As with any corporate endeavor, marketing programs require a system of evaluation to ensure the most effective resource allocation. Clarity of corporate goals, linkages to proper measures, a design that integrates cross-functional and inter-firm aspects and support systems that capture and report timely results all play a crucial role in the measurement design. Above all, the design must align with strategic intent and accurately recognize the causal relationships between aspects being measured and the results being evaluated.

This Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications article presents pragmatic approaches to the design of marketing measurement programs. It is based on interviews with 30 executives and aims to raise the strategic accountability of the marketing function as it increasingly becomes a part of the C-suite agenda.