This article is based on the authors' book 'Marketing in the Era of Accountability', in which they analysed 880 advertising case studies from the IPA Awards dataBANK to determine common aspects of effectiveness.

The pursuit of effectiveness

Les Binet DDB Matrix

Peter Field Consultant

Some opinion on measuring marketing effectiveness, of course, is extremely valuable and has done much to move marketing forward, but some of it is, well, less so. But because until now there has been little by way of codified learning to help us all

Our objective has been to use the dataBANK to test the wisdom of a lot of widely held opinion about marketing – and much of it has been shown to be wrong. What is more worrying is the consequent impact on effectiveness when growing accountability pressures are overlaid. If accountability in the shape of value based remuneration is to deliver more effective marketing, it must be based on sound metrics. We urge marketing leaders to discriminate more carefully in future between opinion and fact. Keep both eyes open.