Media audit
Media buying produces many invoices, and each one should trace back to an order and a contract. When it does not, you may be paying for placements that never ran or rates you did not agree. A media audit checks that trail.
Fairview Audit connects you with a partner firm for this work. Fairview does not perform the audit.
What the review looks at
A partner firm compares three sets of documents: what you ordered, what the agreement says and what you were billed. It then looks for gaps between them. Typical questions include:
- Did every billed placement run as ordered?
- Do the rates match the agreement?
- Were agreed discounts, credits or make-goods applied?
- Are there duplicate or overlapping charges?
- Do agency fees and pass-through costs follow the contract?
- Were cancellations and changes billed correctly?
Media buying can involve an agency, a vendor or both. The review follows the money through each party named in your contracts. An industry study by the Association of National Advertisers found rebates and undisclosed resale of media in its sample, and it tied those practices to contract terms. Disclosure and audit rights in the agreement therefore matter. Methods and coverage differ by firm, and this page keeps to the general idea. [CONFIRM: a partner firm supplies and approves the media types it covers]
What you provide
Your partner firm will give you its own list. In general, have these ready:
- Insertion orders, media plans and flight schedules.
- Contracts with agencies and media vendors, with amendments.
- Invoices and statements for the period under review.
- Proof of performance, where you receive it.
- Records of credits, refunds or make-goods.
- A payment history for each agency or vendor.
- Contact details for your marketing and finance staff.
Marketing and finance often hold different pieces. Ask both teams early. If a contract was agreed by email or in a meeting, bring whatever record exists. A gap in the paperwork is useful information for the firm, and it is better to name it than to hide it.
What happens after you submit a request
Submit a request through the form that fits your business. A partner firm contacts you directly. You discuss scope and engagement terms, share your documents and receive a report of findings.
If invoices differ from orders or contracts, you and the firm agree how to raise the matter with the agency or vendor. Marketing relationships matter, so you stay in charge of how the conversation goes. Fees are between you and the partner firm. Some partner firms work on a contingency basis.
Who this suits
This review may suit businesses that:
- Buy media through one or more agencies.
- Spend across several channels with separate invoices.
- Pay invoices without matching them to orders.
- Changed agencies recently.
- Have never checked media billing against contracts.
Finance leads who approve large marketing invoices are often the first to ask. It also helps controllers who want a paper trail for marketing spend. Related ideas apply to supplier contract compliance, because an agency agreement is a supplier contract, and to accounts payable audit.
How Fairview matches you
Pick a request path: larger business, smaller business, or not sure or another need. Each has its own form. The right firm depends on your size, and there is no fixed cut-off. Requests go to the matched partner. If you are not sure, Fairview reviews the request and matches by hand.
An independent partner firm that specializes in media audit handles this work. Fairview Audit makes the match. We do not perform the review ourselves.Who does the work
Frequently asked questions
Can a media audit cover digital campaigns?
That depends on the firm and the data available. Ask during your first conversation.
Will my agency know?
Your partner firm will explain the plan for contacting an agency before it happens.
Do I need proof that ads ran?
It helps. If you do not receive it, tell the firm what you do have.
Does Fairview run the audit?
No. A partner firm does the work under its own terms.
Related pages
Tell us what you need reviewed. We match you by hand with an independent partner firm. You keep your existing vendors.Find out what you are overpaying.