CAS cheat sheet

A strategy brief states the business objective, target audience, single-minded proposition, supporting reasons-to-believe, and mandatories; it precedes and constrains creative execution.

Category entry points (CEPs) are the buying situations in which a brand is considered; brands grow by being recalled across more CEPs, not only by differentiating on one attribute.

Share of voice (SOV) relative to share of market (SOM) predicts share change: when SOV > SOM, share tends to grow; the excess SOV is called the 'extra share of voice' (ESOV).

Penetration and loyalty are linked by the double jeopardy law: smaller brands have both fewer buyers and slightly lower loyalty, so growth strategy prioritises penetration.

Distinctive brand assets (DBAs) - colour, logo, character, tagline - should be consistently linked to the brand; measure them with fame and uniqueness scores.

Positioning statement formula: For [target], [brand] is the [frame of reference] that [point of difference] because [reason to believe].

A communication hierarchy (awareness → comprehension → conviction → action) sets which response stage the campaign must move; media and creative are chosen to fit that stage.

The planning cycle: situation analysis → objectives (SMART) → strategy → tactics → budget → measurement; objectives must be measurable before media is selected.

A campaign plan defines objective, audience, budget, timing, channels, creative variants, and success metrics; the media plan is the execution layer beneath it.

Critical path for production: brief → concept → client approval → pre-production → shoot/build → post-production → trafficking → live date; each approval gate adds buffer time.

Traffic instructions must specify dimensions, file format, max file size, click-through URL, and third-party tracking tags; missing specs are the leading cause of late launches.

Change control: any scope change after sign-off should be logged with cost, time, and owner impact before work proceeds.

Campaign QA checklist: links resolve, tracking fires in a test environment, geo/language targeting is correct, frequency caps are set, and legal disclaimers render on all sizes.

Flighting patterns: continuous (steady spend), pulsing (base plus bursts), and bursting (alternating on/off); choose based on purchase cycle and budget size.

Post-campaign review compares actual delivery, cost, and KPI outcomes against the plan and records learnings for the next flight.

Reach is the percentage of the target exposed at least once; frequency is average exposures per reached person; GRPs = reach (%) × frequency.

Impressions = GRPs × target universe / 100; cost per thousand (CPM) = cost ÷ impressions × 1,000.

Effective frequency is the exposure level needed to meet the communication goal; effective reach is the percentage reached at or above that frequency.

Media mix allocation weighs reach, cost efficiency, context, and measured contribution; channel roles differ (e.g., video for reach, search for capture).

Upfront vs scatter buying: upfront locks inventory and price for a season; scatter buys remaining inventory closer to air date, usually at higher or variable prices.

Programmatic buying uses real-time bidding and audience data; private marketplace (PMP) deals offer curated inventory with fixed or preferred pricing.

Frequency capping limits exposures per user per period to reduce waste and ad fatigue; set caps from effective-frequency evidence, not habit.

Negotiated value includes added value (bonus spots, integrations) beyond the rate card; evaluate total value, not headline CPM alone.

Creative must deliver the single-minded proposition within the first seconds; brand cues should appear early and repeatedly to build memory encoding.

Message hierarchy: brand → proposition → proof → call to action; each element earns space only if it supports the objective.

Production formats: broadcast (16:9), vertical social (9:16), square (1:1); plan aspect-ratio variants at concept stage to avoid costly re-cuts.

Clearance and compliance: substantiate claims before production, secure talent and music rights, and confirm regional advertising code requirements.

Pre-testing methods include concept tests, animatics, and copy testing; post-testing tracks recall, persuasion, and brand-linkage after launch.

Distinctive assets should be consistent across executions; measure recognition and correct brand attribution in tracking studies.

Production budget lines: talent, location, crew, equipment, post-production, music/licensing, contingency (typically 10%).

Click-through rate (CTR) = clicks ÷ impressions; conversion rate (CVR) = conversions ÷ clicks; cost per acquisition (CPA) = spend ÷ conversions.

Return on ad spend (ROAS) = revenue ÷ ad spend; it is a ratio, not a profit measure, and excludes margin and fixed costs.

Funnel metrics: impressions → clicks → landing page views → conversions; drop-off at each step identifies where optimisation is needed.

Attribution models: last-click (default in many platforms), first-click, linear, time-decay, and data-driven; each yields different channel credit.

Cookieless and privacy changes reduce cross-site tracking; first-party data, server-side tagging, and modelled conversions replace third-party cookies.

A/B testing requires one variable, adequate sample size, and a pre-registered success metric; peeking early inflates false positives.

Viewability standards: display 50% of pixels for 1 second; video 50% of pixels for 2 continuous seconds (MRC/IAB).

Analytics hygiene: consistent UTM taxonomy, deduplicated conversion definitions, and exclusion of internal traffic.

Incrementality measures the lift caused by advertising versus a counterfactual; methods include holdout groups, geo experiments, and ghost bids.

Marketing mix modelling (MMM) regresses sales on media and external factors over time; it captures long-term and offline effects but needs sufficient data history.

Multi-touch attribution (MTA) assigns credit across touchpoints at user level; it is limited by identity fragmentation and walled gardens.

Correlation is not causation; observational attribution overstates channels that sit near conversion (e.g., brand search, retargeting).

Statistical significance depends on effect size, sample size, and variance; report confidence intervals, not just point estimates.

Brand tracking measures awareness, consideration, and preference over time; it complements sales-based measurement.

Triangulation combines experiments, MTA, and MMM; agreement across methods increases confidence in budget decisions.

ROI = (net profit from campaign − campaign cost) ÷ campaign cost × 100; ROAS is revenue-based and does not equal ROI.

Budget-setting methods: percentage of sales, competitive parity, objective-and-task (build from required reach and frequency), and marginal-return analysis.

Marginal ROI declines as spend increases; optimal budget is where marginal return equals the required hurdle rate.

Payback period = campaign cost ÷ incremental profit per period; shorter payback reduces risk and frees cash for reinvestment.

Media inflation raises CPMs year over year; budgets should include an inflation factor when planning multi-year spends.

Cost-per-point (CPP) = cost ÷ GRPs; it allows comparison of media buys on a reach-and-frequency basis.

Pricing models: CPM (per thousand impressions), CPC (per click), CPA (per acquisition), and flat fee; choose the model that aligns risk with the buyer's control.

Advertising must be legal, decent, honest, and truthful; claims must be substantiated and not mislead by omission or exaggeration.

Disclosure rules require clear identification of paid partnerships and influencer endorsements (e.g., #ad up front, not buried in hashtags).

Data protection: collect only necessary personal data, obtain valid consent, honour opt-outs, and apply retention limits (GDPR/CCPA principles).

Special-category rules restrict advertising of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, medicines, and products to children; verify local code requirements before launch.

Comparative advertising must compare like with like, be verifiable, and not denigrate competitors.

Testimonials must reflect genuine experience; material connections between endorser and brand must be disclosed.

Record-keeping: retain substantiation, consent records, and approval trails for the period required by the relevant regulator.