Continuous Improvement in Return (CIR)

What is CIR?

MASB is a visionary initiative by industry professionals and academics who see an opportunity to increase the contribution of the marketing function through the development of standards. The question for MASB leaders was how to help executives start and maintain marketing accountability over time. The answer is CIR, Continuous Improvement in Return, a series of purposeful decisions taken over multiple cycles that steer your company toward ever-growing financial returns.

The CIR Assessment is an objective evaluation of your company’s performance against 13 capabilities leveraged by best-practice companies.

Marketing Science criteria for continuous improvement include:

  1. Measurement Development
  2. Integrated Databases
  3. Research on Research/Analytics
  4. Knowledge
  5. Better Practice/Continuous Learning
  6. Forecasting Models

Governance criteria include:

  1. Cross-functional Team with CIR Orientation
  2. Common Financial Metric
  3. Common Purpose
  4. Common Rewards
  5. Central Funding
  6. CIR Planning Process
  7. Ever-rising Thresholds

The CIR Assessment Process

Assessments are low-impact consulting projects conducted by a pair of MASB experts over three meetings:

  1. Kick-off: One hour, can be conducted remotely. We brief executives and tighten the project scope—targeting business unit(s), customers, prospects, etc. We also provide questions for your team to consider before the Q&A.
  2. Q&A: Half day, ideally in person and on premises. We guide company executives through the previously provided questions. Answers can be given verbally, with hand-outs, on white boards, etc.
  3. Read-out: One hour, conducted remotely or in person. We provide:
    • Scoring of company progress against the capabilities
    • Comparison of your company against anonymous others
    • Guidance from MASB experts
    • A point of view on the highest-potential improvement areas
    • A written report to share with your colleagues.

Best Practices Benchmark Analysis:  5 Capabilities

Measurement Development, Forecasting Models, Common Financial Metric, Central Funding, CIR Planning Process

FULL ASSESSMENT:  13 Capabilities

BASIC + Integrated Databases, Research-on-Research/Analytics, Knowledge, Better Practice/Continuous Learning, Cross-functional Team with CIR Orientation, Common Purpose, Common Rewards, & Ever-rising Thresholds

What MASB Needs from You

  1. Executive participation from your Marketing, Finance, and Analytics functions in all three meetings
  2. Candor in providing information and answering questions
  3. A signed CIR Agreement form

For more information or to arrange for your assessment, contact Frank Findley, Executive Director, [email protected]

 

CIR PROJECT UPDATES (MASB Members Only)