Opening the conversation: what brought you here

• Tell me about the consolidation mandate or trigger that started this review
• Walk me through your current agency roster and which responsibilities sit with each partner
• How many specialist agencies are active on your programs today Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more
• Which channels feel most fragmented right now, for example TV creative, paid social, or CRM Options: Creative/Brand, Paid Social, Programmatic/Display, Search, CRM/Email, Retail/Activation, Other
• Who is the final decision-maker and who else shapes the recommendation
• Describe the timeline you must hit for selecting an AOR and any hard deadline drivers Options: Within 4 weeks, Within 8 weeks, Within 12 weeks, More than 12 weeks

Urgent brand outcomes, the metrics leadership will judge

• If the next 12 months deliver no improvement in brand consistency, what is the single business consequence that would force leadership to act
• How do you quantify brand health today, naming the top three metrics you track
• Who owns each of those metrics day to day and who signs off on targets
• Which past campaign best demonstrates the creative and media integration you want to scale
• Describe the feelings leadership has expressed about creative decline or talent turnover Options: Frustration, Urgency to act, Skepticism about change, Willingness to invest, Other

Where execution breaks down and why it costs you

• What single recurring execution failure creates the most visible inconsistency across channels
• Walk me through a recent campaign where channel handoffs weakened the idea or delivery
• When requests bypass the AOR, what typically happens to quality or timelines Options: Deadlines slip, Creative gets watered down, Measurement is disconnected, Costs increase, Nothing measurable
• Name the role that most often escalates quality concerns and what usually follows Options: Brand lead, Media lead, Agency account lead, Product/Category lead, Procurement
• Could you estimate how many hours per week your team spends resolving coordination or billing disputes Options: 0-5 hours, 6-15 hours, 16-30 hours, More than 30 hours

The risks that sink AOR engagements

• If the incumbent promises to keep senior staff and match your fee model, what unresolved concern would still push you to change agencies
• List the top three risks you worry would cause an AOR engagement to fail within the first year Options: Senior staff rotation, Siloed media and creative, Poor measurement, Scope creep and hidden fees, Stakeholder resistance, Data access issues
• Have internal teams proposed handling certain functions in-house instead of hiring an outside partner Options: Yes, marketing ops, Yes, creative, Yes, media buying, No internal proposal
• Explain which governance failures in past engagements you want to avoid at all costs
• Estimate how much of your current annual marketing budget you are willing to allocate to a single accountable partner Options: Less than 10%, 10% to 25%, 26% to 50%, More than 50%

The other options on the table

• Name the competitors, the incumbent, and any internal alternatives still under consideration
• Identify who currently controls the largest share of your media and creative spend Options: Incumbent agency, Internal team, Media specialist, Creative specialist, Multiple evenly split
• Why would you keep the incumbent instead of switching to a single partner Options: Trust in relationships, Perceived specialization, Cost concerns, Risk aversion, Other
• Are any stakeholders actively advocating for a do-it-yourself model Options: Yes, marketing ops, Yes, in-house creative, Yes, media team, No
• What would have to be true about the incumbent for you to stay with them long term

How you will know the partnership is working

• Imagine the first integrated campaign exceeded expectations, what single KPI improvement would make you ready to move to contract
• On a weekly or monthly basis, which reporting cadence do you need to feel confident in performance Options: Daily dashboards only, Weekly executive highlights, Biweekly deep dives, Monthly board-ready reports
• List the roles that must receive an executive summary on campaign results Options: CMO/SVP Marketing, Brand Leads, Media Leads, Analytics/Measurement, Finance/Procurement
• Could you describe the acceptance criteria for creative quality and media delivery that would satisfy your brand team
• Estimate the minimum ROI, CPA improvement, or brand lift that would justify expanding scope in quarter two Options: No expansion needed, Modest improvement (10%), Meaningful improvement (20%), Aggressive target (30%+)
• Is there a nonnegotiable contractual term or fee transparency condition that would stop you from signing Options: Transparent fee model required, Senior staffing guarantees required, Performance-linked clauses required, No nonnegotiables

