From goals to management: KPI framework for marketing

Digital transformation challenges media companies to continuously evolve and make their business model manageable. At Freie Presse Mediengruppe, it was clear from early on that data would play a central role. In recent years, important foundations had already been put in place: a cross-functional KPI pyramid as a strategic steering instrument, and the development of a modern data platform designed to enable data-driven decisions going forward.

While the KPI pyramid had already been developed for management, the reader market, and the editorial team, a consistent and aligned framework for digital advertising was still missing. This is exactly where the project with The Data Institute came in: the goal was to extend the KPI pyramid with a solid advertising logic – creating a reliable foundation for steering, reporting, and subsequent technical implementation.

Shared Start and Clear Target Picture

The project kicked off with a joint session bringing together the leadership team and key stakeholders from the advertising unit. Beyond defining project objectives, the primary focus was on developing a shared understanding of what steering in digital advertising should look like going forward. The openness and commitment of all participants was immediately apparent – a critical prerequisite for everything that followed.

Intensive Workshops and Collaborative Development

The next phase involved several on-site workshops. Together with the advertising teams, relevant performance and driver metrics were collected, discussed, and structured. The workshops were characterized by strong engagement, real functional depth, and a clear desire to shape the outcome. Perspectives from advertising, product, and technology were openly shared and constructively aligned.

Building on this foundation, the work was continued digitally in a smaller core team. Regular, highly productive sessions were used to sharpen metrics, refine definitions, and clarify interdependencies. Discussions were substantive and at times challenging – always constructive, and always with the shared ambition of arriving at a solution that would be both robust and future-proof.

Close Alignment with the Leadership Team

Throughout the project, continuous alignment took place with the leadership team – in particular with the Head of Digital Advertising and the Chief Digital Officer. These regular touchpoints proved highly valuable: they provided clarity on strategic questions and delivered important input on prioritization and how the KPIs fit into the broader organizational context.

From Logic to Visualization

As a result of the collaborative work, approximately 30 core and forward-looking metrics were defined, including dimensions and attributes. In addition, The Data Institute developed dashboard mock-ups with different views and visualization approaches. These were specifically designed around the needs of different stakeholders – from operational teams to senior leadership – translating the KPI logic into a clear, steering-relevant format.

At the project close-out, the developed dashboards and results were presented to the leadership team, including the Head of Advertising, the CDO, and the CEO. This not only created transparency around content and logic, but also secured a clear commitment to the next steps.

Outlook: Implementation on the New Data Platform

With the project complete, Freie Presse Mediengruppe now has a clearly defined and aligned KPI framework for digital advertising. The results form the functional foundation for data modeling on the new data platform, visualization in Power BI, and the gradual activation of additional steering and analytics capabilities.

This project demonstrates how strategic vision, functional depth, and close cross-functional collaboration can work together to sustainably strengthen steering capability in the context of digital transformation.

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