More Than Data

Media Reconciliation Drama: How More Than Data Eased the Pain for Media Planners, Buyers, and Financial Managers

More Than Data
Mar 28, 2025By More Than Data

Media reconciliation is a non-negotiable process in every media agency, big or small. It’s the meticulous task of aligning four critical reports:

  • The media plan from planners,
  • The scheduled plan from publishers,
  • The actual delivered plan, and
  • The final invoice.

In a perfect world, these reports would match seamlessly. But reality? Discrepancies, inconsistencies, and endless manual work. Here’s why. 

The Challenges

  • Multiple Media Plan Versions: Media planners and buyers often juggle multiple versions of media plans, each with slight differences. Deciding which version to use for reconciliation is a headache.
  • Constant Negotiations: Media buyers and publishers engage in back-and-forth negotiations over rates, timing, and placements. Each change creates a new version of the booked plan, adding layers of complexity.
  • Unpredictable Deliveries: Even after agreements, unforeseen events (e.g., breaking news) can disrupt scheduled ads, forcing last-minute changes or cancellations.
  • Invoice Mismatches: The final invoice often differs from the proposed or booked plan, leaving financial managers to manually reconcile every dollar for transparency.

This process used to take two weeks of full-time work for a financial manager and her assistant, involving endless eye-balling, Excel calculations, and frustration.

The Solution: More Than Data to the Rescue

More Than Data stepped in with a semi-automated system to streamline the reconciliation process:

  • Connected the Dots: Built a system linking the proposed, booked, scheduled, delivered, and invoiced media plans. Every record was tracked by time and dollar, ensuring nothing was missed.
  • PDF Automation: Used Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to convert PDF reports (e.g., scheduled plans, delivered plans, and invoices) into structured, easy-to-use formats. No more printing 20-page PDFs or manual data entry!
  • Time Savings: Reduced reconciliation time from two weeks to just two days, freeing up the financial manager and her team for higher-value tasks.

The Outcome

  • Efficiency: Reconciliation is now faster, more accurate, and less stressful.
  • Transparency: Every dollar is accounted for, ensuring clarity for both the agency and advertisers.
  • Empowered Teams: Media planners, buyers, and financial managers can focus on strategy rather than manual drudgery.

Client Feedback: A Testament to Success

The financial manager at the media agency couldn’t be happier with the results. Here’s what she had to say:

"More Than Data has completely transformed our reconciliation process. What used to take us two weeks of grueling manual work now takes just two days, thanks to their innovative tools and automation. The OCR system for PDFs is a game-changer—no more printing and eye-balling endless pages! Their solution has not only saved us time but also brought much-needed transparency and accuracy to our workflows. We’re thrilled with the results and look forward to continuing this partnership."

Final Thoughts

Media reconciliation doesn’t have to be a drama. With the right tools and automation, agencies can turn chaos into clarity and inefficiency into innovation. More Than Data proved that even the most tedious processes can be transformed—saving time, reducing stress, and delivering better results.