Performance Marketing
Attribution models, ROAS, media mix modeling, and incrementality testing.
15 articles
Everyone tracked clicks, Forrester tracked preference: why performance marketing lost the plot
Forrester's research found that B2B marketers were drowning in engagement data while remaining blind to whether buyers actually preferred their company. The signals that fill dashboards and justify budgets turn out to measure activity, not advantage.
Sep 23, 2026Comscore says ChatGPT is losing ground: what AI share of voice actually means for CMOs
Comscore data shows ChatGPT's grip on AI-driven discovery loosening as Gemini and Claude absorb a growing share of citations. For CMOs, this splintering redefines where brand visibility is won or lost, and the measurement playbook has not caught up yet.
Sep 17, 2026Oscar Health's Lucie rebrand: what repositioning a health insurance brand actually requires
Oscar Health has split its brand architecture into two, launching Lucie for marketplace buyers while refreshing Oscar for its core individual audience. The move offers a precise case study in how to reposition a regulated, low-trust category without erasing the equity you've already built.
Sep 8, 2026Media mix modeling: why Mastercard and Uber are betting on an old tool in a new era
Media mix modeling fell out of fashion when digital attribution promised faster, cheaper answers. Now, as brand-building returns to the boardroom agenda, companies like Mastercard and Uber are discovering that MMM was right all along, just waiting for better data and computing power to prove it.
Aug 30, 2026Server-side tracking and the conversions API: a CMO's execution playbook
Browser-based tracking is losing signal at a rate that makes campaign optimization unreliable. This playbook walks through the concrete steps to implement server-side tracking and the conversions API before the data gaps compound further.
Aug 22, 2026Incrementality testing: the playbook for replacing last-click attribution
Last-click attribution has been quietly lying to your media budget for years, and privacy deprecation has made the distortion worse. This playbook walks you through how to run incrementality tests that tell you what your spend is actually doing.
Aug 21, 2026Reading and improving ROAS honestly
ROAS is the metric marketers quote most and misread most. This playbook shows how to strip out the noise, build a number you can actually trust, and then move it in the right direction.
Aug 7, 2026Server-side tracking field guide: the players who shaped how we measure everything
A curated rundown of the companies, products, and milestones that defined server-side tracking and the conversions API landscape. Know these names and you understand why client-side measurement is no longer sufficient.
Jul 30, 2026How Procter & Gamble rebuilt its media mix modeling capability and what it actually changed
Procter & Gamble spent years dismantling its traditional media mix modeling infrastructure in favor of digital attribution tools, then reversed course when the data stopped making sense. Their path back offers a practical blueprint for CMOs trying to measure marketing at scale without being held hostage to platform-reported metrics.
Jul 17, 2026Attribution in 2026: why last-click is still killing your budget decisions
Most marketing teams still anchor budget decisions to attribution models that were outdated five years ago. Here is what has changed, and what CMOs need to do differently.
Jul 10, 2026Attribution in 2026: why your last-click data is lying to you
Most marketing attribution models still reward the last touchpoint before conversion, systematically misallocating budget and distorting strategic decisions. Here is what CMOs need to understand about where measurement is now, and what to do differently.
Jul 3, 2026Attribution in 2026: why your last-click data is lying to you
Most attribution models still reward the last touchpoint before conversion, quietly misallocating budgets worth millions. CMOs who haven't rebuilt their measurement architecture are optimising for the wrong signals.
Jun 26, 2026The attribution illusion: why your performance marketing data is lying to you
Most CMOs are optimizing toward metrics that flatter their agency relationships rather than reflect business reality. Here is how to rebuild attribution as a strategic asset rather than a reporting convenience.
Jun 20, 2026The attribution illusion: why your performance marketing dashboard is lying to you
Most CMOs are optimizing their performance marketing budgets based on attribution models that were designed for a simpler internet, one that no longer exists. Understanding where these models break down isn't just an academic exercise; it's the difference between compounding competitive advantage and systematically misallocating millions of dollars.
Jun 14, 2026The attribution illusion: why most CMOs are optimizing for the wrong metrics
Attribution models promise clarity on marketing ROI, but most are quietly misleading the executives who rely on them most. Here's what sophisticated CMOs need to understand about the gap between measurement and reality.