The advertising industry is facing unprecedented challenges to its dominance in the marketing communications sector:




new media, data-driven approaches and consumer-generated networks all vie for the attention and budgets of the brand marketer.

In America the AANA claims "Marketing accountability is still often an activity trapped within the silo of the marketing function," judges a report published Wednesday by America's Association of National Advertisers.

Prepared by the ANA's Marketing Accountability Task Force - comprising twenty leading companies from diverse industries - the report notes that while marketing accountability requires a precise process involving multi-functional teams, only small proportions of marketers use such a method.

The task force's findings underscore last summer's Marketing Accountability Survey [WARC News:], in which 60% of respondents reported no cross-functional involvement whatever within their company during the development and management of their marketing accountability programs.

Says Bob Liodice, ANA president/C.E.O.: "These findings clearly demonstrate that there is still much work to be done to accomplish total accountability and we are pleased to provide concrete steps to help our members achieve that.

The task force report lists Ten Commandments for "total accountability" . . .

Create a multi-functional internal accountability team.


Agree on the expectations that the management team has for marketing.


Choose metrics that align with expectations.


Select predominantly leading indicator metrics capable of driving a causal model.


Create a robust voice of the customer so you understand the target customer.


Demand an explicit plan to build brand equity.


Develop measurable objectives for 90% of marketing expenditures.


Use a rigorous process to build integrated marketing plans.


Analyse 90% of marketing expenditures using a who, what, how framework.


Create an accountability budget sufficient to measure 90% of marketing expenditures.

"Creating multi-functional accountability teams within an organisation will enable marketing accountability to reach the level that today's marketing landscape necessitates," concludes Liodice.

ANA members can request the full 2006 ANA Marketing Accountability Task Force In Admap's report on ad avoidance, Roderick White examines the research evidence both in the UK and US that people are increasingly trying to avoid advertisements. He looks at TV, Direct mail, Press and Internet advertising, before moving on to consider what can be done to overcome the problem.