Why Meta sees incrementality as the future of measurement

"Digital advertising has never offered more ways to connect with people - but with that abundance comes complexity. Marketers now have more channels and formats to reach consumers, and people engage with ads in more varied ways than ever before. This raises questions: Should ads optimize for clicks, views, likes or something else? The consumer journey is also less linear. A single person might encounter the same ad across multiple channels and times before making a purchase."

"As a result, while clicks are easy to measure, they don't always reflect true conversions or the full impact of advertising. Yet many marketers still rely on outdated measurement approaches like last-click attribution that miss out on what's driving business impact and overvalue lower-funnel activities like search. In fact, over one-third (35%) of ad spend based on last-click measurement is wasted, according to data from Analytic Partners."

"So, where does this leave advertisers? The answer for many companies lies in measuring and optimizing for incrementality. Incrementality measurement captures the true causal impact of advertising, allowing brands to more efficiently invest in the channels that are actually creating demand - even when that demand happens earlier in the customer journey. Companies that prioritize this approach limit the possibility of crediting conversions to the wrong channel."

Digital advertising now spans many channels and formats, increasing complexity and varied user engagement. The consumer journey is less linear, with individuals encountering the same ad across channels and times before purchasing, and search often following discovery. Clicks are easy to measure but can fail to reflect true conversions or full advertising impact. Persistent reliance on last-click attribution skews credit toward lower-funnel activity and can waste budget; Analytic Partners estimates 35% of last-click-based ad spend is wasted. Incrementality measures the causal value generated by marketing beyond what would have occurred otherwise and enables more efficient channel investment and correct crediting of conversions.

Read at Digiday