What must be true before we start

• Identify the single technical or legal constraint that, if unresolved, would prevent the launch date from being met
• When do you expect the incumbent handoff to complete and what milestones mark that handoff Options: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks
• Confirm whether your primary CRM, analytics, and asset repository provide API or secure access for integrations Options: All provide APIs, Some provide APIs, None provide APIs, We are unsure
• Do you have a nominated analytics owner who can provide the clean data required for measurement within the first four weeks Options: Yes, No, In progress
• Is your compliance or legal team able to approve data transfer and tracking contracts within six weeks Options: Yes, No, Depends on scope

Staffing and ongoing governance expectations

• Tell me which past staffing approach left you most disappointed and what specifically failed
• Provide the titles of senior roles you require to be dedicated to the account from day one
• Would you expect a minimum guaranteed senior staffing commitment of 12 months, 18 months, or 24 months Options: 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, No minimum required
• Select the governance meeting rhythm that has historically driven decisions effectively, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Quarterly
• Would unclear reporting and escalation be a reason to pause the partnership Options: Yes, No, Depends on severity
• Specify any vendor or internal policies that require special handling, like data residency or procurement terms

Decision timing and next steps

• Provide the internal approvals that would remain before you could sign if the pilot hits its targets
• Share your target week or month for selecting finalists and starting commercial discussions Options: Within 2 weeks, Within 4 weeks, Within 8 weeks, No set date
• Confirm whether a four to eight week incumbent handoff is feasible if commercial terms are agreeable Options: Feasible, Challenging but possible, Not feasible
• State the stakeholders who must be involved in pilot design to ensure valid results
• Assess whether a transparent fee model and senior staffing commitments would accelerate your timeline to sign within 30 days of a successful pilot Options: Yes, it would accelerate, It might accelerate, No, it would not change timing

• Integrated Solution Experience Session

• Confirm the current state and its cost to your team
• You confirm the demonstrated end-to-end workflow eliminates the rework and accountability gaps you described.
• Run the buyer's provided recent campaign through the integrated workflow and deliver a two-page performance delta and recommended staffing plan before the next meeting.
• You confirm the proposed staffing and governance approach prevents senior creative rotation and sustains creative quality.
• Walk an end-to-end scenario using your recent campaign
• Provide a sample transparent fee model and allocation example tied to the demonstrated scenario.
• Share the last integrated campaign KPIs, media spend breakdown, and incumbent agency handoff timeline.
• You confirm the transparent fee model and scope controls address the risk of underinvestment after contract.
• Demonstrate staffing and accountability that prevents talent rotation
• Show the transparent fee and governance model that avoids underinvestment
• Agreement on the 2-3 remaining evidence items and the timeline to present to your buying committee.
• Confirm the buying committee members, their decision timeline, and any required evidence formats.
• Validate the fit with your needs
• Agree remaining evidence and next steps toward decision

• Integrated Solution Experience Session
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

• Migrate Prior Creative Assets and Usage Rights
• Deliver Integrated Campaign Creative Package
• Produce Social Content Series
• Build CRM Email Templates and Campaign Creative
• Execute Paid Media Buying and Trafficking
• Manage End-to-End Production (shoots, edits, post)
• Launch Retail Activation Collateral
• Deliver Monthly Performance Reporting Package
• Optimize Media Performance and Spend Allocation
• Execute Earned Media Outreach and Press Materials
• Create Brand Guidelines and Central Asset Library
• Implement Measurement Tagging and Conversion Tracking
• Deliver Ongoing Creative Refreshes and Variant Testing
• Localize and Format Creative Across Channels
• Archive and Govern Legacy Creative Assets

