Attribution assigns credit to touchpoints that were present during a conversion journey. Incrementality tests whether those touchpoints actually caused the conversion. Attribution answers which channels were involved. Incrementality answers which channels actually moved the outcome. For budget allocation decisions, incrementality is the more reliable methodology.
Marketing efficiency ratio (MER) is total revenue divided by total marketing spend. It measures the overall return on the full program rather than individual channels. It's a simple calculation that tells you something channel-level ROAS cannot: whether the program as a whole is getting more or less efficient over time.
By centralizing data in a warehouse that pulls from every source, ad platforms, CRM, GA4, and any other relevant data, and building reporting on top of that reconciled data rather than individual platform dashboards. This makes it possible to compare channels on equal terms and surface discrepancies that in-platform reporting never catches.
The right model depends on your sales cycle, channel mix, and measurement maturity. Last-click is simple but an incomplete picture. Data-driven is better but still correlation-based. Thrive uses incrementality testing alongside attribution, with attribution informing tactical decisions and incrementality informing budget allocation.
Through CRM integration and offline conversion tracking. Sales data from Salesforce, HubSpot, or your CRM gets matched back to ad platform user IDs and uploaded as offline conversion events. This allows campaigns to optimize toward closed deals and qualified opportunities rather than digital conversion proxies.
