Welcome to Polaris. By now you should have received your login credentials, so we want to take this opportunity to share the steps necessary for a successful partnership. Having worked with a large number of companies wanting to explore incrementality, we have identified some key stages to follow.

Stage 0: Understand the Techniques

This prerequisite stage makes it much easier to interpret and trust the incrementality data provided by Polaris by giving you a basic or even deep understanding of the techniques we use to produce it.

Understand Incrementality Measurement

Stage 1: Import and Validate Input Data

This stage is critical since without good input data, the media mix models (MMMs) will be inaccurate. The Getting Started help category contains articles that detail the data we need for input into the media mix models (MMMs), the format we need it in, and what else to expect during the initial stage of onboarding.

Understand Marketing and App Events Data
Understand Important Data Considerations
Choose a Data Sharing Method
(Optional) Understand How to Format and Upload Custom Input Data
Import the Data Using the Selected Data Sharing Method(s) (utilize the Import Tracking page)
Validate the Imported Data (utilize the Analytics page)

The MMM is trained at the end of this stage, after you have validated that the imported data satisfies your expectations as well as our requirements and considerations. If there is a need to go back to this stage due to belated configuration changes (e.g., pricing plan changes) or re-imports (e.g., due to input data being corrected or enhanced), the model can be impacted, which means the incrementality metrics in Polaris can be impacted, sometimes drastically. The new incrementality metrics should always be more accurate or close to the truth than the old ones.

Stage 2: Analyze Incrementality Data

At this point, your MMMs have been automatically trained using the input data you imported and incrementality metrics are now available in the Polaris dashboard. The Incrementality help category will be your guide as you review and analyze the data by explaining incrementality measurement and analysis, MMMs, differences between incrementality and last touch, and incrementality actionability.

Understand How to Analyze Incrementality Data
Understand How to Compare Incrementality and Last Touch Data
Understand How to Action Incrementality Data
Analyze the Incrementality Data in the Polaris Dashboard (utilize the Analytics and Charts pages)

Stage 3: Run the Initial Experiment

Experiments provide ground truth (indisputable) incrementality measurement and unlock the full benefits of MMM through calibration of models so they become more accurate over time. The Experiments help category will provide you guidance in evaluating and prioritizing experiments as well as analyzing and actioning the results.

Understand How Experiments Work and How Results Are Used For Calibrating MMMs
Understand How to Evaluate and Prioritize Experiments
Select an Initial Experiment
Schedule and Run the Initial Experiment
Analyze the Experiment Results
Analyze the Newly Calibrated Incrementality Data in the Polaris Dashboard (utilize the Analytics and Charts pages)

Stage 4: Adopt Incrementality Data

You now have an understanding of incrementality and how MMMs and experiments combine synergistically to measure it. You know how to analyze incrementality data and act upon it. It's time for you to evaluate the benefits of incrementality by adopting Polaris's incrementality data into your day-to-day marketing processes in a limited way. Our Adoption help category will ensure your utmost success through detailed process steps, important considerations, and best practices.

Understand the Goals of the Adoption Phase
Plan the Adoption Phase
Execute the Adoption Phase Based on Your Adoption Plan
Analyze the Performance Impact of the Adoption Phase on Your KPIs (provided by MetricWorks)

Stage 5: Continue Adoption

With a great understanding of incrementality, MMM, and experiments, and now hands-on experience in adopting all of those concepts, you're ready to continue expanding adoption. You are prepared to convince stakeholders with the rigorous statistical evidence provided by MetricWorks at the end of the adoption phase that proves the performance benefits of using incrementality data.

Expand Adoption to Other Regions
Expand Adoption to Other Apps
Expand Adoption to Other Tools and Models (import incrementality data into BI tools, LTV models, etc.)
Expand Adoption to Other Departments (any that currently rely on last touch data including finance)
Expand Adoption to Other Marketing Processes (use incrementality data for channel budgeting, campaign budgeting, campaign targeting, performance target optimization, etc.)

Updated on: 19/08/2022