Billett branches out into ad effectiveness auditing

Media auditor the Billett Consultancy is branching out beyond the evaluation of media strategies with the launch of a new independent service measuring the effectiveness of advertising.

The initiative, called Billetts Sales Media Tracking (BSMT), is designed to isolate the impact of advertising campaigns on sales. It is being run by Ian Fermor, a former management scientist at brewer Whitbread.

John Billett, chief executive of the Billett Consultancy and a former chief executive of CIA, says: “Marketing directors are coming under increasing pressure to measure and enhance the effectiveness of their marketing activities.”

He says the new service will help advertisers optimise the balance between advertising expenditure and price promotions by analysing the relationship between advertising and factors such as a product’s price, its distribution and store positioning.

BSMT has been developed over the past 18 months and has so far been used by clients such as Pizza Hut, BP and Muller Dairy. It includes a software package called BillettsView, which allows clients to access data and run “what if?” forecasts.

Billett currently tracks and evaluates 17 per cent of UK TV spend. The consultancy was formed in 1995 after a management buyout from CIA.