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Case study

Checking the foundations before agentic AI is implemented on global paid media.

A big enterprise client in the financial services industry, operating across divisions with a matrix organization globally, wanted one independent view of their global paid media before implementing agentic AI at scale.

4divisions reviewed
25+stakeholder interviews
12weeks from kickoff to project closure
6lenses, one framework
The challenge

Due diligence before the switch gets flipped.

The client was ready to put agentic AI to work on paid media. Before flipping that switch, they wanted an independent review of how paid media actually ran across divisions.

The audit was the due diligence step. It fed straight into a redesign of paid media governance, workflow and structure ahead of the AI rollout.

We looked at business insights, the paid media operating model, team structure, spend, vendor relationships, internal processes, campaign measurement and marketing mix. Plus the MarTech, AdTech and AI pilots already in play.

Scope of the review

Four divisions. Every region. One baseline.

The review covered four divisions and all regions. Each division ran its own teams, agencies, budgets, reporting and targets.

Leadership wanted one clear view across all of it, and a baseline they could measure future change against.

Approach

The IOMMIX framework: 6 lenses, one comparison.

In a month we ran the assessment with more than 25 interviews with the people who own the spend, all the agencies and the data involved.

We looked at team structures, RACI, yearly performance, with trend analysis against the previous year and targets where the data allowed. Every division went through the same 6 lenses, so findings could be compared like for like.

i

Insights

Marketing structure and operating models, across divisions and regions.

o

Orchestration

Org charts, RACI, agency relationships and contracts.

m

Measurement

Reporting, KPIs and ROI across divisions.

m

Marketing mix

Spend by division, channel, publisher and creative.

i

Innovation

MarTech, AdTech and AI pilots, and where they can go next.

x

Growth

Short, medium and long term recommendations.

Impact

One baseline. A roadmap the whole business could use.

The client got a single baseline and a prioritised roadmap at the enterprise level: a reference point for redesigning governance, workflow and structure before agentic AI goes in at scale.

That's what a neutral assessment buys you. You check the foundations before you build automation on them.

Paid media audit Financial services Agentic AI Marketing governance International go-to-market Matrix organization
FAQ

Common questions on paid media audits.

What is a paid media audit?
An independent review of how paid media actually runs: spend, structure, agencies, measurement and technology, structured against a clear framework rather than opinion.
Why audit paid media before rolling out AI?
Agentic AI acts on the structure you give it. If governance, data and workflow are inconsistent across divisions, AI scales the inconsistency. An audit sets the baseline first. If you rush the AI implementation, you scale inconsistency.
How long does an independent paid media audit take?
It depends on the complexity of the project. This review ran 3 months from the start to the end of the project, covering 4 divisions and all regions, with more than 25 stakeholder interviews and a full year of performance data.
What is the IOMMIX framework?
A 6-lens model: Insights, Orchestration, Measurement, Marketing mix, Innovation and Growth. Every division is assessed through the same 6 lenses, so results compare like for like across a global business.
Let's work together

Interested in building a success story? Let's chat.

This is the foundation of the diagnostic I run with international clients. Work with someone who built it both in-house and as a consultant.

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