The short version
Attribution is useful for tactical channel reporting, campaign optimization, and understanding tracked touchpoints. MMM is better for budget decisions, cross-channel impact, offline media, privacy-safe measurement, and board-level planning.
Uses tracked user events, clicks, sessions, or conversions. It is fast and granular, but depends on tracking coverage and platform rules.
Uses aggregated business history. It is slower and broader, but can include offline drivers, non-click effects, privacy-safe data, and business context.
Where attribution is strong
- Daily campaign optimization
- Creative and audience testing
- Tracked funnel diagnostics
- Short-term platform reporting
Where MMM is stronger
- Annual and quarterly budget allocation
- Measuring channels that do not get direct clicks
- Separating media from price, promotions, and seasonality
- Understanding saturation and marginal returns
- Working without user-level tracking
Do not ask attribution to answer board-level budget questions alone. Use attribution for operating the machine and MMM for deciding where the machine should receive more fuel.
How teams combine both
A strong measurement system uses attribution for campaign execution, MMM for budget planning, and experiments for calibration. When all three disagree, the team investigates data quality, tracking changes, incrementality, and business context before making a large move.