Migrate Prior Creative Assets and Usage Rights

• Do you have a manifest or inventory (spreadsheet or DAM export) of existing creative masters (Figma, Photoshop, Premiere) to migrate? Options: Yes, No, Partial export available
• How many master asset files (source PSD/AI/FIG, layered video masters, raw audio) need migration? Options: Less than 500, 500-2,000, 2,000-10,000, More than 10,000
• Which usage-rights models apply to these assets (transferable full rights, time-limited license, agency-owned stock, third-party talent releases)? Options: Transferable full rights, Time-limited license, Agency or vendor license, Talent/model release needed, Unknown
• Who on your team can sign or provide evidence of rights clearance for creative assets (name and role)?
• When do you need license-transfer evidence and editable masters available in the central repository relative to launch (weeks before go-live)? Options: 4+ weeks, 2-4 weeks, 1-2 weeks, At launch day
• What acceptance criteria will confirm the migration of creative assets and usage rights is complete (for example: 100% editable masters in repository, rights matrix signed, and checksum verification)?

Deliver Integrated Campaign Creative Package

• Do you require a single creative platform (core 30s film, 15s cutdowns, social stacks, display banners) that scales across channels? Options: Yes, single platform, Yes, multiple platforms per market, No preference
• Which campaign launch formats must be included in the creative package (broadcast 30s, connected TV 15s/30s, social verticals, display HTML5, rich media)? Options: Broadcast 30s, CTV 15s/30s, Social verticals/stories, Display HTML5, Rich media/interactive
• Who is the final approver for creative direction and legal compliant claims in ad copy (title and role)?
• How many creative rounds and stakeholder review gates do you expect before sign-off (e.g., concept, rough cut, final art)? Options: 2 rounds, 3 rounds, 4+ rounds
• Which deliverable file standards must be met (codec/container for video, max file size, naming convention, aspect ratios), and do you have a file spec document to share? Options: We will share file spec, We need you to propose specs, Adopt agency standard
• What acceptance criteria will validate the integrated campaign creative package (for example: signed creative brief, all master files uploaded to asset library, QA pass on formats and metadata)?

Produce Social Content Series

• How many social posts and video assets per week do you plan for the first campaign quarter? Options: 1-5 per week, 6-15 per week, 16-30 per week, More than 30 per week
• Which social platforms and ad formats are priority for your brand (short-form vertical video, carousel, reels, story ads)? Options: Short-form vertical video, Carousel, Reels/Stories, Static posts
• Who on your team will provide rapid approvals during the social content drop windows (role and SLA for feedback in hours)? Options: Same day (8 hours), Next day (24 hours), 48+ hours
• Do you expect native UGC (user-generated content) integration or influencer-sourced clips as part of the social series? Options: Yes, UGC integration, Yes, influencer clips, No
• Which creative variants and caption testing do you want included (caption lengths, call-to-action variants, thumbnail tests)? Options: Caption length variants, CTA copy variants, Thumbnail/A-frame tests, All of the above
• Which asset handoff cadence do you require for social (daily drops, weekly bundles, campaign milestones)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Per campaign milestone

Build CRM Email Templates and Campaign Creative

• Which source CRM or marketing automation platform will receive the templates and creative (your current CRM)?
• How many email templates and variants (transactional, promotional, nurture) are required in the initial build? Options: 1-5, 6-15, 16-30, 30+
• Who owns the subscriber segments and suppression lists in the source CRM and can provide access for QA?
• Do you require deliverability and inbox-preview testing across clients and locales (Gmail, Outlook, mobile clients)? Options: Yes, full testing, Basic testing only, No
• Which personalization tokens and data fields must be supported in templates (first name, loyalty tier, last purchase date)? Options: First name, Loyalty tier, Last purchase date, Custom fields
• Which acceptance items will confirm template delivery to the CRM (templates imported into staging, live test send successful, rendering proof screenshots)?

