MKTG3506 · Digital Marketing & Social Media
Campaign Planning and Evaluation
A campaign is a finite, objective-led burst — planned once, then optimised. This closing chapter runs the campaign-planning chain (brief → objectives → channels → budget → execution → evaluation) and ties it back to RACE: objectives map to RACE stages, and RACE stages map to metrics. It covers the metrics funnel (impressions → clicks → conversions → revenue) and the cost/efficiency metrics (CPC, CPA, ROAS, CTR, CVR), a worked dashboard, attribution (how to split conversion credit across touchpoints), and the improvement loop of A/B testing and CRO. It is the 'prove it worked and make it better' chapter — the measurement spine the whole course points toward.
What this chapter covers
- 0110.1 The campaign-planning chain (brief to report)
- 0210.2 Objectives map to RACE, and RACE maps to metrics
- 0310.3 Cost and efficiency metrics (CPC, CPA, ROAS, CTR, CVR)
- 0410.4 A worked campaign dashboard
- 0510.5 Attribution — splitting the conversion credit
- 0610.6 A/B testing, CRO and the improvement loop
Reading a campaign dashboard — the metrics funnel and ROAS
- +1Impressions → clicks. 200,000 impressions × 2% CTR = 4,000 clicks.
- +1Clicks → conversions. 4,000 clicks × 5% CVR = 200 conversions.
- +1Revenue. 200 × $30 AOV = $6,000.
- +1ROAS. revenue ÷ spend = 6,000 / 2,000 = 3.0× — $3 back per $1 spent.
- +1Cost per acquisition. spend ÷ conversions = 2,000 / 200 = $10 CPA.
- +1Judge it. A 3.0× ROAS at a $10 CPA on a $30 AOV is healthy; next, A/B-test the landing page to lift CVR and push ROAS higher.
Key terms
- ROAS (return on ad spend)
- Revenue generated per dollar of advertising spend: revenue ÷ ad spend, expressed as a multiple (e.g. 3.0×). It is the headline efficiency metric for judging whether a paid campaign paid off.
- Metrics funnel
- The staged measurement chain of a campaign — impressions → clicks → conversions → revenue — with a drop-off (and a rate) at each step. Reading it shows exactly where a campaign leaks.
- CPA (cost per acquisition)
- The average cost to win one conversion: ad spend ÷ conversions. Compared against the order value or customer lifetime value, it shows whether acquisition is profitable.
- Attribution
- The method for assigning conversion credit across the touchpoints a customer encountered — last-click, first-click, linear or data-driven models. The model chosen changes which channels look effective.
- A/B testing
- Running two versions of an asset (page, ad, email) against each other to see which performs better on a metric, then keeping the winner. It is the engine of conversion-rate optimisation (CRO) and the improvement loop.
Campaign Planning and Evaluation FAQ
What is the metrics funnel and why does it matter?
It's the chain impressions → clicks → conversions → revenue, with a conversion rate at each step. It matters because it localises a problem: a strong CTR but weak CVR points at the landing page, not the ad. You optimise the stage that's leaking.
How do you calculate ROAS and what's a good number?
ROAS = revenue ÷ ad spend. A figure above 1.0× means the campaign earned more than it cost on a revenue basis; 'good' depends on margins, but a healthy paid campaign often targets 3–4× or more. Always read it alongside CPA and margin.
What is attribution and why is it tricky?
Attribution decides which touchpoints get credit for a conversion. It's tricky because customers touch many channels before buying, and different models (last-click, first-click, linear, data-driven) credit them differently — so the chosen model shapes which channels look successful.
Exam move
This is the measurement spine, so be fluent with the metrics funnel and the core formulas — CTR, CVR, CPC, CPA and especially ROAS — and able to compute them step by step from a scenario. Practise tying campaign objectives back to RACE stages and their KPIs, explaining an attribution model in one sentence, and naming the improvement move (A/B test / CRO on the weakest funnel stage). A bare final number with no working scores poorly — show the funnel.
