Independent analysis. No platform interest. Every finding is yours.
C3 Metrics Advisory Services offers a full spectrum of paid media analysis — from a focused search allocation diagnostic to a complete omni-channel audit. Conducted from data the client already holds. No platform relationships, no benchmark databases, no shared findings.
Greg Collins leads the analytics practice at C3 Metrics, conducting advisory engagements directly for clients across search, omni-channel measurement, and media performance. With 40 years in marketing and results-driven consulting, he brings the kind of practitioner judgment that knows the difference between a number that's technically correct and one that's actually useful. C3 Metrics holds no financial relationship with any platform, agency, or media vendor — and neither does Greg. Every engagement is compensated solely by the client. Findings belong exclusively to the client, never shared or benchmarked.
Services Spectrum
One firm. The full range.
Every engagement uses the same C3 methodology and the same standard of independence. Scope and depth vary. The data requirement is the same across all tiers: platform exports the client already holds.
Entry Point
Search Allocation Analysis
$20,000
Cross-platform cost-per-conversion gap analysis, branded and non-branded. Three reallocation scenarios grounded in market data. Includes an AI test blueprint — approved budget, test structure, and independent measurement framework for Smart Bidding, Performance Max, or similar. Standard exports only. No attribution infrastructure required.
Every engagement to date: 6–23% efficiency gain, same spend · Delivered 2–3 weeks · Findings walkthrough included · One-page engagement agreement
Report-level analysis of the most recent three months across all paid channels — search, social, programmatic, CTV, affiliate. Identifies invalid traffic, saturation, and platform self-report discrepancies. The fastest path to a complete cross-channel picture.
Minimum: $10M annual spend · Delivered 90 days · Full findings report + readout
Retroactive · 6 Months
Extended Channel Audit
$75,000 – $100,000
Broader analysis window for more reliable saturation and trend findings. Preferred for programs with seasonal spend variation or recent budget changes. The same full-channel scope with the additional period needed to distinguish pattern from anomaly.
Minimum: $10M annual spend · Delivered 90 days · Full findings report + readout
Prospective
Ongoing Signal Collection
Custom
Continuous signal collection with log-level IVT verification. Custom scope and delivery cadence. Suited for ongoing performance monitoring, AI bidding programs that require independent measurement, or deal-time commercial due diligence.
Scope defined per engagement · Accelerated timelines available for diligence · Custom agreement
What This Finds
Problems platforms don't report — because they can't, or won't.
What C3 Finds
Invalid traffic (IVT) inflating platform-reported conversions. Industry rates: 19% web display, 29% mobile app, 18% CTV (Pixalate, Q2 2025).
Channel saturation — spend past the point of diminishing return. In one engagement, saturation analysis confirmed approximately half of YouTube investment had crossed that line.
Platform self-report discrepancies. Signal verification for a major automotive advertiser surfaced a traffic anomaly platform reporting had not flagged — triggering a formal third-party investigation.
Search allocation inefficiency. Every search engagement to date has identified a 6–23% efficiency gap between platforms — recoverable with a straightforward reallocation.
Recoverable waste typically identified: 15–25% of analyzed spend.
What Traditional Auditing Misses
CPM benchmarking establishes whether the rate was competitive — not whether the spend produced a real return.
Agency audits are conducted by parties with a direct financial stake in the channels being measured. The conflict is structural, not incidental.
Platform-reported attribution adds up to more than 100% of actual conversions across any multi-channel program. The numbers can't all be right simultaneously.
Verified data is the prerequisite for any AI bidding initiative to produce reliable output. An independent audit establishes that foundation before the program runs.
"Traditional auditing asks whether the rate was fair. C3 asks whether it worked."
Independence. C3 Metrics holds no financial relationship with any media vendor, platform, or agency. Engagements are compensated solely by the client. All findings are the client's exclusive property — never pooled, benchmarked against, or disclosed to third parties. Greg Collins conducts these engagements personally, as part of his role leading the C3 analytics practice.
What We Need
Standard exports. Nothing proprietary.
Every engagement is conducted from data the client already holds. No platform access credentials required. No attribution infrastructure. The Search Allocation Analysis requires only paid search campaign exports.
Source
What's Required
Paid Search Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising
Campaign-level exports, branded and non-branded segments. Required for Search Allocation Analysis and all full-audit tiers.
Paid Social, Programmatic, CTV / Video, Affiliate
Platform exports and DSP delivery reports at campaign level. Full-audit tiers only.
Direct Mail + Offline Linear TV, Radio
Drop schedules and post logs where available. Full-audit tiers only.
Required Supporting Sources — Full Audit Tiers Only
GA4 + Media Plan + Agency Reports
Conversion signal baseline; planned vs. actual spend; cross-reference for platform-reported figures.
Start with a conversation.
Most engagements begin with a 30-minute call to confirm fit and scope. The Search Allocation Analysis can begin within a week of receiving data. There's no obligation beyond the one-page agreement that starts the work.
