<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/69fa7140602b92ce25f00a72_2443-68aca8afc1ce8001047218.jpeg" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">The New MMM: Why Transformers Are Reshaping Marketing Attribution</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 May 2026</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">Unlike traditional MMM, which relies primarily on structured variables such as spend, impressions, and sales, NNN has the capacity to evaluate a wider spectrum of inputs.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">These include visual characteristics like colour, brightness, or motion in video, the sentiment embedded in consumer comments, the emotional tone of language in taglines and captions, and even behavioural signals such as scrolling speed or hover duration.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">By synthesising this unstructured data alongside traditional metrics, NNN produces a more holistic view of campaign performance.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The question shifts from "which channel worked" to "which combination of message, creative, and context created impact."</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/69fcafcc0cc43485006f1bbf_69fcafca13e99c4ab74e9ffd_causal-68ac88fc7f6f2136114561.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>NNN evaluates unstructured inputs alongside traditional metrics to produce a more holistic view of campaign performance.</figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Who Benefits Most</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">The benefits of NNN apply universally, but the application differs by stage of agency maturity.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Smaller agencies may not yet have the scale to run models directly, but the ability to discuss the principles behind NNN with confidence already marks them as progressive and well-informed.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Mid-sized agencies, managing multi-channel campaigns and facing pressure to prove creative value, stand to gain the most immediate impact.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For them, NNN provides a credible framework to demonstrate how brand and creative strategies contribute to measurable outcomes.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Enterprise-level agencies, which already deploy econometric models, can use NNN to strengthen their case for creativity by showing that its influence is no longer subjective but quantifiable.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Evidence of Performance</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Research published in 2025 has already demonstrated the clear advantage of transformer-based approaches over classical MMM. In controlled studies, NNN models were shown to improve attribution accuracy by as much as thirty percent across complex, mixed media environments. This is not a marginal gain. It represents a step change in how marketers can understand cause and effect in campaigns that cut across television, digital, social, and experiential channels.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">30<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Improvement in attribution accuracy shown in controlled studies of NNN models.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">4<em>+</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Channel types evaluated: television, digital, social, and experiential.</span></div> </div> <p class="gn-reveal">The improvements were most pronounced in campaigns where creative quality and message complexity played a decisive role. For example, campaigns that blended emotive storytelling in video with tactical digital activations often confused classical MMM models, which defaulted to attributing uplift to the most easily measurable channels. NNN, by contrast, was able to weight the impact of creative variables such as language, tone, or visual style alongside traditional spend and reach data.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">This matters because it validates what agencies and marketers have long suspected but struggled to prove. The words, images, and emotional cues inside a campaign can carry as much weight in driving business outcomes as the choice of channel. Where classical MMM consistently undervalued these creative factors, NNN revealed them as critical drivers of engagement, conversion, and retention.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The result is a richer and more accurate picture of marketing effectiveness. Instead of relying on blunt averages and lagging indicators, decision-makers can see with greater precision how different creative elements contribute to performance and how budgets should be reallocated for maximum impact.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/69fcafcc0cc43485006f1bbb_69fcafcb19d85e787c907cfc_attribution-accuracy-comparison-68ac88fc7f6f2320062949.jpeg" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Attribution accuracy comparison between classical MMM and NNN transformer-based models.</figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>A Practical Approach</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Agencies do not need to abandon their existing tools in order to start experimenting with NNN. The most effective way to test the difference is to take a live campaign and run it through both a classical MMM model and an NNN framework. This creates a like-for-like comparison that highlights where the new methodology adds value.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">When comparing outputs, attention should be given to three key areas. The first is budget allocation, where NNN can reveal more accurate distribution of spend across channels by accounting for creative resonance rather than just media weight. The second is media decay, which is how quickly the impact of a channel or campaign fades over time. Traditional MMM often struggles to capture these decay patterns accurately, while NNN has the ability to model them with greater precision. The third is creative-level attribution. By factoring in variables such as language, tone, sentiment, and visual cues, NNN can show how individual elements of creative execution contribute to outcomes in a way that classical MMM simply cannot.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Once these outputs are compared, the final step is to track which model's predictions align most closely with real-world business outcomes. These outcomes might include overall ROI, customer retention rates, or conversion uplift across different platforms. The model that consistently demonstrates stronger alignment is the one that earns trust, both internally and with clients.