By the numbers Project Worldwide tries to solve marketing’s toughest sum

MUMBAI: Marketing has always loved big ideas. Now it is being asked to show its working. Project Worldwide has announced the launch of Math of Marketing, a proprietary intellectual property positioned as a long-term framework to decode marketing effectiveness and measurement in India. Debuting with what the group describes as India’s largest-ever study on marketing ROI, the initiative is designed not as a one-off report, but as a permanent strategic pillar for the network in the region.

The IP arrives at a moment when Indian marketing is wrestling with a familiar contradiction. CMOs are under constant pressure to deliver immediate returns, even as brands acknowledge the need to invest in long-term equity. Math of Marketing sets out to address that tension by creating a structured, evidence-led approach to how success is defined, measured and defended in boardrooms.

According to Project Worldwide global CEO Chris Meyer India represents a critical inflection point. He said the country’s next phase of growth will be unlocked by evidence-based marketing, adding that the new IP is intended to build a rigorous foundation for understanding how brand value and commercial outcomes truly connect in one of the world’s most dynamic markets.

At its core, Math of Marketing focuses on five pressure points shaping modern marketing decisions. These include proprietary metrics that link brand health directly to revenue, frameworks for balancing short-term performance with long-term brand building, and quantifying the ROI of customer marketing and loyalty. The initiative will also track how AI adoption, advanced attribution models and evolving technology stacks are influencing decision-making in 2026, alongside assessing how disciplined Indian organisations really are when it comes to experimentation and agility.

The first major output from the initiative will be a flagship report titled Math of Marketing: How Modern CMOs Measure What Matters, intended to act as a reference point for both B2B and B2C marketers. Beyond the data, the IP will be supported by an ongoing “brain trust” of senior marketers, analysts and industry experts, aimed at setting new benchmarks rather than reacting to old ones.

For the India business, the emphasis is on creating common ground. Project Worldwide chief growth officer for India and South Asia Rasheed Sait said the market no longer needs more dashboards, but a shared language for success. He noted that the IP is designed to give brands India-specific blueprints to optimise media mix, creative effectiveness and long-term investment decisions in an increasingly complex ecosystem.

Project Worldwide plans to activate Math of Marketing through a series of industry consultations, expert roundtables and collaborative workshops in the coming weeks, keeping the conversation rooted in real-world challenges rather than theoretical models.

In an industry where intuition has often outpaced evidence, Math of Marketing is a clear signal of where the debate is heading. Less guesswork, more grounding. And perhaps, for once, marketing might finally get full marks for its maths.