Measurement, Frequency & Mixed Media Modeling: Why New CTV Outcomes Are Pushing Major Change To The MMM Playbook.
- Origin
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Change is afoot in the world of modern media planning.
On one side: legacy measurement models built for a world where “TV” meant linear, frequency was blunt, and performance lived somewhere else in the funnel.
On the other: CTV - deterministic, measurable, and increasingly capable of driving outcomes far beyond upper-funnel awareness.
The repercussions are showing up everywhere: in cross-screen frequency management, in MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) outputs, and in the way brands allocate planned as well as incremental dollars.
And savvy marketers are starting to notice.
Frequency Isn’t the Problem. Blind Frequency Is.
Historically, TV frequency was an exercise in averages. Buyers optimized to weekly reach curves, hoping that sufficient repetition would drive recall without crossing into irritation.
But in a converged world - where linear, CTV, digital video, and social all coexist - unmanaged cross-screen frequency can quietly inflate exposure without improving outcomes.
The result? Diminishing returns and confused readouts.
When a model sees TV driving awareness and digital driving conversion, it often assigns value accordingly. But what happens when CTV is doing both?
Without unified measurement and deduplicated frequency control, CTV’s performance impact can get partially credited elsewhere. And that’s where the “measurement wars” begin.
CTV as a Full-Funnel Screen Changes MMM Assumptions
The proof is mounting: CTV doesn’t just build brand equity - it drives site visits, product consideration, and conversion lift.
For marketers using MMM, that’s not a minor footnote. It’s a structural shift.
Traditional models often bucket “TV” as upper funnel and digital as lower funnel. But if CTV demonstrably influences mid- and lower-funnel behaviors, the weighting within MMM needs recalibration.
Savvy marketers are starting to:
Separate linear and CTV inputs within modeling frameworks
Test incrementality at different frequency bands
Reallocate spend based on marginal return curves, not channel assumptions
When CTV is measured properly, it stops being a support channel and starts being a performance engine.
The New Frequency Strategy: Intentional Repetition
There’s another layer here.
We know frequency matters. Memory encoding requires repetition. But higher frequency alone isn’t enough - especially in premium CTV environments where attention is high.
This is where creative strategy becomes a measurement strategy.
Using dynamic solutions like Origin’s 15 second ad extension solution, Slingshot, brands can wrap the same core creative with different contextual or narrative extensions - before or after the primary ad. The brand story stays consistent, but the message evolves.
That allows marketers to push frequency higher when needed - particularly during tentpole moments or competitive periods - while mitigating ad fatigue and protecting against negative brand sentiment.
It’s not just “more impressions.” It’s structured reinforcement. And in MMM terms, that can materially impact the slope of diminishing returns.
The Real Opportunity
The measurement wars aren’t about proving CTV works. That battle is largely over.
They’re about how intelligently we plan around it.
Marketers who rethink frequency across screens, separate CTV from legacy TV within MMM, and leverage dynamic creative to sustain attention will see something powerful: more efficient spend, clearer attribution, and stronger full-funnel performance.
In a converged world, measurement isn’t just reporting.
It’s strategy.
And CTV is at the center of it.
If you find this topic interesting and would like to know more, you can schedule a consultation with one of Origin's CTV specialists by clicking here.
Origin is a multi-award winning provider of creative solutions and services for media buyers, creative teams and brands who want to transform conventional CTV ad creatives into powerful, personal and provocative advertising experiences.
With unparalleled creative capabilities and proprietary ad serving technology, Origin’s unique suite of dynamic ad overlays and native CTV ad extensions allows advertisers to engage distracted audiences and achieve the results they need.
Founded by media veterans Stephen Strong and Fred Godfrey, Origin is driven by the belief that winning viewers today requires breaking free from how it was done yesterday.
Learn more at: originmedia.tv
