MMM applies econometric regression techniques to aggregate data to estimate the impact of marketing activities on a desired outcome, such as sales. This data typically includes many months of historical information about media spending across both digital and offline channels. MMM is a top-down approach because it starts with aggregate data at the level of campaigns and markets, not individuals. Virtually all major brands and many midsize marketers use MMM. 

Multitouch Attribution (MTA) providers support the analysis of the large amounts of data generated by digital media, particularly paid search, display advertisements and email. MTA methods require collecting information about individual consumers over time. This information ideally includes every exposure the consumer has had to a marketer’s messages and his/her response (including no response).