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Measuring digital advertising in a post-cookie era: A study of marketing-mix models, attribution and incrementality
Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing,
12
(4),
348-373
(2025)
Abstract
The implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) poses significant challenges to the measurement of advertisement performance, necessitating a shift away from traditional tracking methods such as web beacons, cookies and browser fingerprinting. With the discontinuation of thirdparty cookies and increased privacy standards, it has become harder for marketers to optimise advertising spend and attribution models. This paper explores the GDPR’s impact on the ad tech industry and anticipates challenges in adapting to a cookieless and more regulated data environment. In the wake of iPhone Operating System (iOS) updates and app tracking transparency, direct-to-consumer (D2C) companies have witnessed shifts in advertising spending across different channels. The study investigates three main measurement models: marketing-mix modelling (MMM), multi-touch attribution (MTA) and incrementality for D2C marketers, highlighting incrementality as the most effective method for analysing advertisement impact and optimising spending. The key contributions include a proposed triangulation framework that combines data from MMM, MTA and incrementality to support a datadriven approach, offering insights for tactical and strategic decision-making. To validate the proposed framework, a mixed-methods approach involving qualitative and quantitative surveys is designed. Targeting experienced advertising professionals, the survey evaluates the implementation of MMM and incrementality, assessing the various decision-making attributes of measurement models, such as easeof- use, accuracy, validation, robustness, predictiveness etc. Results align with existing literature and the proposed framework, demonstrating the efficiency of each technique. The paper recommends adoption of the incrementality randomised control trial method and provides a roadmap for further research in this evolving landscape.
Keywords: marketing attribution; incrementality; MTA; marketing-mix modelling
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Shashank Hosahally is a business engagement manager and doctoral researcher at Birmingham City University, developing knowledge transfer partnerships within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. He is an experienced professional in consulting technology firms with extensive knowledge of the global digital media landscape. He specialises in the field of marketing attribution, digital media measurement, decision-making frameworks, press release distribution, news media coverage, and incrementality-based media spending optimisation.
Madan Bharadwaj is a leading expert in advanced marketing measurement systems. Over 15 years and four attribution startups, he has brought innovations like multi-touch attribution and incrementality testing to market, helping marketers navigate away from last-click attribution. Most recently, Madan founded M^2 to shape a methodology-agnostic framework to solve for attribution. He teaches the framework in the industry’s first advanced attribution masterclass and helps brands access high-quality attribution talent and services through the M^2 attribution services marketplace. Prior to M^2, Madan co-founded Measured, pioneering industrial-scale incrementality testing for marketing measurement. Madan has also held senior product and technology roles at various ad tech and loyalty tech companies, driving key innovations in algorithmic cross-channel programmatic buying and digital promotions technology, and working with both large and emerging brands across various sectors. Madan holds a master’s degree in computer engineering from University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering from University of Madras.
Arkadiusz Zaremba is a lecturer at University of Warsaw and Managing Director of Otomoto PAY. He has 12 years’ experience in the digital advertising industry, most notably in the field of media buying. He holds a PhD in management from the University of Warsaw, having defended his thesis, ‘Customer journey in the online environment’, in 2020. His research interests focus on marketing attribution and its theoretical and practical gap.
Olena Volkova is a UX researcher and Chief Operating Officer at Research.ua LLC. Her research specialises in both qualitative and quantitative methods across banking, telecom, retail and the hospitality, restaurant and catering sectors. She has 20 years of managerial experience, having previously co-owned a research and development and manufacturing company. Olena holds an MBA and a master’s degree in chemistry.
