Measuring the performance of above-the-line media through MMM has always been a challenge, but Mutinex’s Saabiq Ali reckons there are positive signs emerging for publishers to be optimistic.
From a data perspective, it means being able to model large amounts of historical media spend often managed by agencies through centralised systems like Spectra. For advertisers who’ve worked with multiple agencies, this becomes even harder as historical data gets fragmented and difficult to retrieve.
Lately, I’ve been noticing a shift.
With major advances in technology across publisher networks and measurement platforms, it’s becoming far easier for publishers to integrate directly into the measurement ecosystem. The key areas that enable this capability come from advertisers, publishers and MMM providers alike all changing the way data is supplied and moved.
The standard of data infrastructure has been rapidly increasing. Most publishers have begun making major investments behind their data systems, making storing and organising campaign data more easily accessible through their systems. Measurement is, at the same time, becoming a standard part of the commercial conversation. Advertisers demand transparency and speed of data sharing to support larger budgets. Publishers who can leverage their systems to provide data reliably are shifting to become partners in proving marketing effectiveness for major brands.
Every MMM provider is focusing on speed and enhancing their data capabilities. Platforms are increasingly evolving in their ability to automate data pipelines and bring multiple data providers together securely and speed up time to insights without sacrificing quality. Monthly MMM model refreshes are the common standard and the tech needs to make this easy.
A new standard of data governance
Data governance is rapidly maturing as a result. The importance of data quality assurance has become more important. Models based off incorrect data can lead to costly decisions and has forced the industry to be proactive in how their data is being reviewed, shared and verified.
In short, faster data, better measurement standards, better MMM vendors are all coming together to drive a new standard of data governance.
But not everyone is there yet. And for those who aren’t, The challenge isn’t whether it can be done anymore, but rather what it looks like when it’s done well. So from my experience, the publishers that get this right tend to focus on three key things.
They treat data as part of their service. They don’t just send reports when asked – they make sure their data is consistent, repeatable, and accurate with minimal manual handling. It’s not an afterthought; it’s part of how they deliver value and win share of budget.They think like partners, not suppliers.
The best publishers want the same thing as the advertiser: results that prove impact. They see data sharing as a shared goal rather than a checkbox exercise and invest in the relationship with measurement teams to find automated, repeatable solutions together.
They communicate openly. When publishers ask questions and share how their core data systems work, it helps ensure the model stay accurate and fast. Sometimes it’s the small nuances in how data is structured that can completely change how a channel is modelled. As an example, we are working on an MMM for a global household tech brand and one of the first challenges we faced together was around data supply.
They bought their Above-The-Line (ATL) media directly from publishers across several regions. That gets tricky when you think about the work required to collect data from each publisher every single month.
Instead of relying on the advertisers to pass on data requests to the publisher we tried a different approach in giving publishers a direct role in the data supply process. Each publisher was given access to dataOS, our centralised data ingestion platform where they can ingest their data historically and for future in a standard format every month.
This wasn’t just a technical setup. It was a change in the way people work together.
What really stood out was how responsive and transparent the publishers were once they were integrated into the process. In one case, a digital audio partner explained how they dynamically flighted campaigns based on real-time demand to optimise CPM efficiency.
That level of clarity accelerated everything. It helped uncover how media was truly being activity and why there were differences in billed spend and delivery data – context that would have taken days to uncover through intermediaries.
A matter of confidence
The takeaway wasn’t just about speed; it was about confidence. When publishers and measurement teams work together in real time, questions are resolved as they arise, and the model becomes a more accurate reflection of reality.
But this kind of collaboration still isn’t the norm. Across much of the market, publishers remain one step removed from the measurement process, even though they’re sitting on the data that can make or break model accuracy.
The real gap now isn’t about technology or automation, it is about participation. Until data becomes a shared responsibility between advertiser, publisher and measurement partner, most MMM projects will continue to lose weeks in rework and reconciliation.
This example shows what’s possible when publishers don’t just sit on the sidelines, but become active enablers of measurement. And that’s where I think the industry is heading – toward a future where publishers play a much bigger role in powering third party measurement directly, quickly and effectively. The challenge for the wider market is no longer how to do it but who’s willing to lead.
Saabiq Ali is a data solutions manager at Mutinex.
