- Client: Bimbo Bakeries USA
- Industry: Consumer Packaged Goods (Bakery)
- Challenge: Eliminate conflicting analytics and enable data-driven decision making across fragmented teams
- Solution: Unified Measurement with organizational transformation
- Results: Single source of truth driving faster, more effective marketing decisions
Bimbo Bakeries USA partnered with Ipsos MMA to solve a critical organizational challenge: transforming from analytics paralysis to actionable decision-making. Through our Unified Measurement approach combined with strategic organizational alignment, Bimbo moved from conflicting reports and delayed decisions to a streamlined measurement framework that drives business growth across their portfolio of beloved breakfast brands, including Thomas' Bagels and English Muffins.
Business Challenge
Fragmented Teams, Conflicting Insights
As one of America's largest baking companies with iconic brands spanning the breakfast category, Bimbo Bakeries USA faced a measurement challenge that many enterprise marketers will recognize. Multiple teams—omnichannel, media, and marketing analytics—operated independently, each advocating for budget allocation to their respective areas while applying different measurement methodologies.
The omnichannel team focused on ROAS using last-click attribution methodology. The media team relied on marketing mix modeling that considered broader business drivers. With different KPIs, lookback windows, and analytical approaches, agreement between teams proved nearly impossible.
The Cost of Analysis Paralysis
This fragmentation created a familiar but costly problem: brand managers caught between competing analytical narratives. Reports accumulated faster than teams could review them. Multiple analyses of the same campaigns reached different conclusions. Decision-making slowed as stakeholders debated which methodology to trust.
"As a brand person, this situation is frustrating as I need to look at the business holistically and without bias," explained Nicole Kane, VP/GM of the Breakfast Category at Bimbo Bakeries USA. "I need the data to help inform my decisions, as my goal is to grow the business by recruiting, retaining, and building breakfast loyalists."
The broader impact extended beyond frustration. Delayed decision-making created missed optimization opportunities and inefficient budget allocation across Bimbo's marketing investments.
Our Approach
Unified Measurement with Organizational Transformation
Ipsos MMA's solution addressed both the technical and organizational dimensions of Bimbo's measurement challenge. Our Unified Measurement methodology provided the analytical foundation, while our consulting approach guided the organizational changes necessary for sustainable adoption.
The transformation unfolded across three integrated phases:
Team Consolidation: Working with Bimbo's leadership, we supported the evolution from multiple competing teams to unified operations. This progressed from integrating shopper marketing and eCommerce functions, to consolidating media buying operations, to establishing single leadership for retail media planning, buying, measurement, and branded media.
Measurement Framework Alignment: We implemented our comprehensive Unified Measurement toolkit matched to specific business needs. This includes MMM for strategic planning, Agile Attribution measurement linked to MMMs for tactical optimization, and specialized approaches.
Use-Case Driven Reporting: Rather than functional reports generated on different schedules, we help design a reporting framework that begins with business decisions. Every report addresses specific business questions for clearly defined audiences with actionable insights.
Collaborative Implementation
Our approach emphasized stakeholder alignment throughout the transformation. We established a cross-functional steering committee led by Bimbo's marketing analytics leader, facilitating small group sessions that allowed stakeholders to share perspectives openly while building confidence with new measurement approaches.
The committee designed solutions addressing diverse business decision-making needs across the organization, ensuring that measurement insights could drive action rather than create additional confusion.
Technological Foundation
Bimbo leverages our Activate platform's scenario planning capabilities for strategic decision-making. These tools go beyond standard MMM outputs to provide dynamic 'what-if' analysis for budget negotiations and strategic media spend decisions, proving invaluable for leadership discussions and media optimization.
Results
Organizational Alignment
Single Source of Truth
The consolidated measurement framework eliminated competing methodologies and conflicting insights. Teams now operate from shared KPIs with ROI as the primary focus, supported by metrics tailored to specific tactics and channels.
Faster Decision-Making
Organizational alignment on measurement methodology dramatically reduced decision delays. Clear understanding of when to use which analytical approach eliminated the debates that previously slowed optimization efforts.
Measurement Framework Optimization
Strategic and Tactical Integration
The unified approach combines top-down MMM insights for strategic planning with granular measurement for tactical optimization. This integration provides both budget allocation guidance and campaign-level improvement recommendations.
Use-Case Driven Insights
Reports now address specific business questions for defined audiences. Practitioners receive campaign-specific performance data. Brand teams get cross-channel performance comparisons. Executives focus on incremental business ROI from marketing investments.
Business Impact
From Paralysis to Action
Bimbo's marketing organization moved beyond report overload to analytics-driven decision making. Teams now depend on measurement insights to guide budget allocation and campaign optimization, with unified structure enabling holistic evaluation of marketing investment opportunities.
Client Perspective
Nicole Kane VP/GM, Breakfast Category, Bimbo Bakeries USA
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