"A tough conversation is unfolding between marketing leaders and the C-suite. CMOs are realizing that static, deterministic metrics like attribution create false narratives. Many fear CEOs will blame or shame them for revealing that new insights invalidate much of their earlier reporting. The fear is real - but the bigger risk is staying trapped in bad metrics once you know they don't work. It's better to embrace marketing's complexity and adopt measurement methods that reflect how customers actually buy."
"But with attribution, companies pushed data too far. It tries to make data do more than it can and, in the process, spins false narratives. Customer journeys look less like a linear funnel and more like a child's scribble. Markets are complex systems, not predictable machines attribution tries to mold them into. As a result, businesses often make worse marketing decisions with attribution than without it - creating more pain than necessary."
Marketing measurement should provide data-driven clarity to identify what works and what does not and enable smarter budget decisions that drive revenue. Marketing automation introduced data into marketing decisions but offered only a partial view of customer purchase steps. Attribution attempted to force linear, deterministic explanations onto inherently complex and semi-predictable market behavior, producing false narratives and poorer decisions. Remaining attached to broken metrics risks worse outcomes than admitting past inaccuracies. The strategic shift should be framed as an evolution toward methods that reflect actual customer behavior and the complexity of markets.
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