The latest trend in measurement is a classic. MMM, or media mix modeling, has been embraced by startups, brands and all the leading ad platforms: Meta, Amazon and now Google, which dubbed its program Meridian.
This week on the podcast, our senior editor James Hercher tells us why he’s paying attention to Google’s Meridian MMM product, and how it compares to the competition.
Why are companies like Google retreating to MMM? Signal loss. The previous measurement innovation, multi-touch attribution, promised to stitch together the impact of every ad seen on a consumer’s journey and replace last-click attribution. But the dream of MTA was squashed by signal loss. As digital measurement retreats back to MMM, companies are fortifying their models with as much modernity as a channel-level measurement tool can muster.
Besides big platforms, startups are also tackling MMM too, like FutureSight, which AdExchanger profiled this week.
Digital companies are wise to learn more about MMM, Hercher said. Brands should lean into tactics like geo testing and incremental testing that “introduce time gaps” into measurement and reintroduces them to the lag they experience with MMM – a foreign concept to many digital natives.
Shoppable TV vs. T-Commerce
Speaking of measurement, everyone wants to be able to tie purchases to ads shown on TV. From Hulu pause ads featuring Charmin toilet paper to interactive, shoppable ads encouraging you to DoorDash your favorite fast food, TV and commerce are more tightly linked than ever before.
If you buy something you see on television, that’s T-commerce, our associate editor Alyssa Boyle explains on the podcast. But shoppable TV is a bit more specific, and refers to using that remote control to buy something.
The topic is more important than ever. Now that Amazon made Prime Video an AVOD experience by default this year, and Walmart is buying Vizio. Expect to see more natively integrated ad experiences and closed-loop measurement – and the collision between commerce and CTV is another area for brands to lean into as they return to MMM.
