Is multi-touch attribution (MTA) past its expiration date? In this third part of my MTA series, I’m exploring why retailers like Albertsons Media Collective, Best Buy Ads, and Amazon are bringing it back, and whether new approaches can overcome the data quality issues that gave MTA a bad reputation.

Better data doesn’t necessarily mean better decisions. From banner ads getting credit for impressions that don’t influence shoppers to media buyers lacking the time or flexibility to act on insights, I’m looking at MTA’s real-world limitations and whether it can deliver value despite incomplete, retailer-specific measurement.

This episode is sponsored by GrowthLoop

Timeline

00:41 — Is multi-touch attribution past its expiration date? I introduce the central question of this third installment in my MTA series.
01:24 — Why MTA got a bad name, and how Albertsons Media Collective and Best Buy Ads are reintroducing attribution capabilities under new approaches and terminology.
02:30 — The data quality problems behind traditional MTA, including the risks of combining individual-level exposure logs with cohort and panel data.
04:20 — Why better data doesn't automatically solve viewability problems or stop ads from receiving credit simply for appearing on a page.
05:10 — What media buyers really need to make better decisions, and why perfect attribution data may still be impractical to act on.
08:55 — How Amazon approaches multi-touch attribution, including holdout experiments designed to test whether ads actually drive incremental behavior.
11:20 — Why marketers are still investing in MTA, and why the reality of committed media budgets may matter more than the promise of a perfect attribution model.

Links & Resources

• This is part 3 of my series on MTA, catch up on the other instalments:
  • Part 1 - Do brands really want MTA?
  • Part 2 - Why retailers are reviving MTA
• Part one of this series drew a lot of impassioned comments on LinkedIn about whether MTA is still relevant.
• Amazon announced its MTA in October 2024.
• Siloed or incomplete data was the top reason marketers gave for doubting their measurement (49.5%) in a July 2025 survey of 196 US marketers by EMARKETER and TransUnion.
• Read my related articles:
  • This Agency Abandoned MTA, Here's Why
  • Retail Media's Measurement Problem: It's Not Just the Retailers
  • 'Not 100% altruistic': ad measurement veteran on what retail media is really optimizing for
  • The Other Side of the Story: Why Retailers Struggle with Media Measurement & Standardization
• Check out Basket Case, a project I’m part of with The Drum and QSIC, an irreverent and lively podcast series where we talk shop.
• I'm sharing comedy skits on Instagram about retail media! Follow along: @retailmediabreakfastclub
• Subscribe to Retail Media Breakfast Club's daily newsletter
• Follow Kiri Masters on LinkedIn