We Tried Google’s Meridian for MMM. Here's What We Learned.

susilawati habib haryo

15 Mar 2025 — 3 min read

We recently tested Meridian by Google for Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM), and the results were fascinating! This free, open-source tool helped us uncover how different marketing channels drive revenue.

Wait, What’s Meridian?

If you haven’t heard of Meridian, It’s a Marketing Mix Modeling tool from Google. Used to be paid. Now? Free for everyone 🤩.

It helps answer questions like:

Which channels are actually driving the most revenue?
How much return am I getting for every dollar spent on each marketing channel?
How effective is my total marketing budget?
How should I allocate to maximize ROI?

Which channels are *actually* driving revenue?

How much return am I getting for every dollar spent on each marketing channel?

What is the overall effectiveness of my marketing spend in generating sales?

What We Learned

It’s not biased toward Google.
We had our doubts (doesn’t everyone?), but from our test, Meridian didn’t favor Google channels. It tells us how each platform contribution, even when other platforms performed better.
We only tested digital.
Would love to see what happens if we throw in OOH, TV, or other conventional channels. The potential is huge.
Competitor data is tricky.
Meridian asks for month-by-month competitor performance. That’s tough unless you’ve got access to solid market intel.
Our analysts part brain loved it. Marketer brain... had questions.
From a data standpoint, it’s slick. But when it came to the final budget recommendations. It doesn't have any connection to time dimension, still, they’re a strong starting point.

Some Challenges

🗂️ Data depth matters.
You’ll need at least 3 years of sales + ad data. Small trap here: Meta caps historical reporting at 37 months, and Search Console at just 16. Plan ahead.

📆 You must have a promo calendar.
If you’ve run Black Friday campaigns, price drops, or seasonal offers, they need to be logged. Otherwise, the model can misread spikes in performance.

📊 Competitor data isn’t optional.
By the time of our writing it is something needed to be uploaded. So keeping our eyes peeled on competitors' spend is a must.

Why Meridian Is Worth Trying

✅ Free + Open-Source — no paywalls, no contracts.
🔒 Privacy-first — no cookies or user-level data needed.
🎯 Shows actual incremental impact — not just traffic or clicks.
💸 Gives real budget recommendations — so you know where to double down.

Who’s This For?

If you're running multi-channel marketing — especially O2O brands, D2C, or retail — Meridian is worth exploring. It’s great for teams who want data-driven answers without the enterprise price tag.