What Is an MMP and Why Do Apps Need It? Our 2023 Guide

To scale a mobile app, you must start making data-driven decisions. And if you’ve wondered what is an MMP and why you need it, we have an in-depth article for you.

Table of Contents

1. What Is an MMP?
2. Three Main Benefits of MMP (There Is More)
3. Things to Keep In Mind When Choosing Your MMP
4. What Is an MMP and Why Do Apps Need It? By Now – You Know

Is 2023 likely to see further changes in consumption habits and the acceleration of the mobile evolution? All indications point to yes—and we think the same.

Businesses must be prepared to meet consumer needs while balancing an inevitable return to regular tasks with an already altered digital experience. In addition, given the number of users, mobile strategies/activities are more appealing (and challenging) than ever.

That is where an MMP comes to help.

Basically, connecting a Mobile Measurement Partner to your app will enable you to track and optimize your data more efficiently. More on the topic is below.

What Is an MMP?

MMP, or Mobile Measurement Partner, is a third-party tool that app marketers use to analyze the performance of their mobile advertising campaigns. In other words, MMP provides data on mobile campaign performance metrics such as app installs, engagement, clicks, revenue, and so on.

Their primary responsibility is to attribute a mobile app install (and post-install events) to the origin from which it initially came.

Therefore, because MMP displays which media platform tends to drive the most conversion, app marketers can analyze more precisely and make better spending relocation decisions.

How Does a Mobile Measurement Partner Work?

An MMP, in a nutshell, matches campaign engagements with installations and post-install in-app activities.

You must configure a software development kit (SDK) within your app to operate with Mobile Measurement Partner. SDK is a unique code that gathers measurement and attribution data. As a result, once the user installs and launches the app, it begins obtaining data from the device on which it is implemented.

Who Needs an MMP and Why?

The answer to this basically is all marketers with an app since it is the most crucial growth helper in your overall marketing efforts.

Moreover, the most data-rich advertising channel currently available is mobile. However, when it comes to evaluating campaign performance, the total volume of media data that must be examined can be daunting and difficult to assess.

If you’re not operating with an MMP, you are probably on your laptop for days—trying to manually organize all the spreadsheets and data. And trust us, that is a no good nor efficient way to do it.

Moreover, the above manual analysis is prone to mistakes and missed chances to improve LTV (lifetime value) and ROAS (return on ad spend).

Mobile attribution, when handled by an MMP, can pin down the value of particular media sources, channels, publishers, creatives, and campaigns, enabling you to continuously optimize your app’s performance while also ensuring strategic growth.

How Does Attribution Work With an MMP?

Attribution enables marketers to learn where their customers are coming from. Some installs may emerge from video ads in an app, while others may show up from social media platforms.

In a nutshell, attribution determines whether a user installs an app after clicking/viewing an advertisement and then tracks how the user acts after installing the app.

Let’s see how attribution and MMP work together in steps through an example.

1. Apps, or advertisers in this scenario, buy visitors on Ad Network 1, which further represents an ad to a user’s device. 
2. After becoming interested in the proposal, the user clicks on the ad and is directed to the App Store, where the user can (and, in this case, does) install the app.
3. An MMP saves the necessary data from the network that delivered the ad to the creative and then sends it back to Ad Network 1, where the tap and install occurred.

Later in the process, networks claim the installs. It is very likely that more than one network claims the same install—that is where the MMP comes in and determines the real winner by assessing the last click that generated the install.

Attribution providers are not simply dependable data warehousing but also trustworthy partners in the ad system that keep things running.

Related: Mobile Measurement Partners: How to Ensure Correct AppsFlyer Integration

Three Main Benefits of MMP (There Is More)

Since we have covered almost everything in simple terms about Mobile Measurement Partners—from “what is an MMP?” to “how does attribution work with an MMP”—we wanted to reflect once more on the core definition and then list the three main benefits of an MMP.

MMPs are well recognized for their ability to assist customers in measuring and attributing conversions appropriately. Still, they also frequently provide other services that help marketers optimize their marketing strategy and outcomes.

Okay, now that we have that part covered, let’s focus on the clear benefits.

