time window feel realistic to you for proving value? Options: <$50k / 30 days, $50k–$200k / 30–60 days, $200k–$500k / 60–90 days, >$500k or custom
      • Which channels or tactics would you prefer we test first? Options: Programmatic display/video, Connected TV / OTT, Social paid, Search + upper funnel pairing, Retail media
      • What level of executive sponsorship do you want during a pilot (pick one)? Options: Weekly senior sponsor check-in, Monthly executive review, Ad hoc escalation only, No executive involvement required
      • What would be absolute deal-breakers that would stop you from greenlighting a pilot?

      Ready‑Made Metrics — The Report Card We’ll Use

      • Which combination of metrics would you require in pilot reports to feel confident (select up to three)? Options: Incremental sales / revenue, CPL / CPA, Reach & frequency vs. target, Viewability & fraud metrics, Incremental lift test results, ROAS
      • Which attribution approach do you trust most today? Options: Experimentation / incrementality (test vs control), Probabilistic multi-touch, Deterministic last-touch, Walled‑garden models, Hybrid approach
      • How frequently should optimization recommendations be delivered during the pilot? Options: Daily, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly
      • What format of dashboard or report moves conversations forward fastest for your team? Options: Live BI dashboards, Executive one-pagers, Detailed logs with raw data, Automated email summaries
      • Would you be willing to share anonymized transaction or purchase data to enable stronger lift measurement? Options: Yes — can share via secure methods, Yes — but with conditions / NDA, No — cannot share transaction data, Unsure — need to check privacy constraints
      • Any other KPI or metric that is mission-critical for your leadership to see?

      Next Steps — How We Make This Real Together

      • What is your preferred timeline to move from discovery to a pilot commitment? Options: Immediately / within 2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 1–2 months, 3+ months, Undecided
      • Who should be on our joint kickoff and governance calls if we proceed? Options: CMO / Head of Growth, VP/Director of Media, Marketing Ops / Tech, Finance / Procurement, Legal / Privacy
      • What materials or assurances would you like to see before approving a pilot (e.g., SOW, sample audit, data access plan)? Options: Statement of Work (SOW), Sample media audit, Data access & privacy plan, Case studies and references, Security & compliance documents
      • What would make you feel the most reassured about a new partner in the first 30 days? Options: Clear remediation SLA, Daily transparency on spend, Designated escalation contact, Early incremental test showing traction
      • Is there anything we haven't asked that would help you decide to move forward?

  7. Success

    Review outcomes against KPIs, capture learnings, and maintain a shared channel for open issues and enhancement requests.

    Success Reviews

    • Campaign KPI Review
    • Post-Mortem & Learnings Workshop
    • Enhancement Backlog Grooming
    • Open Issues & Escalation Review
    • Quarterly Success Review (Strategic)

    Issues & Enhancements

    • Welcome & Objectives
    • Prepare recommended optimization plan for channels to be adjusted and assign operational owners.
    • Schedule progress checkpoints for implementation of top-priority learnings.
    • Context & Workshop Rules
    • Create a prioritized list of process, measurement, and creative improvements backed by root-cause evidence.
    • Assign owners and timelines for the top 3–5 corrective actions.
    • Agree on a shared repository and governance cadence to track progress on learnings.
    • Publish the post-mortem document with prioritized actions and owners to the shared channel.
    • Create tickets or backlog items for each improvement with acceptance criteria and target delivery dates.
    • Review Backlog & New Requests
    • Produce a prioritized, groomed backlog with clear owners and timelines for the next planning cycle.
    • Ensure acceptance criteria and success metrics are defined for all top-priority enhancements.
    • Establish a repeatable cadence and communication expectations for backlog updates.
    • Update the enhancement backlog in the shared channel with prioritization scores and owners.
    • Draft acceptance criteria and measurement plans for top three backlog items.
    • Schedule the next grooming session and confirm attendee list.
    • Roll Call & Objective
    • Resolve or assign mitigation steps for all critical open issues with clear owners and deadlines.
    • Agree which items need escalation and document the escalation path and approvals.
    • Set SLAs and close criteria to prevent issue drift.
    • Create or update issue tickets with SLA deadlines and assigned escalation owners.
    • Notify senior stakeholders of escalated items with agreed mitigation plans.
    • Publish a snapshot of open issues and next-step commitments to the shared channel.
    • Opening & Business Context
    • Align executive and cross-functional stakeholders on strategic direction and budget for the next quarter.
    • Approve top strategic initiatives and confirm resource commitments.
    • Establish governance cadence and reporting expectations for the upcoming period.
    • Produce the quarterly success report with recommended strategy and budget reallocation for approval signatures.
    • Update multi-quarter roadmap and link approved initiatives to backlog items and owners.
    • Announce decisions and next steps in the shared channel and schedule the governance cadence meetings.
    • Confirm whether campaign met the contractual KPIs and validate the attribution methodology.
    • Agree on immediate optimization or rollover decisions with assigned owners.
    • Capture any financial reconciliation items that require accounting or procurement follow-up.
    • Publish final KPI scorecard with annotated variances and distribute to stakeholders.
    • Open data investigation tickets for any measurement anomalies and assign to analytics owner.
    • Timeline & Facts Review
    • Quarter Scorecard & Trend Analysis
    • Executive Performance Summary
    • Triage & Clarify Requirements
    • Status Roundup of Open Issues
    • Prioritize by Impact & Effort
    • KPI Deep Dive
    • Cross-Channel Insights & Attribution Shifts
    • What Worked / What Didn’t
    • Critical Issue Deep Dive
    • Attribution & Measurement Validation
    • Define Acceptance Criteria & Success Metrics
    • Business Outcomes vs Targets
    • Escalation Decisions & Governance
    • Root Cause Analysis
    • Prioritize Impacts
    • Strategic Recommendations & Trade-offs
    • Variance & Root Cause Summary
    • SLA & Close Criteria Confirmation
    • Roadmap & Resourcing
    • Communication Plan
    • Improvement Planning
    • Approvals & Governance Cadence
    • Financial Reconciliation
    • Next Checkpoint & Reporting
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