Deployment of GenAI tools for creative tasks lags despite widespread optimism among marketers and significant improvements in tool capabilities. BCG’s recent survey of 251 global marketing leaders reveals three keys to using GenAI tools to their full potential.
Enhance Paid Media Campaigns to Boost Value and Measure Incremental Impact
To maximize ROI, marketers must ensure that every dollar of their paid media budget delivers impact across digital channels. Our media optimization solution empowers marketers to continuously monitor their performance and uncover high-value opportunities in real time.
20%-30%
working spend efficiency
15%-25%
working spend effectiveness
60%-80%
OPEX efficiency
About Media Optimization by BCG X
Marketers are under pressure to prove the effectiveness of paid media campaigns, show how impact is measured, and stretch budgets further. But testing live campaigns to pinpoint what works and where to improve is complex. It requires analyzing performance metrics across markets and digital media channels.
Media Optimization by BCG X simplifies this process by automating campaign design, testing, and measurement. The platform’s modules automate the design and deployment of experiments across paid media channels and precisely measure the incremental sales lift and ROI from marketing spend—all in one place. It replaces manual inefficiencies and outdated last-click attribution with accurate measurement of incremental sales lift, revealing the true value of marketing spend.
For chief marketing officers, this proprietary paid media optimization technology becomes an in-house asset that boosts ROI, reduces operating costs, and enables teams to scale the capability independently. And our media optimization solution is part of the Fabriq Personalization AI by BCG X ecosystem, a modular platform built to help brands personalize at scale. Used with other Fabriq modules, Media Optimization by BCG X enables marketers to unify audience strategies and drive performance across channels.
The Benefits of Our Media Optimization Solution
The Media Optimization by BCG X platform enables an automated, end-to-end marketing cycle, from identifying high-impact campaign opportunities to capturing measurable value. The integrated suite of digital modules is constructed to work together seamlessly within an easy-to-use interface, empowering marketing teams to execute experiments, optimize performance, and analyze results—all rapidly and with ease.
1.
Applies “Golden Rules” to Find Opportunities
Creates an ongoing optimization plan that applies more than 50 proven “golden rules” across paid platforms, supporting advanced paid media optimization tailored to a company’s needs
2.
Scores Audiences Most Likely to Convert or Engage
By using machine learning models and validating predictions through real-world experiments, the platform identifies and prioritizes high-performing audience segments that have been proven to deliver incremental business impact
3.
Designs and Executes Test-and-Learn Experiments
Takes the guess work out of designing and running experiments by automating key phases such as determining pilot spend and sample size; dividing test cells and match markets based on objectives; setting up campaigns programmatically; and tracking pacing, engagement, and conversions
4.
Evaluates Spend ROI and Reallocates Budget
Maintains strategies that generate the strongest ROI while examining multiple spend combinations across channels—uncovering opportunities and reallocating budgets against target KPIs
5.
Generates Incremental Measurements
Tracks and visualizes true sales impact based on statistically significant results and ROI and uses this data to inform decisions about where to target and scale spend
A Look Inside Our Media Optimization Solution
Media Optimization by BCG X enables marketers to launch high-performing paid campaigns and run structured experiments supported by precise, real-time measurement of true incremental value. It includes an always-on optimization scanner, automated experimentation and execution, an AI-powered budget optimizer, and audience selection and activation. Whether teams need a single capability or the full toolkit, the platform generates data-based reports that instill confidence in marketing investments.
Always-On Optimization Scanner
This diagnostic continuously monitors campaign elements such as budget allocation, scheduling, frequency, and design to issue a report card on cross-channel pilots, ROI, results, and opportunities. A media intelligence feature suggests “golden rule” opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Audience Selection and Activation
This module uses machine learning models to score and rank audiences by their likelihood to convert or engage. Informed by first- and third-party data and validated through experiments, it enables precise activation on high-performing segments that are proven to drive incremental business outcomes.
Automated Experimentation and Execution
The module streamlines the design and launch of incremental measurement campaigns, from initial setup to testing execution. It automates key components such as sample sizing, budget allocation, matched market creation, and test/control group design so experiments are statistically robust and trustworthy.
Bespoke Closed-Loop Measurement
The module ends the debate over ROI and the value of media spending by measuring the impact of individual experiments and full-funnel media on overall sales. Incrementality results are based on statistically significant experiments that show sales lift rather than platform metrics or last-click attribution.
Bid and Budget Optimization
This module produces a comprehensive view of digital marketing across platforms and markets so marketing teams can instantly reallocate ad spending across channels and tactics. It optimizes impact by applying a common KPI to existing attribution and marketing mix modeling and experiments.
Our Impact with Clients in Media Optimization
$100 million
in value realized in one year
A leading automaker adopted the platform to improve personalization. BCG helped the OEM launch modules to create a comprehensive 360-degree view of its customers, use AI for geographically based testing, and scale experimentation to measure incrementality across channels. The company also revamped its operating model to make it easy for marketing and data science teams to use the modules to accelerate the shift. The changes led to over $10 million in value realized in one year.
60% less time
to launch campaigns
A major bank partnered with BCG both to make its marketing campaigns more efficient and to create an impact in less time. BCG helped the bank use the Media Optimization platform to rapidly design and launch paid media experiments, measure marketing spending incrementality, scale high-performing pilots, and continuously optimize ROI. The suite, coupled with targeted upskilling and agile ways of working, helped the business reduce media spending by 30% and cut campaign launch times by up to 60%.
$40 million
in incremental profit
A global travel company partnered with BCG to enhance its marketing campaigns’ efficiency and ROI. With BCG’s help, the company made the Media Optimization platform the basis of a new data-driven strategy, deploying approximately 20 pilots across 3 channels. These new measurement capabilities focus on incrementality and using a test-and-learn mindset. The changes have led to more than $40 million in incremental profits, 15% in cost efficiency gains, and three times faster testing, enabling smarter budgeting and channel management.
Meet the Media Optimization by BCG X Team
BCG’s paid media optimization specialists work shoulder-to-shoulder with clients to ensure that they get the most out of the platform’s capabilities and can run the technology in the most efficient, sustainable way possible.
Explore Our Insights on Media Optimization
Personalization
Interview
August 10, 2023
BCG's Silvio Palumbo discusses AI's role in reshaping the marketing function, including how platforms like Fabriq Personalization AI can translate complex data into powerful customer insights.
