Abstract:

The importance of accurately assessing the impact of marketing, advertising, and communications efforts is evident to today's marketer. Much is riding on the proper evaluation and measurement of the efficacy, performance, cost, and impact of increasingly complex and integrated marketing activities. To that end the authors argue that applying the well-proven principles of the scientific method, coupled with proper research design and data collection, to measure and diagnose the incremental effects of multi-dimensional campaigns is a tried and true process that will achieve results that have generally eluded the majority of organizations to date. This paper presents both theory and practice, supplemented by case studies exemplifying projects that successfully assessed the ROI of integrated marketing campaigns and provided diagnostics for improvement. The goal is to challenge the status quo and outline a new direction for achieving marketing accountability that looks not through the lens of the research agency, but through the eyes of the client and the needs of the larger corporate system.