Ad Campaign Cost Consulting

Caroline Reed

Starting at

$

7,500

About this service

Summary

I help brands and agencies control costs without compromising creative integrity. With 20+ years of experience, I specialize in vendor bid review, overage negotiation, and real-time budget tracking—delivering actionable cost reports that support smarter spending and future budget planning.

Process

Creative Cost Consulting Process – From Approved Concept Execution to Project Reconciliation
Phase I: Production Alignment – Meet with client and agency teams to confirm production scope, timeline, and content strategy. Align on budget parameters and key deliverables across all campaign touchpoints.
Phase II: Production Prep – Review creative concepts for feasibility. Evaluate vendor bids for directors, editors, music, and production support. Negotiate third-party costs to align with approved creative, ensuring quality while controlling spend.
Phase III–V: Production & Post – Track and reconcile costs in real time across production and post. Flag and manage cost deviations. Maintain a shared budget tracker to ensure transparency for all stakeholders. Support vendor communications on overages and approvals.
Phase VI–VII: Distribution & Evaluation – Deliver post-campaign financial summary and closeout report. Lead budget reconciliation and facilitate a project evaluation to surface process learnings for future campaigns.
Phase VIII: Closeout – Finalize documentation for auditing, benchmarking, and procurement forecasting. Help clients streamline future production cycles with financial insights tied to creative outcomes.

FAQs

  • Q: What types of vendors do you work with?

    A: I have deep experience negotiating with a wide range of third-party vendors, including production companies, editorial and finishing vendors, music houses, animation studios, casting agents, and talent representatives. I work closely with agencies and client teams to ensure all vendor costs are aligned with the approved creative and managed strategically.

  • Q: How do you deliver cost tracking updates?

    A: I provide a live Google Sheets tracker that’s updated weekly real-time and shared with agency and client teams. This gives all stakeholders visibility into costs, changes, and approvals throughout the project lifecycle.

  • Q: What happens after the campaign wraps?

    A: I reconcile all vendor costs, resolve open billing items, and deliver a detailed closeout report. I also offer an optional post-campaign evaluation to help clients and agencies identify process gaps and improve future production cycles.

What's included

  • Bid Review & Vendor Cost Negotiation

    I review creative concepts for feasibility and evaluate vendor bids across production, post, music, and talent. I negotiate all third-party costs to align with the approved creative and ensure the most cost-effective approach without compromising quality.

  • Real-Time Budget Tracking

    I create and maintain a tailored cost tracker for the full project lifecycle, providing live access and clear visibility for agency and client teams. This ensures alignment with approved costs and helps prevent budget overruns.

  • Overage Resolution & Scope Management

    I monitor cost deviations, assess change requests, and negotiate necessary adjustments throughout the project. I ensure overages are documented, justified, and approved before implementation.

  • Final Reconciliation & Summary Report

    I reconcile all final vendor costs, including actualized expenses, and deliver a client-ready closeout report. This summary provides historical document for future budget benchmarking and allocation planning.

Example projects

Samsung Brand Portfolio – Cost Optimization

Duration

6 weeks

Skills and tools

Consultant

Project Manager

Operations Lead

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat

Calendly

Google Sheets

Google Sheets

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel

Zoom

Zoom

Industries

Film
Advertising

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