The RealMediaValue Company (RMVco)

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The RealMediaValue Company: Our position on audits

 

Let us be your independent media audit firm to ensure your marketing budgets are working as hard as they should.

  • Why "independent" media audits?

  • Compliance with SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act)
  • Media Audit -- More than a Financial Audit
  • Planning Costs -- Market Rates versus inflation

Why Independent Media Audits?

In the past decade, the approach to buying media has undergone enormous change. Agency consolidation and the creation of AOR media buying assignments have led to a small group of large buying entities controlling almost 80% of media spending.

The assessment of performance has also started to change since the advertising industry has relied on the same people who negotiated the media rates and estimated impression delivery for the media schedules to assess and report on their performance.

The new best practice being adopted in the U.S. is to have an independent group of media experts audit the media buys to give better scrutiny of investments by publicly-held companies and other advertiser entities. (The Association of National Advertisers now estimates that half of its members have moved to 3rd party auditing of media buys).

We believe this approach is good for clients and for agencies - providing outside perspective and access to industry benchmarks for moving forward.

Compliance with SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act)

At the RealMediaValue Company (RMVco), we believe this independent media audit also needs to be compliant with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and must enhance the process of both media planning/buying as well as follow-through to ensure full value of the investment is received by the advertiser.

Media Audit - More Than a Financial Audit

Media audits complement and complete the analyses started with traditional Financial Audits by providing thorough scrutiny of media plan performance and processes:

  • Financial audits confirm invoices match payments.

  • Media audits work with tools accounting firms do not have and also confirm audience impression delivery, pricing, and quality.

Planning Costs: Market Rates versus Inflation

RMVco further works with their clients to develop pricing guidelines for future media schedules. This is not an inflation factor, it is a thorough review of the marketplace to ensure your agency is able to buy against the marketplace...not just against their last negotiation.