At Media Audit Group & Associates, a standard audit engagement is structured as a six-week project. During this period, we obtain access to the relevant advertising platforms, download historical performance data, and review associated documentation such as contracts, rate cards, invoices, and reporting files. The objective is to form a factual, verifiable view of how your media budget has been planned, purchased, delivered, and reported over the period under review.

Our standard engagement fee starts at $100,000 USD. This fee covers the time required for data collection, data cleaning, reconciliation, analysis, internal review, and formal documentation of findings. The engagement includes the preparation of a written audit report, supporting schedules, and a final presentation of results to your designated stakeholders. The scope and fee can increase if the number of platforms, markets, or years under review is expanded beyond the baseline assumptions discussed at the outset.

The six-week period is typically divided into several phases. In the initial phase, we focus on gaining read-only access to your media platforms and confirming the completeness and accuracy of the data provided. In the next phase, we reconcile platform data with invoices and any third-party verification tools, checking for discrepancies in impressions, clicks, conversions, and spend. Subsequent phases focus on analyzing buying practices, fee structures, performance metrics, and any deviations from agreed-upon terms or benchmarks. The final phase is dedicated to drafting, reviewing, and finalizing the audit report and any supporting documentation.

We recommend that clients have a minimum media ad spend of $2 million USD for this service to be appropriate and cost-effective. At or above this level of spend, the potential financial impact of even small inefficiencies, billing errors, or suboptimal allocation decisions is large enough to justify a detailed independent review. Below this threshold, the cost of the audit is less likely to be proportionate to the recoverable value or optimization opportunities identified.

For clients meeting this spend level, the audit focuses on verifying the accuracy of reported spend, reviewing the structure and calculation of agency fees and commissions, and examining how budgets have been allocated across channels, campaigns, and formats. We also review pacing, frequency, and basic performance indicators to determine whether the actual use of funds aligns with stated objectives and contractual commitments. The goal is to provide a clear, factual account of where and how your media dollars have been used, and to identify specific, documented areas where controls, transparency, or efficiency can be improved.