Best practices for getting the most out of your marketing mix model

MMM is a measurement approach that quantifies the impact of different marketing investments to help advertisers understand what’s working, what’s not, and where to optimize across their media mix. 

With evolving privacy expectations and the growing use of machine learning, some traditional attribution models are falling out of favor with advertisers. 

Modern approaches to MMM offer alternatives with advanced capabilities, such as modeling incrementality in aggregate for instance, enabling you to make smarter decisions for your programmatic investments. Our MMM feed helps brands succeed in this environment by offering: 

• Automated, no-cost data feeds updated weekly 

• Granular inputs that align with how media is actually bought (e.g., by channel, format, and buying model) and provide flexibility to adapt when strategies change 

• Templatized data structures that eliminate the need to recategorize raw inputs 

This approach makes it easier to analyze programmatic tactics with precision and adapt as measurement practices evolve. 

Treat programmatic as a buying methodology rather than a distinct channel 

Programmatic enables advertisers to buy media across channels. For MMM to reflect its impact accurately, inputs should reflect how programmatic spend is structured. 

That means: 

• Breaking out programmatic partners as separate line items 

• Within each partner, breaking out media channels such as connected TV (CTV), display, and audio 

• Distinguishing between video formats (e.g., CTV vs. online video) and between programmatic vs. direct buys 

• If budget and data volume allow, breaking out to the publisher level 

This level of detail increases the accuracy of measured results and helps marketers and measurement partners isolate which programmatic tactics are driving performance. 

Use our MMM feed to seamlessly power your model with rich, accurate, and model-ready data 

The quality of your MMM is only as good as the data it’s built on. The MMM feed is the optimal way to get the data needed to power your model. This approach is: 

• Comprehensive: It provides a robust set of grains and metrics that meet the requirements of the largest industry-leading MMM partners. These fields are designed with programmatic best practices in mind and aligned to how media is bought and measured. 

• Accurate and automated: Data is sourced directly from our platform (not ad servers) and delivered straight to your analytics team. The MMM feed includes critical metrics related to ad groups and costs. 

• Model-ready: Standardized, structured data formats eliminate the need for time-consuming prep work. With templatized taxonomy and mapped fields, your team can focus on insights instead of cleanup. 

Lean on your team at The Trade Desk for support 

Your account team can help you get the most from your MMM before, during, and after the modeling process. 

Start by reviewing your measurement strategy, vendors, and methodologies together. Align data definitions, naming conventions, and any platform nuances that affect how data is extracted and interpreted. Your account team will maintain a mapping file that serves as the reference point for understanding your raw data. 

As your targeting and buying strategies evolve, your account team can help update your schema and structure tests that reflect your current goals. After your model runs, share results with as much granularity as possible — whether that means indexed outputs or detailed findings. Even without raw ROI figures, your team can help translate results into concrete next steps for planning and optimization. 

From feed setup to post-model consultation, our team is there to help you turn MMM results into smarter planning and optimization. 

Ready to get more from your model? 

We provide the data, tools, and support to help advertisers navigate MMM with clarity and confidence. Talk to your team to learn how to activate the MMM feed and improve your modeling workflows.