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For agencies, this comparative method has an additional benefit. It creates a persuasive story for clients who remain attached to the comfort of classical econometrics. By showing both models side by side and correlating their recommendations with actual results, agencies can provide hard evidence that NNN is not just a theoretical improvement but a practical one. When clients see the added accuracy and insight delivered by NNN, the rationale for change becomes much more compelling.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>The Mindset Shift</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Perhaps the most important change introduced by NNN is not technological but philosophical. It forces marketers and agencies to rethink what really drives performance.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For years, classical MMM trained decision-makers to look at spend distribution as the primary lever of effectiveness. If television appeared to drive results, budgets shifted to television. If search conversions looked stronger, money flowed into search. The underlying assumption was that channels themselves were the critical variable.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">NNN challenges that logic. By integrating creative elements, sentiment, and consumer behaviour into its models, it shows that effectiveness is rarely about the channel alone. Instead, it is about the interaction between message, medium, and moment. A compelling creative can elevate even a modest media placement, while a weak message can undercut the most aggressive budget allocation.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>NNN moves attribution closer to what marketers have always known intuitively: that meaning, not media, is the true currency of effectiveness.</q></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">This reframes attribution from a narrow exercise in channel efficiency to a more nuanced understanding of meaning and resonance. It allows marketers to see not only where spend worked, but why it worked, and how context shaped the outcome. This in turn changes how strategy is discussed inside organisations. Marketing is no longer positioned only as a budget line to be optimised, but as a discipline capable of generating measurable business value through ideas and creativity.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For marketers, this means creativity and context are no longer beyond the scope of measurement. They become central to the evaluation process. Campaigns can be judged not just by impressions, clicks, or conversions, but by the quality of the story told and the degree to which it influenced behaviour.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In practice, this represents a cultural as well as an analytical shift. Finance teams begin to see creativity as a quantifiable driver of outcomes. Strategists gain evidence to defend brand-building work. Agencies find that their creative recommendations carry more weight when they can be linked directly to measurable performance.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">05</span>What Agency Leaders Should Do Next</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">For agency leaders, the question is no longer whether NNN will matter but how to prepare for its adoption. The first step is education. Ensure your teams understand the limits of classical MMM so they can explain why NNN is necessary. The second step is partnership. Build connections with data providers, platforms, or technology specialists already experimenting with transformer-based attribution, so that your agency can access these methods when needed.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Finally, reposition how you talk about attribution with clients. Frame NNN as a validation of creativity, not a replacement for it. Show that campaigns can be measured not only by reach or conversion but also by the resonance of their message and the meaning it created for audiences.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The agencies that will thrive in the years ahead are those that can connect econometrics with storytelling. By demonstrating how creativity and context contribute directly to business growth, leaders can future-proof their agencies and elevate marketing as a driver of long-term value.</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Three steps for agency leaders adopting NNN.</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Education.</strong> Ensure your teams understand the limits of classical MMM so they can explain why NNN is necessary.</li> <li><strong>Partnership.</strong> Build connections with data providers, platforms, or technology specialists already experimenting with transformer-based attribution, so that your agency can access these methods when needed.</li> <li><strong>Reposition attribution conversations.</strong> Frame NNN as a validation of creativity, not a replacement for it. Show that campaigns can be measured not only by reach or conversion but also by the resonance of their message and the meaning it created for audiences.</li> </ul> </aside> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">06</span>Conclusion</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">The evolution from classical MMM to NNN marks a pivotal moment in marketing attribution. Where traditional models focused narrowly on spend and channels, transformer-based approaches broaden the scope to include creativity, context, and consumer behaviour. This shift is not only technical but cultural, changing how agencies, brands, and finance leaders understand the drivers of effectiveness.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For agencies, the message is clear. Adopting NNN thinking today means being prepared to validate creative value with the same rigour once reserved for media metrics. It positions you to speak with greater confidence to clients, defend strategic recommendations, and stay ahead of competitors still tied to outdated models.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The future of attribution belongs to those who can connect the science of econometrics with the art of storytelling. Agencies that embrace this integration will not only prove the value of their work but also redefine the role of marketing as a measurable engine of growth.</p> </div></div>