Business of Apps Podcast #259: Measuring real-world impact in app marketing with Dane Buchanan, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer at M+C Saatchi Performance
How do you know if your app marketing is actually driving growth — or just generating activity?
In this episode, we speak with Dane Buchanan, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer at M+C Saatchi Performance, about one of the most misunderstood topics in app growth: measurement.
Dane explains why clicks and impressions don’t tell the full story, why incrementality matters more than correlation, and how brands often underestimate their real ROI by ignoring offline impact. He also shares a case study where better measurement revealed that media ROI was actually three times higher than previously reported — changing the company’s investment strategy entirely.
Today’s topics include:- Why traditional media metrics fail to show true business impact
- What incrementality really means in app marketing
- The gap between online measurement and offline revenue
- A real-world case study showing 3× higher ROI
- Designing measurement systems that work in a privacy-first ecosystem
“In one line, incrementality is what wouldn’t have happened without the media.”
“The issue with digital attribution and clicks and impressions is that it doesn’t truly show growth.”
“If you’re only measuring online sales and ignoring offline revenue, you’re not seeing the full impact of your media — and that can lead to significant underinvestment”
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