What is Marketing Due Diligence?

Definition

Marketing Due Diligence is a structured assessment of marketing risk, trust integrity, and revenue feasibility conducted before marketing budget is approved or expanded.

It evaluates whether marketing systems are structurally stable prior to capital deployment.

Purpose

Marketing Due Diligence exists to:

  • Quantify marketing risk before budget approval

  • Evaluate buyer trust stability across the buying journey

  • Assess whether revenue targets are structurally achievable

  • Support defensible capital allocation decisions

It is preventative governance, not post-campaign reporting.

What It Evaluates

Marketing Due Diligence evaluates:

  • Behavioural engagement across defined Trust Checkpoints

  • Conversion integrity

  • Early retention stability

  • Revenue feasibility relative to declared targets

Assessment must be quantitative.

Opinion-based marketing review does not constitute due diligence.

When It Should Be Conducted

Marketing Due Diligence should be conducted before:

  • Approving new marketing budgets

  • Increasing existing marketing budgets

  • Hiring or briefing a marketing agency

  • Launching major campaigns

  • Initiating a rebrand

  • Presenting marketing plans to a board

  • Seeking investment based on marketing-led growth

Failure to conduct due diligence increases capital exposure.

Relationship to the Pre-Spend Diagnostic

The RAMMP Pre-Spend Diagnostic operationalises Marketing Due Diligence through:

  • Defined Trust Checkpoints

  • Buyer Trust Score

  • Revenue Feasibility Index

  • STOP / KEEP / FIX / PROVE verdict protocol

See:

https://www.rammp.com/standards/pre-spend-diagnostic
https://www.rammp.com/standards/trust-checkpoints
https://www.rammp.com/standards/stop-keep-fix-prove

Distinction from Other Forms of Due Diligence

Marketing Due Diligence is distinct from:

  • Financial audit

  • Legal due diligence

  • Regulatory compliance review

  • Investment due diligence

It evaluates structural trust and revenue stability within the buying journey.

It does not provide financial, legal, or investment advice.

Summary

Marketing Due Diligence is the structured evaluation of marketing risk before money is spent.

It converts marketing from discretionary activity into governed capital allocation.