The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually
looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.
Media Efficiency Ratio (MER)
Total Revenue / Total Ad Spend. This tells us how effectively our entire advertising budget converts into revenue, not just platform-reported conversions.
Target · Improve overall MER by 5% year-over-year, or maintain a consistent MER while increasing total revenue by 15%+. If total revenue was £10M and total ad spend was £2M, MER is 5.0. Next year, you'd aim for £11.5M revenue on £2.2M spend, targeting an MER of 5.23, which is a 4.6% improvement.
Blended Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The average cost to acquire a new customer across all paid channels. We're looking for efficiency here, without sacrificing volume.
Target · Reduce blended CAC across all paid channels by 10% year-over-year while maintaining or increasing customer acquisition volume by 15%. If last year's CAC was £100 for 10,000 customers, you'd aim for a £90 CAC while acquiring 11,500+ customers this year.
Advertising Budget ROI
How well our total advertising investment performs against its forecasted P&L impact. This means delivering a positive return and justifying the spend.
Target · Achieve a positive forecast vs. actuals on the P&L impact of the total advertising investment, with less than +/- 5% variance on forecasted revenue contribution. If you forecasted a £1M revenue contribution from a £200K campaign, and it delivered £980K, that's a 2% variance, which is within target.
Team Performance & Retention
The overall effectiveness and stability of your team. This isn't just about output, but about creating a healthy, productive environment.
Target · Maintain team retention rates above 85% annually, with 75% of direct reports meeting or exceeding performance expectations. If you have 20 team members, you'd aim to lose no more than 3 per year, and have 15+ consistently hitting their targets.
Strategic Influence
Your ability to shape broader marketing and business strategy through your advertising expertise, not just execute on it.
- You're proactively consulted on major product launches, pricing changes, or market entry strategies. Your input is sought by senior leadership for annual planning. You successfully advocate for new ad tech investments or changes to our measurement framework. People come to you for advice on 'what's next' in advertising.
Team Development & Coaching
How effectively you're growing your direct reports, building their skills, and creating a strong leadership pipeline.
- Your team members consistently hit their individual goals. You have clear development plans for each person. At least one of your Lead Advertising Strategists is identified as ready for a Director role within 24 months. You're known for providing clear, constructive feedback and creating opportunities for growth. Your team feels supported and challenged.
Operational Excellence & Process Improvement
The efficiency and effectiveness of our advertising operations, from campaign setup to reporting and budget management.
- You've implemented new processes that reduce errors or improve campaign launch times by 20%. Our ad tech stack is integrated and running smoothly. Audits of our campaign setups consistently show high quality and compliance. We're not constantly putting out fires caused by operational breakdowns. Your team can focus on strategy, not just manual tasks.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Your ability to get different teams (Finance, Product, Creative) on the same page regarding advertising goals and outcomes.
- You're regularly invited to meetings outside of Marketing where advertising input is crucial. There's clear agreement between Marketing and Finance on reporting metrics and budget forecasts. Creative teams feel their work is understood and effectively used in campaigns. You're seen as a fair and effective mediator when disagreements arise between teams.
