Welcome to the front row seat of a masterclass in ad tech evangelism led by none other than David Pollet, CEO of Incremental. He swung by The ADOTAT Show to spill the real tea on incrementality, not just as a buzzword but as the cornerstone of modern advertising. Brace yourself for a ride through the labyrinth of advertising metrics, with no turns barred.
The conversation kicked off with Pollet’s disarmingly mundane start to his day—catching the bus on time. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. In true disruptor fashion, Pollet pivoted to a provocative critique of our modern data trade-offs. “We’ve demonized cookies, yet we’re handing over our biometrics like cupcakes at a birthday party,” he mused. It’s this kind of straight-shooting that pulls back the curtain on the illogical swaps we make under the guise of security.
David Pollet isn’t just another voice in the chorus of ad land; he’s more like the soloist who forgot the script and decided to freestyle. There’s no sugar-coating or sweet serenades about how fantastic the advertising world is from his corner. Instead, Pollet rolls up his sleeves and takes a sledgehammer to the polished facades of advertising metrics. He’s all about challenging the comfy status quo, turning what we thought we knew on its head. Incrementality, a term that often floats around conference rooms more as a buzzword than a true strategy, gets a complete makeover under Pollet’s scrutiny. He’s not just throwing the term around to sound smart; he’s elbow-deep in its mechanics, determined to show that it’s the guiding star in the murky skies of marketing strategies.
When Pollet talks about incrementality, he’s not envisioning a line of dominoes neatly falling into place with each ad dollar spent. Instead, he’s picturing a complex constellation, mapping out how each star—each consumer action—is influenced by the gravitational pull of targeted advertising. “Incrementality helps you determine if an ad actually compelled the consumer or contributed to the decision to make a purchase,” he explains, laying it out with the simplicity and directness less of a sales pitch and more of a revelation. This isn’t about counting how many steps it took to get the consumer from point A to B; it’s about understanding which part of the ad sparked a decision, pushed a curiosity, or tipped a maybe into a yes. It’s a shift from looking at advertising as a mere numbers game to appreciating it as a nuanced craft that taps into the human psyche.
In a sea of vanity metrics where everyone is drunk on data but starved of insight, David Pollet and his crew at Incremental are the sobering slap the industry needs. Armed with a mission to slash through the thicket of useless numbers, Pollet had his eureka moment—a stark realization that traditional metrics were about as useful to modern media practitioners as a chocolate teapot. They weren’t just falling short; they were missing the mark completely in the frenzied world of retail media and commerce. This wasn’t just any light bulb flickering on; it was a blazing lighthouse illuminating Incremental’s path toward insights that aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet but catalysts for real-world decisions.
Pollet isn’t content to play in the minor leagues with the other analytics outfits that keep churning out ‘meh’ metrics. Incremental is here to rewrite the playbook on engagement, ensuring every number tells a story and every dataset sings a ballad of actionable insights. “We’re about getting to the truth of which advertising dollars were driving value,” Pollet proclaims with the fervor of a revivalist preacher. It’s this dogged pursuit of actionable truth that crowns Incremental as the guiding light through the foggy abyss of advertising metrics.
In a landscape littered with companies happy to serve up metric salads—tossed, dressed, and utterly indigestible—Incremental stands out by asking the tougher questions. They dig into the “why” and the “how” behind each number, transforming what was once a murky bog of data points into a clear spring of insights that can genuinely guide business strategy. In Pollet’s world, metrics aren’t just measured; they’re mastered, mandating a new standard where value trumps volume, and quality drowns out quantity.
Pollet’s narrative then took a dive into the practical applications of incrementality. He outlined how Incremental navigates the ad measurement landscape with precision and agility. “Can we solve for both giving insights at the pace and granularity useful to the media practitioner and doing this in a space that traditional tools aren’t built to solve for?” he posed, emphasizing Incremental’s dual focus on speed and specificity.
It’s not just about the data, but how swiftly and accurately it can be harnessed to empower decision-makers. Pollet pointed out that many platforms fail because they cannot adapt their metrics to the rapid pace of retail media. Incremental’s approach is different. They’ve built a robust moat of engineering and automation prowess, focusing on insights derived from real-time data aggregation and normalization.
But Incremental’s magic doesn’t stop at data processing. It extends into how they redefine engagement with their clients. Pollet candidly shared how they use incrementality to not just measure, but actively enhance ad performance. “It’s truly understanding, did exposure to that ad hit me on the way to make that purchase or exposure to that ad actually make me say, you know what, I’m gonna give Nike a try instead of Adidas,” he elaborated.
As the interview neared its conclusion, Pollet reflected on the broader implications of Incremental’s work. “Understanding the incremental impact of your advertising will let you know what advertising you can cut if you need to cut back costs,” he explained, linking effective ad spend to broader economic cycles and efficiencies.
Pollet’s discussion on The ADOTAT Show wasn’t just enlightening; it was a rallying cry for the advertising industry to embrace a more nuanced understanding of consumer behavior and ad effectiveness. He wrapped up with a powerful reminder: “Incrementality isn’t just a metric; it’s the lens through which we can view the entire advertising landscape, ensuring every dollar spent is a dollar that works efficiently and effectively.”
Thanks to David Pollet for turning a typical talk on metrics into a deep dive into the strategic and tactical nuances that make incrementality a true game-changer in advertising. On The ADOTAT Show, it’s about piercing the fog of industry jargon to reveal the clear, actionable truths that drive real business outcomes, one insightful discussion at a time.
