Media Audit Group & Associates ROAS Media Audit Group Inc.
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Paid Media Audit

Fee & Incentive Structure Review: audit how your partners get paid.

Your agency contract is the single biggest lever on whether your media programme rewards outcomes or volume. Most reward volume.

What this audit covers

  • Fee model review. Commission, retainer, performance bonus, and fee-on-fee structures examined in detail.
  • Bonus and incentive analysis. Each bonus trigger mapped to whether it reflects a business outcome or a platform metric.
  • Retained scope vs. delivery. Stated SOW compared to actual delivery, with utilisation and overrun documented.
  • Mark-up disclosure. Sub-agency, production, ad-tech, and ancillary mark-ups identified and quantified.
  • Disclosure-of-rebate clauses. Contract language reviewed for adequacy and enforceability.
How we work

The phases of the engagement.

01

Contract review

MSAs, SOWs, and recent invoices read and mapped to fee components.

02

Outcome alignment mapping

Each fee or bonus aligned to a P&L driver, a platform KPI, or neither.

03

Clause-level red flagging

Provisions that misalign incentives or obscure mark-ups identified and rated.

04

Negotiation recommendations

Specific clause language drafted for the next renewal cycle.

What you’ll get

  • A written contract review identifying every red-flag clause.
  • A fee-and-incentive heat map showing alignment to your business outcomes.
  • Specific clause language for renegotiation or renewal.
  • Optional: market-rate benchmarks for agency fees in your category.
What we typically find

The recurring patterns we surface.

Bonuses on platform KPIs

Performance bonuses tied to platform-side metrics that don't reflect P&L outcomes.

Compounding fee-on-fee

Mark-ups on production, ad-tech, and ancillary services that compound silently.

Retained scope overrun

SOWs that exceed delivered work by 25%+ year over year.

Weak rebate disclosure

Disclosure-of-rebate language that lacks teeth or is missing entirely.

Ready to discuss a fee & incentive review engagement?

Our partners reply personally to every enquiry — usually within one business day.

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