Media advisory with measurable impact

Audit. Benchmark. Optimize.

Welcome to STARS Adria, regional arm of STARS

More clarity. Better control. Higher ROI.
At STARS, we combine global know-how with hands-on regional expertise to help marketers make smarter media decisions.

We’ve walked in your shoes — our senior partners have held leadership roles on the client, agency, and media side. We understand the pressure to deliver results, grow market share, and manage P&L — all while navigating an increasingly complex media landscape.

At STARS, we blend real-world experience with data-driven methodology, delivering independent insights and complete transparency. Whether you’re running a pitch, reviewing contract compliance, or building an in-house media team, we’re here to help you make better decisions.

About STARS Adria

We are the regional arm of STARS, dedicated to supporting advertisers in Southeast Europe with global expertise and local insight.

From our offices in Ljubljana, we help brands navigate complex media challenges — from agency pitches and auditing to advanced analytics and marketing mix modeling.

With a senior team that understands the local market dynamics and speaks the language of both marketers and CFOs, we bring clarity, control, and measurable impact to your media investments.

Who will benefit from our services?

  • Companies investing €250,000+ in media working with or without media agency or dedicated media specialist on the team, but with a clear need to ensure every euro is spent efficiently.
  • Companies investing more than €1,000,000 in media—even those with in-house media experts—benefit from having a specialist lead the agency pitch process and monitor media investments. Due to the complexity of media buying, this ensures greater efficiency and accuracy, allowing marketing teams to focus on strategic and tactical execution while guaranteeing better oversight and results.
  • Companies that understand trust in the agency relationship is essential, but also know that expert oversight ensures accountability, transparency, and optimal results. This strengthens the partnership and leads to better media outcomes.
  • Companies struggling to define the right media mix. One of typical questions is, what happens to sales in the short, medium and long term if TV is entirely replaced by digital.

Our modern consulting
and auditing services include

All services are based on standardized products further fit to individual client needs

Pitch and Contracting
Management Excellence

From shortlist to signature, we manage the full pitch process — selecting the right agency, negotiating optimal pricing, and ensuring audit-ready contracts. With seasoned negotiators and proven benchmarks, we help you sign smarter and secure long-term value.

Media Auditing Expertise

Uncover hidden inefficiencies in your campaigns with our independent media audits, powered by proprietary Netscore® technology and market benchmarks.

Financial Compliance Services

We conduct a thorough and independent verification of your agency’s booking records, contract fulfillment, and financial documentation – all cross-checked against media plans and invoice trails. From rebates and discounts to technical fees and cross-invoicing between partners, we ensure everything is accurate, justified, and in line with your agreements.

Media Training for confident Decision Makers

Confidence starts with competence. Our targeted training programs empower marketing, procurement, and leadership teams to challenge agency recommendations, evaluate media investments, and navigate today’s fast-moving landscape with clarity and authority.

Media Management for best-in-class service

When marketing teams are short on time, people, or tools, they often can’t dive deep into media planning and execution. STARS steps in to ensure campaigns are set up and run effectively, providing expert oversight without burdening internal teams. This service supports both strategy and control—verifying that the agency truly delivers on promises.

Marketing Mix Modeling for superior efficiency

Smarter budget decisions start with clarity. With MMM, we reveal which channels truly drive ROI, optimize your spend, and run “what-if” simulations to forecast impact — turning data into better strategy and measurable business growth.

Our expertise and databases grow every day

Markets managed by us with partners

%

Senior team (no juniors)

Download your free PDF guide

How to Choose the Right Media Audit Agency to Run Your Pitch

Choosing the right media auditor sets the tone for your entire pitch. Pick one who’s strategic, transparent, and focused on long-term value - not just short-term savings.
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Download your free PDF guide

What advertisers need to know about media auditing

Media auditing is a discipline that ensures your media investments are transparent, efficient, and delivering the value you expect and pay for, it is not cost cutting.
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What our clients say

Petrol d.d. collaborated with the company STARS on an independent audit of media buying efficiency in Croatia. Since, at that time, we had been conducting media buying in this market partly directly, without the support of a media agency, we wanted to obtain a professional and objective assessment of how effective we had been in achieving our communication and business goals. STARS prepared a comprehensive review – both from a qualitative perspective (whether we chose the right channels, formats, and target groups) and from a quantitative perspective (what we actually achieved with a given budget compared to market standards and best practices).

The results and recommendations of the audit were presented professionally, transparently, and with clear reasoning, which significantly contributed to credibility and to the acceptance of the findings by the local teams. In addition to evaluating the current situation, the analysis also offered concrete guidelines for optimizing future activities. The cooperation with STARS provided us with a valuable insight into our own processes and gave us additional assurance that our future investments will be even more effective.

Mojca Avšič
Marketing & digital sales, Executive Director at Petrol

The STARS team has proven to be a reliable partner in the field of media monitoring.

Their service stands out for its comprehensiveness, reflecting a high level of professionalism and deep expertise in the specifics of media buying - an aspect that is particularly important in today’s constantly evolving advertising landscape. We especially value their strategic insight, tailored approach, and advisory role, all aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of our marketing activities.

Tjaša Kolenc Filipčič
Executive Director for Marketing & Corporate Communications and Customer Experience @Zavarovalnica Triglav

The scope for which STARS was contracted for can be summarised as annual tracking o| media pricing & buying  performance including AVBs/rebates/pay-factors and quality for all 12 Deutsche Telekom business-to-consumer subsidiaries in Europe across multiple agencies used in our media roster (...)

STARS has been an efficient and disciplined media auditing & consulting partner to DTAG. The STARS team has demonstrated a modern, innovative approach to auditing media, especially for a large-scale and sophisticated business like DTAG.

Gerhard Louw
Head of International Media Management @Deutsche Telekom

Contact us

  • Stars Adria - Ljubljana & Zagreb & Beograd
We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re exploring a one-time audit or long-term media consulting, our senior team is here to help.

Get in touch, book a free strategic call, or drop us a message - and we’ll get back to you shortly.
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