What is included in a marketing audit?

A full audit covers three layers: strategy and positioning, data and analytics (including a Marketing Mix Modeling diagnostic), and spend and channel mix. Deliverables include a written diagnostic, prioritized recommendations, channel-level efficiency analysis, reallocation modeling, and a 90-day execution roadmap.

Why does my agency not run real MMM?

Three reasons. MMM tends to expose channels where the agency is overspending. MMM requires econometric training that most agency strategists do not have. And an independent MMM produces conclusions the agency cannot control, removing accountability they would rather not have.

How long does a marketing audit take?

Audit Lite runs two weeks. Audit Standard runs four to six weeks. Audit Deep with a built Marketing Mix Model runs six to eight weeks.

Do I have to commit to a retainer after the audit?

No. The audit is a stand-alone deliverable. Many clients continue into a fractional CMO retainer, but it is not required and audit findings are not structured to push you in that direction.

What does a marketing audit cost?

Audit Lite starts at $3,500. Audit Standard starts at $7,500. Audit Deep with a built Marketing Mix Model starts at $15,000. Final pricing depends on scope and is fixed before the engagement begins.

Will you tell me to fire my agency?

Only if the audit finds that is the right call. The audit goes where the data goes.

Marketing Audit Services for Brands That Want the Real Answer

Led by Dr. Linda Orr, PhD, fractional CMO and former university marketing faculty member, Orr Consulting runs the kind of marketing audit a CFO actually trusts. We look at your strategy, your data, your spend, and the question almost no one is willing to answer for you honestly: what is each channel really worth? That last question is what Marketing Mix Modeling exists to answer, and it is the part of measurement that big agencies will quietly steer you away from. We start there.

If you are spending real money on marketing and the numbers do not feel like they are telling the truth, this is the engagement that gives you ground truth.

Book a Free 30-Min Strategy Session →

Explore Marketing Mix Modeling & Analytics →

Trusted by growth-stage brands across tech, healthcare, and DTC

"I treat your budget like it's my own money. Every recommendation has to earn its place on the plan." — Dr. Linda Orr, PhD, Founder & CMO

$88M+

Budgets Managed: Expert oversight of high-7-figure annual marketing and advertising budgets, delivering measurable ROI.

300%

Improved cost efficiency by up to 300%

25+

Leadership: A decade of experience driving growth across tech, healthcare, and consumer industries.

86%

Client Retention: Building long-term relationships with satisfied clients through impactful strategies and measurable results.

I treat your budget like it’s my own money. Every recommendation has to earn its place on the plan.

You're not hiring an agency. You're working directly with a PhD-level strategist.

Dr. Linda Orr, PhD founded Orr Consulting after more than two decades leading marketing for tech, healthcare, and consumer brands — managing over $88M in marketing budgets and building organic growth systems that produce real revenue, not vanity metrics.

"I treat your budget like it's my own money. Every recommendation has to earn its place on the plan." — Dr. Linda Orr, PhD, Founder & CMO

Is This the Right Fit for You?

Does this sound familiar?

You are likely ready for a marketing audit if:

Your dashboards say one thing, your bank account says another, and no one can reconcile the two.
You suspect your agency is grading their own homework on attribution, and you want an independent read.
You have inherited a marketing function and need ground truth before making changes.
You are heading into a board meeting, a fundraise, or an exit and you need numbers that hold up under scrutiny.
You are spending real money on paid channels and you cannot say with confidence what the true incremental return is.
You have never had a proper Marketing Mix Model run, or you had one done by your media agency and you suspect the conclusions were convenient.

If any of this sounds familiar, this is exactly the kind of work we do.

Why most marketing audits do not include real MMM (and why ours does)

Most marketing audits are sales pitches in a PDF wrapper. A big agency or media shop looks at your account, finds the problems they happen to sell solutions for, and writes them up as urgent. The methodology stays inside their own tooling, which usually means platform-reported attribution: Meta's pixel data, Google's last-click reports, the agency's own dashboard.

That is not measurement. That is the agency marking their own homework.

Real strategic measurement is Marketing Mix Modeling. MMM is the only method that survives privacy changes, captures offline and brand effects, and answers the question your CFO actually cares about: if we cut this channel, what happens to revenue?

Big agencies avoid leading with MMM for three reasons, none of which serve you. It tends to expose the channels they are overspending on. It requires real econometric training that most agency strategists do not have. And independent MMM produces conclusions they cannot control, which is exactly the accountability you should want.

Our audit is built around the work most audits avoid. We start with the measurement question, because if your measurement is wrong, everything downstream is wrong. The founder is a published academic with peer-reviewed statistical training, and no retainer is riding on the answer.

For the deeper methodology, see our Marketing Mix Modeling & Analytics page.

Book a Marketing Audit Scoping Call →

What the audit actually covers

A real audit goes deep at three layers. Most engagements stop at the first one. We go to all three.

Strategy, Positioning, and Buyer Intent

The first layer is whether you are actually selling the right thing to the right person in the right way. Most "marketing problems" are positioning problems wearing a marketing costume.

Competitive positioning audit and category mapping
Buyer persona and intent validation, including search demand analysis
Offer architecture and pricing review
Message-market fit assessment with documented friction points
Go-to-market sequence and channel-fit review

Data, Analytics, and Measurement (the MMM-grade layer)

This is where most audits stop short. We do not.

