Attribution is Dead: Why Tracking and Measurement Are More Broken Than Ever

For years, marketers have relied on attribution models to track user journeys, optimise campaigns, and prove ROI. But today, attribution is more broken than ever. With data accuracy issues, privacy concerns, and tracking limitations, businesses are struggling to measure what really drives performance.

Consumer behaviour is predictably unpredictable with consumers seamlessly & simultaneously moving across 4 key behaviours - searching, streaming, scrolling & shopping. Making traditional attribution even more difficult and data more fragmented.

The Overstating of Platform Data

Many businesses still rely on platform-reported attribution (e.g., Google Ads, Meta Ads) as the single source of truth. But these reports often overstate performance, leading to skewed decision-making.

Why?

Overlapping attribution: with post view and post click tracking we see multiple platforms taking credit for the same sale
Meta’s default attribution: Meta’s attribution will favour its own ads and can often inflate figures by a significant percentage
Data Blocking: Post iOS 14 tracking sees a lot of data being blocked from being passed back to the platforms, so they model missing data, essentially estimating performance data on which you make crucial investment decisions
Privacy Concerns & Distrust: Consumers are more aware of data collection practices and often opt out of tracking.

Even if platform data was correct, there are still huge flaws in all attribution models: Last-click, first-click, or even multi-touch attribution fail to reflect the complexity of modern user behavior, and are often picked based on individual preferences or channel bias. Survey data from Google shows that 88% of people cannot agree on the source of truth when it comes to attribution.

The Decline of Data Visibility

Marketers have never had less clarity in the data used for decision-making.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) migration challenges: Businesses report poorer visibility into customer journeys compared to Universal Analytics.
Third-Party Cookie Deprecation: Chrome (by 2024/2025), Safari, and Firefox are eliminating third-party cookies, cutting off a critical data source for tracking.
GDPR & CCPA Compliance: Stricter data laws limit data collection and force businesses to rethink their tracking strategies.
Consent-Driven Tracking: More users opt out, reducing dataset size and accuracy.
Walled Gardens: Google, Meta, and Amazon increasingly limit data sharing, making cross-platform attribution nearly impossible.

Understanding True ROI Without Reliable Attribution

What approach should brands be adopting in 2025? We believe the most accurate approach for driving performance is a three tiered approach

Platform Data: Of course there is still a place for platform data, it drives your bidding strategies and still holds value. This data should be the foundation of your data approach.
Media Mix Modeling (MMM): A statistical approach that helps estimate the impact of various channels without direct attribution. This is much easier if you’re using the ascend intelligence platform as it will show you the relationship and importantly correlation between any two data points.
Incrementality Testing: Run tests on increasing spend in different areas to assess the view of overall performance to find the sweet spot for investment.

We know this approach gives you the clearest view of true ROI and the most profitable approach for your business

The Future of Attribution: Adapt or Be Left Behind

Attribution as we knew it is dead. Brands that adapt will focus on building stronger first-party data strategies, testing methodologies, and multi-touch measurement frameworks that don’t rely on outdated tracking methods.

The businesses that win will be the ones that embrace the new reality: less reliance on platform-reported data and a more strategic view of performance marketing.

Ascend Align ensures your data is accurate and your consent mode approach is compliant and accurate to give you the best possible foundations to build your strategy on.