Media Mix Navigator

The Media Mix Navigator tool, powered by econometrics, helps you get the most out of your media investment.

It allows you to explore different scenarios to define the optimum media mix for your business, whether your objective is to drive increased profit or revenue. The results are modelled across the first year of investment and the resulting ‘base’ sales growth across the following two years.

This tool draws on data from 52 EssenceMediacom, Wavemaker, Mindshare and Gain Theory client brands, totalling £2.2 billion of media spend over 3 years (2018-mid 2021). These have been carefully chosen to represent as many business types as possible. Cost of media is based on 2021 prices.

The following minimum and maximum annual brand size restrictions in place for each category:

How to use

1. Select the options most relevant for your brand using the navigation panel on the left
2. Results will automatically display once all fields are complete
3. Navigate across tabs to see:
   1. Base scenarioExplore recommendations and results for your configuration. Select and/or adjust budgets for 'Year 2' and 'Year 3' using the checkboxes below the chart to view impact of investment in subsequent periods
   2. Annual media spendExplore different budget scenarios
   3. Risk toleranceConsider different approaches to risk
4. As you adjust criteria (e.g. budget level or risk tolerance), the budget allocation and performance results automatically update throughout the tool. Full details of your revised scenario will display in the Base scenario tab.
5. PDF and CSV download available of the scenario shown in the Base scenario tab.

Important considerations

• The econometric models used within the Media Mix Navigator does not exclude COVID related periods as brands severely impacted by the pandemic were excluded from the model due to temporary store closures or a reduction in media investment. Similarly, any impact by the pandemic were further mitigated by using annual results in the databank.
• Direct mail and SEO are not included. This is because the data for the 52 brands which fuel this tool does not include a robust volume of effectiveness data for these two channels.
• Brand search and affiliates are not included. These are considered pure ‘fulfilment’ media which facilitate a sale but don’t generate demand for a brand. These channels should be budgeted separately. Fulfilment costs have a bearing on advertising effectiveness (the revenue/profit/ROI would be lower, if included).
• As budget is allocated at an annual level, the tool does not account for the impact of changes in weekly weights and flighting.
• This optimiser cannot account for the impact of creative messaging. Creative strength or type (i.e. rational activation versus emotive brand) will have a strong bearing on the impact over time.  A campaign where the execution is more skewed towards an emotive brand-driving message will have a weaker short-term effect, but a stronger longer-term impact on ‘base’ sales. Conversely, a campaign where the execution is skewed towards a rational activation message will have a higher short-term effect but lower long-term impact on ‘base’ sales.
• The Media Mix Navigator provides general guidance for media investment based on the selection criteria available. Individual advertisers will need to consider other factors that will affect their advertising performance, such as seasonality and specific distribution needs.
• Revenue/profit/ROI confidence levels are based on the ‘interquartile range’, which removes the top and bottom quarter of outliers in terms of campaign performance.