Marketing Mix Modeling diagnostic: can your data support a credible MMM, and if so, what does the model say?
Attribution reconstruction: rebuilding your channel-level economics from source data, not from platform-reported numbers
Incrementality assessment: identifying which channels are likely incremental versus which are taking credit for organic demand
GA4, CRM, and platform data hygiene review with specific fix recommendations
Reporting architecture review: what your dashboards actually tell you, what they obscure, and what is missing

Spend, Channel Mix, and Execution

The third layer is where the dollars are actually going and whether they are doing useful work.

Channel-level efficiency and saturation curves
Diminishing returns analysis on top spend channels
Agency and vendor performance review (independent of any vendor relationship)
Budget reallocation modeling: what happens if you shift X% from channel A to channel B
Quick-win identification: spend cuts and reallocations available in the next 30 days

How You Can Work With Orr Consulting on a Marketing Audit

Most clients recoup the investment of an audit within the first 60 to 90 days through reallocated spend alone. Not sure if the scope fits? Book a 30-minute call and we will tell you honestly whether the engagement makes sense for your situation.

Audit Lite (Project)

Best for: teams that already know roughly where the problem is and want a credentialed second opinion.

Starting at $5k

A focused diagnostic on one specific area: a paid media account, an attribution problem, a positioning question, or a single-channel MMM-grade read.

What you get:

Two-week turnaround
Written diagnostic on the focal area
Top three to five prioritized recommendations
60-minute review call

Audit Standard (Project)

Best for: brands in the $5M to $25M range where the marketing has grown complicated enough that no one person has the full picture anymore.

Starting at $10k

A full strategy, data, and spend audit across all major channels, including a Marketing Mix Modeling diagnostic to determine whether a full MMM build is appropriate as a next step.

What you get:

Four to six week turnaround
Written report with findings, prioritized recommendations, and a 90-day roadmap
Channel-level efficiency analysis and reallocation modeling
90-minute review call with leadership team
MMM-readiness assessment

Audit Deep + Marketing Mix Model (Project)

Best for: brands preparing for a major decision: a fundraise, an agency change, a category expansion, a leadership transition, or a board-mandated marketing review.

Starting at $20k

The full audit plus a built Marketing Mix Model with channel-level incremental ROI estimates, diminishing returns curves, and scenario modeling.

What you get:

Six to eight week engagement
Complete strategy, data, and spend audit
Built Marketing Mix Model with documented methodology
Channel-level incremental ROI estimates
Scenario modeling: what happens to revenue if you shift spend
Full written report, executive summary, and 90-day execution roadmap
Two review calls (mid-engagement and final)

Not sure which option fits? Book a quick consult and we’ll decide together.

What clients say about working with Dr. Orr

Our SEO clients tend to keep their results confidential — but here's what clients across engagements consistently say about the work:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Dr. Linda Orr was as knowledgeable and helpful as her profile suggested. She surfaced growth options we hadn't considered — especially around brand recognition, sales strategy, and market penetration — and we plan to continue working together." — Confidential Client | Premium DTC (Fitness / Performance Apparel) • Growth Strategy • Brand Positioning • Go-to-Market

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Linda was a pleasure to work with and extremely thorough. She led a market research project for our 3D dental imaging launch, and the insights directly shaped our positioning and go-to-market strategy." — Midmark Dental | Healthcare • Market Research • Positioning • Launch Strategy

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Linda led a brand positioning workshop that was genuinely useful for our brand development. She brought structure, clarity, and a practical path forward." — Med Spa / Medical Durable Equipment | Healthcare • Brand Positioning • Messaging Workshop

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Highly recommend Linda for market research and industry insights. She delivered a clear, well-structured report packed with actionable recommendations — including 20+ stakeholder interviews translated into positioning and an executable market-entry strategy." — Franco Allena, My Yacht Marketer | Premium DTC Services • Market Research • Positioning • Market Entry Strategy

See full case studies →

What the audit delivers

A Written Diagnostic

A plain-language report on what is working, what is broken, what to keep, what to kill. No template language, no boilerplate.

MMM-Grade Measurement Analysis

The piece other audits skip: actual statistical analysis of channel contribution, not platform-reported attribution.

A 90-Day Execution Roadmap

Prioritized by impact and effort, with the first 30 days specified at the campaign level.

An Independent Second Opinion

We do not run ads, manage media, or take commissions from vendors. The findings are not aimed at funneling you into a retainer.

Reallocation Modeling

What happens to revenue if you shift $X from channel A to channel B. With error bars, not point estimates.

Optional Continuation Path

If you want help executing the roadmap, a fractional CMO retainer is on the table. If you want to take the report and run, that is also a successful outcome.

What Success Looks Like

We measure audit success in outcomes that matter:

Documented reallocation opportunities equal to or greater than the audit fee within the first 60 days
A measurement architecture you can defend to a CFO or a board
Clear ranking of channels by incremental contribution, not platform-reported credit
A 90-day plan your team can actually execute
Reduced dependence on agency-reported numbers as your source of truth

We do not measure success in deck pages or finding-counts. A short report with three findings that change your strategy is worth more than a 60-page document with twenty findings you cannot act on.