1. They let an advertiser connect a single SDK (universal) into their mobile app instead of installing a different SDK for each ad network or publisher with that they wish to run a campaign.
2. They offer fair and objective attribution by serving as a single point of truth for marketers on which campaign ad caused a certain conversion.
3. They serve ad fraud protection technology that keeps marketers from losing precious ad spend due to fraudulent practices, including SDK spoofing, click injection, click spamming/flooding, install hijacking, ad stacking, bot traffic, and others.

Now, we also have to cover the topic—ATT framework and iOS 14—to see why such a useful tool (MMP) is also important in that field.

AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) Framework and iOS 14

MMPs not only enable ad campaigns to be easier to execute, but they also help marketers react to shifts in the marketing environment and deliver the most up-to-date technology solutions.

Moreover, since Apple released ATT regulation with the iOS 14.5 release, numerous MMPs have been trying to provide efficient attribution and measuring solutions to their marketer clients post-ATT compliance.

Therefore, working with a Mobile Measurement Partner is more critical than ever (for those who are not aware of it yet) to guarantee you have the knowledge and tools you need to continue developing your business regardless of what changes take place in the adtech sector.

Things to Keep In Mind When Choosing Your MMP

On the market, there are several MMP choices. Depending on the needs of the developers, one solution might be better suited than others. Generally speaking, however, the basic functionalities are similar. Some attribution platforms appeal to large corporations, while others are great for small and medium-sized businesses.

We wanted to highlight a few questions/points for you to remember when picking your perfect Mobile Measurement Partner. It will make your decision process a lot easier and faster.

1. First and Foremost: Privacy and Security

The given topic is crucial and should be addressed with utmost caution in the form of thorough and ongoing research processes with any vendor that has exposure to your most valuable resource—your users’ data.

You must explicitly ensure that your attribution partner is completely independent and neutral and that they are not exchanging your data as part of their company plan.

2. Knowledge and Experience

Expertise is more than simply an advantage. As with any critical component, collaborating with an experienced, dependable MMP is vital. Moreover, the mobile attribution system is complicated to set up and manage. It necessitates serious effort to construct a powerful, scalable, reliable, and accurate platform.

To make matters even more tricky, attribution platforms are, by nature, a delicate (complex) product. Therefore, any choice you make will have long-term consequences for your business, whether the result is good or bad.

3. Precision of Data

The MMP should give accurate and unbiased statistics because, based on this set of information, you will make a decision in your marketing activities. As a result, you must completely trust and rely on it.

What you can do here is to check the organizations’ customer portfolios and rely on their opinions—also do your own in-depth research on the preferred company! Research is crucial in any part of the business, and here at REPLUG, we can’t stress that enough.

4. Anti-Fraud Tools

Examine the mobile attribution product’s anti-fraud tools again and be sure of it. Fraud is the downfall and enemy of the mobile ecosystem, and excellent weapons are required to combat it. As a result, while selecting an MMP, a trustworthy (reliable) anti-fraud tool is a must.

What Is an MMP and Why Do Apps Need It? By Now – You Know

So, here we are at the end of this journey. And what did we learn? By gathering click and impression information from advertising (ad) networks to perform attribution, an MMP assists marketers in acquiring and distributing mobile app data to provide a detailed understanding of their marketing efforts (campaigns).

And MMPs are great because they serve as a single source of truthful information for marketers and offer new growth strategies.

To sum it up, assess your marketing objectives and make sure they correspond with the MMP you want to partner with when selecting one.

If you haven’t integrated an MMP in your mobile app yet or are looking for ways to improve your tracking attribution, get in touch with us, and one of our consultants will get back to you soon.

FAQ

Is Google Analytics an MMP?

No, it is not. Google Analytics is an excellent tool for web analytics and optimization in any business. Still, it is not a replacement or an alternative to autonomous MMPs such as AppsFlyer and Adjust.

What Does MMPs Mean in Marketing?

It refers to a platform that allows advertisers to track the success of their various advertising channels. The platform delivers data and insights that enable marketers better understand where their marketing funds should be spent.

Why Do You Need an MMP?

All of your data from numerous networks and campaigns will be available on a single dashboard with an MMP. It is also much more straightforward to compare campaign results. An MMP provides vital insights on where to spend your budget and how to maximize your installs, LTV, and ROAS.

Originally published on November 4, 2022. Updated on January 30, 2023.