In context
Customer journey: sees Meta ad → clicks Google search → reads blog → opens email → buys. Last-click says email gets 100%. First-click says Meta. MTA distributes credit: Meta 30%, Google 20%, blog 15%, email 35%. In 2019 this worked. In 2026, tracking is so lossy that MTA outputs are half-guesses.
Why it matters
- MTA is largely deprecated for Meta attribution in 2026.
- Still useful for well-tracked owned channels (email, on-site).
- Replaced by MMM + lift tests in most sophisticated measurement stacks.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Is MTA dead?
For paid social — effectively yes. For owned channels (email, on-site) — still useful.
Why did MTA collapse?
iOS 14.5+ ATT + GDPR + cookie depreciation. User-level tracking is 40-60% gone in many markets.
MTA tools still worth it?
Skip unless your email/SMS stack needs them. For paid social, spend that money on lift tests instead.