Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use.
In this episode, Elena and Rob dig into what offsite tracking data is actually worth. Across more than 70,000 advertisers, losing it raised the median cost of a new customer 31%. Small brands took the biggest hit. They also cover why 10% of campaigns did better without it, and what to test before privacy rules take more tracking away.
Topics covered:
[01:50] "Estimating the Value of Offsite Tracking Data to Advertisers: Evidence from Meta"
[03:15] 70,000 advertisers, 160 countries and a holdout test
[03:55] New customers cost 31% more without tracking data
[04:25] Why small advertisers get hit harder
[06:10] The 10% of campaigns that did better chasing clicks
[06:45] Holdout tests and stress-testing for less tracking
[07:25] Why smaller brands should diversify sooner
To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.
Resources:
Wernerfelt, N., Tuchman, A., Shapiro, B. T., & Moakler, R. (2025). Estimating the value of offsite tracking data to advertisers: Evidence from Meta. Marketing Science, 44(2), 268–286.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2023.0274 Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