Execute Paid Media Buying and Trafficking

• Which buying platforms and ad servers must be configured (your DSPs, ad server endpoints, programmatic partners)?
• What is the campaign media budget for the first quarter by channel (display, search, social, CTV)? Options: Under $100k, $100k-$500k, $500k-$2M, Over $2M
• Who will provide the insertion order (IO) approvals and procurement-compliant signatures for media buys (role)?
• How quickly do you require trafficking and pixel/tag deployment after creative handoff (business days)? Options: 1-3 days, 4-7 days, 8-14 days
• Which campaign-level targeting constraints or brand safety lists must be enforced (blocklists, contextual categories, geo exclusions)? Options: Advertiser blocklists, Contextual categories, Geo exclusions, Third-party verification required
• Which trafficking deliverables do you expect delivered in the go-live package (tag map, IOs, creative spec sheet, QA checklist)? Options: Tag map, IOs, Creative spec sheet, QA checklist

Manage End-to-End Production (shoots, edits, post)

• Do you anticipate original shoots for this campaign or primarily editing existing footage? Options: Original shoots, Edit-existing footage, Mixed
• Which production deliverables are required (script, storyboards, call sheets, raw footage delivery, color grade masters)? Options: Script and storyboard, Call sheets, Raw footage delivery, Color grade masters
• Who will clear talent and location releases and provide signed release forms?
• When do you require final graded masters delivered relative to media flight start date (days before)? Options: 14+ days, 7-13 days, 3-6 days, On day of launch
• Which technical post requirements must be met (frame rates, color space, closed captions, broadcast QC specs)? Options: Broadcast QC, Web/video specs only, Closed captions required, Custom specs
• Who is the production budget holder and what is the estimated production budget range for shoots and post? Options: Under $50k, $50k-$150k, $150k-$500k, Over $500k

Launch Retail Activation Collateral

• Which retail touchpoints require collateral (in-store POS, shelf strips, sample units, digital in-store screens)? Options: In-store POS, Shelf strips, Sample units, Digital in-store screens
• How many SKUs and packaging formats must collateral be sized and templated for? Options: 1-10 SKUs, 11-50 SKUs, 51-200 SKUs, 200+ SKUs
• Who on your team manages retail vendor approvals and can confirm POS dimensions and dielines?
• Which proof and sign-off workflow do retailers require (digital proof, hard proof, vendor sample)? Options: Digital proof, Hard proof required, Vendor sample required
• What acceptance evidence will confirm retail collateral is launch-ready (retailer-approved dielines, print-ready PDFs, vendor signoff)?
• Which logistics timeline must we meet for printed collateral delivery to retail distribution centers (lead time in weeks)? Options: 6+ weeks, 4-6 weeks, 2-4 weeks, Less than 2 weeks

Deliver Monthly Performance Reporting Package

• Which key performance indicators must appear every month (brand awareness lift, CTR, conversion rate, return on ad spend)? Options: Brand lift, Click-through rate, Conversion rate, Return on ad spend
• Which reporting endpoint should the package write to (your BI workspace, shared dashboard URL, PDF email distribution)? Options: BI workspace, Shared dashboard link, PDF via email, Other
• Who are the monthly report recipients and what level of executive summary is required (C-level one-pager, detailed analyst pack)? Options: C-level summary, Manager-level detail, Both
• How many historical months of data should the reporting package include for trend analysis? Options: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months
• Which attribution model do you require for the reporting package (last click, data-driven, multi-touch), and is there an existing attribution rulebook? Options: Last click, Data-driven, Multi-touch, Custom rulebook
• Which delivery cadence and format do you prefer for the monthly package (scheduled dashboard refresh, emailed PDF, presentation with Q&A)? Options: Dashboard refresh, Emailed PDF, Presentation with Q&A

Optimize Media Performance and Spend Allocation

• Which optimization levers are in scope for reallocation (creative swap, bid strategy change, geo reweighting, dayparting)? Options: Creative swap, Bid strategy change, Geo reweighting, Dayparting
• What minimum performance thresholds must trigger reallocation (CPA threshold, ROAS floor, CTR drop percent)? Options: CPA threshold, ROAS floor, CTR drop percent, Other
• Who can approve spend reallocation and PO changes once optimizations are recommended?
• How often do you want active optimizations applied (daily pacing, weekly strategy, monthly review)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
• Which reporting signals should feed optimization algorithms (conversion events from CRM, view-through, brand lift survey results)? Options: Conversion events from CRM, View-through conversions, Brand lift surveys, All of the above
• Which guardrails must be enforced during optimization (maximum bid increase, percentage of budget reallocated per week, channel spend floor)? Options: Max bid increase, Weekly reallocation cap, Channel spend floor, No guardrails

