The problem
Having built media plans inside agency holding groups, I know the patterns. Channels are not always selected because the data supports them. Trading relationships and margin can play a part, and they are rarely visible to the client.
The thinking
Every channel had to earn its place on what it returned, not on how the plan had always been built. That means isolating which channels drive revenue, which ride on other activity, and which consume budget without contributing anything measurable.
The work
Marketing mix modelling and econometric analysis across the plan. For a financial services client, it identified a significant programmatic buy running at a premium CPM. The targeting was sound, but an alternative supply path reached the identical audience at a materially lower cost. Same reach, same frequency, same targeting logic.
The result
The savings were redirected into the higher-returning channels the model had identified. The plan spent less and delivered more.