Investment Reviews
Part of Media budgets and allocation
Planning an allowance for creative and measurement work
Estimate creative and measurement costs from deliverables and quotes before committing the full campaign budget to media.
Set aside a pre-committed allowance for creative and measurement deliverables before committing the full campaign ceiling to media. Calculate it as the sum of supplier-quoted deliverables, separate internal cost estimates for uncovered work, and a separately itemised provision made from priced or estimated changes—not as a percentage of media spend.
Keep unpriced items visible rather than assigning them an assumed amount. Approve the reserve when each included line has a supplier quote or documented internal estimate.
Build the allowance from the proposed placements
List the placements the budget is meant to support. Estimate concept and production work, adaptations, any accessibility work required, approvals, revisions and planned replacements for each. Check whether an existing asset can be reused under its rights and the placement requirements, and confirm the current submission deadline before accepting an estimate.
A format that uses supplied images, logos and text to generate different layouts can require a different set of deliverables from one finished banner. Price the formats in the proposed plan separately, including any destination work they need.
| Allowance item | What to estimate | Price evidence | Acceptance or release check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative | Deliverables, number of variants, revision rounds and owner | Quote covering the specified deliverables and revisions | Required assets accepted for the booked placements |
| Destination | Changes needed for the offer and customer path | Supplier quote or internal estimate for the changes | Approved destination ready for use |
| Measurement setup | Outcome definition, implementation and checking time | Quote or internal estimate for the specified work | Agreed data path checked |
| Reporting or evaluation | Supplier reports, research or analyst time | Quote or internal estimate identifying the deliverable and review date | Deliverable and review date agreed |
| Change provision | Added work, trigger, owner and approval rule | Separate quote or internal estimate for each change | Change recorded and balance updated |
Record each quote beside the deliverable it covers, and keep internal estimates on separate lines for work not included in a quote. Check that a task is counted only once, rather than appearing in both a quote and an estimate.
Creative and Measurement Cost Components
- CreativeConcepts, variants, revisions, asset approvals – priced via supplier quote or internal estimate
- DestinationLanding page updates, offer alignment, user path changes – requires separate quote or estimate
- Measurement setupConversion tracking, data path validation, rule implementation – time-based estimate or quote
- Reporting or evaluationSupplier reports, research, analyst review – deliverable-specific quote or internal cost
- Change provisionNamed, plausible changes with triggers and approval rules – separate estimate per item
Price the evidence needed for the decision
Start with the result the campaign review must use. For accepted enquiries, allow time to define and retrieve the business record and reconcile it with media reports. If a survey or controlled evaluation is proposed, get its design and cost before committing media budget that depends on it; a delivery report and an assessment of business impact are different deliverables.
Google Ads offers different ways to track conversions, but configuring one does not establish that the action meets the business's qualification rule. Estimate the implementation and checking time needed to connect tracking to that rule. If the required record or supplier report is unavailable, revise the measurement deliverable and estimate before approval.
Keep quoted and provisional costs visible
Record what each quote includes: number of variants and revision rounds, delivery formats, reporting frequency, data access and third-party charges. Ask whether the supplier bundles media with other services or itemises them, so the allowance captures the relevant costs without counting bundled work twice.
Size the change provision from named, plausible changes rather than a percentage of media spend. For each one, record its trigger, added work, owner and approval rule, then obtain a separate supplier quote or internal cost estimate; for internal work, estimate the time and apply the relevant internal cost rate.
Calculate the reserve as the sum of quoted deliverables, internal estimates for uncovered work and the separate estimates for provisioned changes. Include each cost once; leave any unpriced item visible and resolve its estimate before including it in the approved reserve.
Revisit the allowance when the placement mix changes. A new format may require more production, while cutting measurement work may remove evidence needed to judge the spend. Release unused provision after the required assets are accepted and the planned data path is checked.
At close, compare estimated, committed and invoiced costs. Record approved changes and update the remaining provision so the next allowance can use the revised estimates.
Approval Requirements for Reserve Items
- Supplied assets accepted for booked placementsConfirm rights and suitability of logos, images and text for use
- Destination ready for useApproved changes to landing pages or customer path confirmed
- Agreed data path checkedTracking implementation validated against business qualification rules
- Deliverable and review date agreedReport or evaluation timeline formally approved
- Change recorded and balance updatedNew or revised change logged with owner and approval rule
Key Considerations in Reserve Calculation
- No percentage-based allowanceAllowance must be based on actual deliverables, not a % of media spend
- Single-count ruleAvoid double-counting tasks listed in both quote and estimate
- Unpriced items visibleDo not assign assumed values—track them until estimated
- Revisit on placement changesAdjust allowance when format mix changes or measurement scope shifts
- Release unused provisionFree up funds after assets accepted and data path verified
