Background
A major bank in Southeast Asia had decided to move from an experience-led marketing budget allocation approach to a data-driven, ROI-focused one. The primary business objective was to maximize its Current and Savings Account (CASA) balance, a key business metric.
The bank wanted to understand how to effectively allocate spend across numerous cost types, including media, promotions, events and sponsorships, to drive this KPI. This challenge was amplified by declining customer satisfaction, which was negatively impacting the CASA balance, and significant pressure from two competitors.
The bank also had ambitions to build an in-house marketing effectiveness capability, with the CTO citing internal teams’ ability to replicate the work independently as a key criterion of success.
Solution
Gain Theory delivered a comprehensive marketing mix modelling (MMM) project focused on the bank’s mass affluent customer segment. The project began with an extended discovery phase to build a deep understanding of the business and its data landscape.
We then developed a core MMM model that provided a detailed analysis of marketing performance. To deliver a full-portfolio view, we conducted a cross-segment calibration exercise to inform budget allocation across every customer segment.
Throughout the project, we ran weekly training sessions and provided extensive documentation to ensure the bank’s internal team could build their own marketing effectiveness capability. Due to strict data sovereignty rules, our proprietary modelling software was installed directly onto the client’s own cloud environment.
Results
The MMM project successfully delivered a clear, data-backed understanding of marketing’s impact. Our analysis revealed marketing activities accounted for approximately 65% of the total performance of the bank’s key CASA balance KPI, validating its crucial role as a driver of business growth.
Arguably the most significant outcome was the successful capability uplift within the bank. The client’s team was able to independently replicate the entire MMM methodology for a different customer segment, meeting a key success criterion for the project.
Following the engagement, the bank established its own dedicated marketing effectiveness team and is now positioned to run its own models, cementing a long-term cultural shift towards data-informed decision-making. Gain Theory will provide consultancy support to ensure ongoing success.
The marketing impact on KPI as measured by MMM