Execute Earned Media Outreach and Press Materials

• Which press materials are required for outreach (press release, media kit, executive bios, product sheets)? Options: Press release, Media kit, Executive bios, Product sheets
• Who on your side is pre-approved for media interviews and can provide quotes?
• Which target media lists or vertical outlets should be prioritized for outreach (consumer magazines, trade press, tech blogs)? Options: Consumer magazines, Trade press, Tech blogs, Local media
• How many earned media placements do you consider a successful first-quarter outcome (numeric target)?
• Which embargo or launch timing constraints must the outreach respect (date and time windows)? Options: Fixed embargo date, Rolling outreach, No embargo
• Which deliverable confirms earned media outreach completion (media hits list, clipping report, journalist confirmations)? Options: Media hits list, Clipping report, Journalist confirmations

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Fee Schedule & Transparent Fee Model Exhibit
• Staffing Commitment Addendum
• Transition & Handoff Plan (Launch Obligations)
• Acceptance Criteria & Launch Sign-Off
• Change Order Agreement
• Termination & Exit Plan
• Regulatory Compliance Addendum (conditional)

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• Acceptance Gate Review
• Monthly Operational Governance
• Quarterly Business Review

• Confirm whether monthly conversion rate and delivery performance met the Solution Scope targets and note any deviations.
• If any criteria failed, have a binding remediation plan with deadlines that closes the acceptance loop.
• Confirm the incumbent is decommissioned or retained read-only, and that data and fallback processes are handled.
• Publish the formal acceptance record with pass/fail outcomes and the named signatory or buyer decision document.
• Create and assign remediation tasks for any failed criteria with target resolution dates.
• Complete incumbent archive or decommission steps and confirm system access transitions are closed.
• Schedule required creative or media tests and record expected result dates.
• Recent campaign performance snapshot
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Agree the priority and timing for enhancements or operational fixes needed to restore or improve performance.
• Update the issue tracker with new enhancement requests and assign target delivery quarters.
• Close completed action items and circulate the updated action log.
• Quarterly KPI trends and attribution review
• Confirm the strategic KPI trajectory for aided brand awareness and marketing-attributed revenue growth and decide any required course corrections.
• Approve the prioritized roadmap for the next quarter and adjust the governance cadence where needed.
• Publish the prioritized quarter roadmap with owners and milestone dates.
• Assign mitigation tasks for the top 3 strategic risks with target completion dates.
• Update the governance calendar to reflect any agreed cadence changes.
• Confirm the deployment is functionally complete and owners are named for each success criterion recorded in Solution Scope.
• Identify and prioritize the top 3 operational blockers with committed remediation dates.
• Publish the deployment validation checklist with pass/fail flags for each integration point.
• Create remediation tasks for the top 3 blockers with target resolution dates.
• Instrument any missing telemetry required for the first measurement review.
• Present first-cycle performance vs targets
• Determine whether conversion rate and CPA are on a trajectory to meet targets and document reasons where they are not.
• Agree a time-bound corrective plan with named tasks and completion dates to close performance gaps before the acceptance gate.
• Publish the performance diagnostic with identified root causes and proposed tests.
• Schedule and scope specific media/creative tests or optimizations with target completion dates.
• Fix any identified measurement gaps or attribution errors and verify through test traffic.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Reach a documented acceptance decision with pass/fail recorded for each criterion from Solution Scope and capture the named signatory where applicable.
• Deployment and access validation
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Creative and media alignment issues
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Governance cadence effectiveness and stakeholder feedback
• Enhancement request and issue queue review
• Early adoption and usage signals
• Prioritization of enhancement requests and roadmap
• Document pass/fail per criterion and capture acceptance decision
• Campaign execution and delivery review
• Remediation plan for any failed criteria
• Open issues and blocker triage
• Agree corrective actions and timeline
• Risk and blocker review
• Action tracker burn-down
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Incumbent wind-down checkpoint