The Marketing Hour Podcast - The $600K Marketing Mistake (Mar. 14, 2025)

What would you do if you discovered your company had been unknowingly wasting $600,000 on an ad that had been running unchecked for FIVE years?

That’s exactly what happened during one of my routine marketing audits. A LinkedIn ad, buried deep in the system, had been quietly charging the CFO’s corporate credit card $10K per month—without oversight.

🚩 The company had hired a marketing agency before I came onboard—but they never flagged it.
🚩 My predecessor, reportedly a marketing “whiz,” either never knew about it or never caught it.
🚩 Leadership didn’t want to discuss it. If the CEO found out, heads would have rolled.

In this episode, I break down:
✅ How I uncovered this costly mistake
✅ Why agencies aren’t always looking out for your best interests
✅ The actions I took to stop the financial bleed
✅ How we redirected $120K annually into higher-performing marketing
✅ Lessons learned to prevent these costly errors

💡 Marketing oversight isn’t optional—it’s essential. Whether you’re working with an agency or managing your own campaigns, this episode will help you rethink how you track your marketing spend.

🔎 When was the last time you audited your marketing budget?

🎧 Listen now and learn how to protect your business from costly marketing mistakes.

👉 Subscribe, rate, and review the show!

#Marketing #MarketingAudit #CMO #Leadership #MarketingStrategy #BudgetOptimization

About The Marketing Hour
The Marketing Hour is your go-to podcast for smart, ethical, and results-driven marketing insights. Hosted by Michelle Silva, The Savvy CMO, this show dives into real-world marketing wins, industry pitfalls, and actionable strategies to help you grow your business the right way—without the fluff, gimmicks, or bro-marketing tactics.

If you're a bold, visionary entrepreneur, business leader, or nonprofit, this podcast is for you.

Connect with Me
💻 Website: TheSavvyCMO.com
📩 Work with me: Book a marketing audit
📱 LinkedIn: Michelle Silva | The Savvy CMO

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#Marketing #CMO #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy #TheMarketingHour