‘To audit or not to audit’: FirmDecisions launches ultimate guide to contract compliance

There are many reasons why most major advertisers now use compliance auditing to manage their agency contracts smarter. These include ever-more stringent corporate governance, the increasingly complex and fast-evolving marketing communications ecosystem, the explosion in the number and type of agencies, and the fundamental drive towards transparency in marketing services.

Contract compliance auditing is an essential management tool which helps to shine a light on the reality of how agencies are actually performing against the contracts in place. It can often provide an early indicator to the health (or otherwise) of commercial relationships and give indicative direction on how to better manage them in the future.

 

This guide provides useful direction for anyone considering using contract compliance services. It answers key questions for any marketing or procurement professional looking to better understand how their marketing agency has delivered against their obligations, particularly after these turbulent two years. And acts as a good-practice refresher to those advertisers who already audit in this way.

Although this guide sets out recommendations for how advertisers should audit contract compliance with media planning and buying agencies, all different types of agency relationships can be audited for contract compliance. These include full service, creative, digital, PR, direct marketing, events management, research, production, sales promotion, point of sale marketing, field force, social media, and influencer management. If you make a significant investment with any marketing services agency, it’s prudent management to have an independent, external advisor check the books.

 

If you would like to receive further details about FirmDecisions’ contract compliance auditing services or would like to discuss a specific issue or a particular brief, in confidence, please contact us here.