Media mix modelling projects fail more often from poor briefing than from poor methodology. This template is the brief format we recommend for any MMM commissioning conversation.
Eight required brief sections
Business questions to answer; decisions the model will inform; in-scope channels and exclusions; measurement window and granularity; required externalities; modelling methodology preference; deliverable format and cadence; ongoing maintenance and refresh schedule.
The decision-first principle
Brief the model around the decisions, not the data. A model that produces beautiful charts but does not answer a specific budget allocation question is a research project, not an MMM. Every successful MMM we have audited started with no more than five named decisions.
Maintenance budget
Treat MMM as an ongoing capability, not a project. Maintenance and refresh typically costs 30 to 40 percent of the build cost annually. Brief the maintenance line into the procurement decision; otherwise the model becomes stale and the team commissions a new build every two years.
Last updated May 2026 · Filed under Tools