Advanced Certificate in Effectiveness
Every campaign needs an effectiveness strategy, and every agency needs its experts

Learn about objective setting, discover how to design a multi-platform campaign measurement programme, gain knowledge of theories of advertising effectiveness and earn the confidence to write an effectiveness paper to showcase your success
Authored and contributed to by leading practitioners and edited by Richard Shotton, the qualification will allow you to develop a greater understanding and a more forensic, critical thinking approach to the evaluation of your campaigns.
Who is this qualification for?
Anyone involved in the evaluation and development of effective creative work, whatever the discipline, in either agency or client businesses. In particular, mid-level planners with at least four years’ experience. More junior practitioners should embark on the Effectiveness Essentials Certificate.
What are the benefits?
- Prove the value of your contribution to your client’s business.
- Improve your client relationships by speaking their language.
- Design a measurement program to evaluate multi-platform activity, from sponsorship, digital, and promotional to CRM and DM activity.
- Confidently and correctly analyze the impact and effect of any campaign.
- Write a brilliant effectiveness paper.
How is the qualification delivered and assessed?
- 35 hours of online learning are accessible through the IPA website on any device or via the IPA Learning app.
- You should allow for 2-3 months of study before sitting the exam.
- Formal 2-hour online exam.
- If you pass the exam, you will be awarded a digital certificate of completion and 3 MIPA stars for personal accreditation
The 2022 Intake Dates
The 2022 intake commences on 30 May 2022.
Module 1
Introduction to Effectiveness Testing
An introduction to the core principles of effectiveness testing. This module summarises the recent work of Les Binet, Peter Field and Byron Sharp.
Module 2
Planning for Effectiveness
This module provides an overview of the six key steps in best practice evaluation. It categorises the different types of objectives and how they should be set in a SMART fashion.
Module 3
Input measures
This module defines the two key types of measures (inputs and outputs). It explains what the most useful input measures are and how they can be calculated.
Module 4
Output Measures: Business
An overview of the core business measures for marketing effectiveness, with particular attention being paid to pricing.
Module 5
Output Measures: Behavioural
This module defines behavioural measures. It explains the most common types of behavioural measure, how they can be calculated and their strengths and weaknesses.
Module 6
Output Measures: Awareness and attitudes
This module defines the main types of awareness and attitudinal metrics.
Module 7
Isolating your activity: Non-econometric
A look at the best practice techniques for evaluating effectiveness outside of econometrics. These techniques are important to understand and use even if a campaign is also using econometrics.
Module 8
Isolating your activity: Introduction to Econometrics
This module explains not just what econometrics does but also how it works. It looks at the many strengths of econometrics but also the limitations.
Module 9
Payback and ROMI
This module looks at two key methods for working out a campaign effect and a business “bottom line”. It explains what Payback and ROMI mean and how they can be calculated.
Module 10
Evaluating DM
This module focuses on the particular challenges of measuring mail campaigns. It looks at the evolving nature of best practice in this field and the role of JICMail in evaluating campaigns.
Module
Evaluating Digital
An in-depth look at the key concepts for measuring the effectiveness of digital advertising. This section covers measuring both the brand and performance aspects of digital.
Module 12
Evaluating PR, Experiential and Sponsorship
An in-depth analysis of the best practice approaches for measuring PR and Sponsorships. The RAE (Research, Assessment, Evaluation) model is discussed for Sponsorship, as well as the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework for PR campaigns.
Module 13
Public Sector Campaigns
This module looks at the unique challenges of public sector campaigns. It covers the government’s comms planning approach (OASIS) and the Evaluation Framework 2.0
Module 14
How to Win an Effectiveness Award
An overview of why effectiveness awards are important, what’s expected and how to write a successful entry.
Become qualified in evaluating and measuring advertising and marketing effectiveness