By Gary Danks, General Manager for Always-On Incremental Measurement (AIM) by Kochava Inc
In 2025, marketers need to adopt Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) to gain a holistic view of their diverse advertising mix and understand the effectiveness of each channel. MMM provides a comprehensive analysis of the entire marketing funnel, from top-of-funnel brand awareness campaigns to bottom-of-funnel conversion tactics. Gaming companies, subject to frequent shifts in consumer preferences, technology, and competitive actions, can leverage MMM across the entire marketing mix to quantify the impact of digital and traditional channels, optimise marketing spend, and make data-driven decisions.
MMM is an analytical approach that quantifies the contribution of an entire portfolio of diverse marketing initiatives to sales, then predicts the outcome of future marketing strategies. It parses historical data to evaluate the relative performance of all the various channels, including traditional media such as television and print as well as myriad digital placements. By assessing the influence of each component, MMM helps businesses understand how all marketing activities work together to drive sales. This allows for more informed decision making in allocating resources for maximum effectiveness and return on investment (ROI).
Next-gen MMM
Next-generation MMM solutions have significantly reduced the technical complexity and resource requirements for implementation. Gaming advertisers can now easily integrate MMM into their workflows, with daily or weekly model updates providing highly actionable insights. The rapidly evolving gaming industry is set to reach 3 billion gamers worldwide by 2029.
The forecasting and scenario foresight afforded by MMM enable gaming companies to anticipate the impact of different marketing investments and prepare for future market conditions. Such predictive capability is crucial for maximising the efficiency of marketing investments. MMM can serve as a unifying metric that enhances collaboration across a gaming company’s marketing teams, aligning their efforts toward shared objectives and collective success.
Privacy and attribution
Gaming companies are increasingly turning to MMM as a solution to navigate the complexities of user privacy and attribution. With regulations such as Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework and potential shifts due to Google Privacy Sandbox for Android, MMM offers a privacy-compliant method that leverages aggregated data, enabling marketers to assess campaign effectiveness without individual-level tracking.
As the gaming industry faces increasing privacy restrictions and data availability challenges, MMM has become a future-proof measurement strategy bridging the gaps left because of evolving privacy policies. By adopting a data-driven approach to MMM, gaming companies can unlock powerful benefits, such as understanding the true drivers of their success and maintaining a competitive edge in such a rapidly changing market while adapting to a privacy-forward world.
Face the future
MMM is forward-looking: By leveraging historical data, MMM models forecast potential outcomes for different scenarios, enabling marketers to simulate budget allocations and craft data-driven decisions. This predictive power is particularly valuable in such a dynamic, fast-paced industry as gaming, where consumer preferences and market conditions are constantly changing. By using MMM, gaming companies can stay ahead of the curve and adapt strategies accordingly.
Maintaining meticulous data hygiene is paramount for achieving optimal results. MMM relies heavily on the integrity and accuracy of the underlying data to deliver meaningful insights and actionable recommendations. Poor data quality can lead to flawed analyses, skewed projections, and ultimately, suboptimal marketing decisions. Therefore, organizations must prioritize implementing robust data governance frameworks and rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure the data feeding into their MMM initiatives is clean, consistent, and reliable.
Kochava is a real-time data solutions company for omnichannel attribution and measurement. Gaming marketers can learn how to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS) with this comprehensive guide for mobile gaming.
