Procurement and benchmarking rose to corporate prominence once "increased shareholder value" became the advertiser's mantra. Marketing declined in importance, from an investment to achieve brand growth to a cost to be optimized. Benchmarking consultants jumped on the bandwagon. 4As shamefully accepted the ANA benchmarking trend with hardly a whimper, leaving its members to fend for themselves.
Benchmarking is the Waterboarding of the Ad Industry
![Benchmarking is the Waterboarding of the Ad Industry](/media/articles/cartoon11_hwYcHef.png.550x380_q85_box-0%2C604%2C3125%2C2774_crop.png.webp)