Google Introduces Meridian-Powered Budgeting in Google Analytics 360

 

New Capabilities for Media Planning, Budget Allocation, Cross-Channel Attribution and Incrementality Measurement

 

Google has announced new capabilities for 2026 that bring Meridian-powered budgeting, enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA), Data Manager integration and Incremental Conversions Reporting into Google Analytics.

For professionals involved in media planning, media buying and campaign optimization, the most interesting development is the connection between cross-channel measurement and budget planning.

The announcement covers four areas, with Meridian-powered budgeting specifically introduced for Google Analytics 360.

1. Meridian-Powered Budgeting in Google Analytics 360

Understanding Meridian

Meridian is Google's open-source Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) solution. It helps advertisers estimate how marketing investments contribute to business outcomes across different channels.

What's New?

Google is introducing advanced scenario and projection planning powered by Meridian in Google Analytics 360.

The capabilities are designed to help marketers forecast the potential impact of budget changes and optimize media investments while campaigns are running.

The interface presented by Google includes:

• Budget optimization: Comparing current or projected spending with recommended allocations.
• Incremental ROAS: Evaluating projected returns from advertising investment.
• Incremental revenue: Estimating the additional revenue associated with different budget scenarios.
• Channel-level allocation: Comparing projected and optimized budgets across advertising platforms.
• Revenue projections: Monitoring expected performance against revenue targets.
• AI-assisted recommendations: Using Ask Advisor to explore potential budget adjustments.

A Closer Look at the Budget Planning Interface

Google's illustrated dashboard shows how these capabilities come together.

Media allocation across platforms

The channel-level comparison includes Google Ads Performance Max, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, Google Ads Demand Gen and Google Ads Search.

Marketers can compare projected spending with optimized allocations for individual channels.

Budget and revenue projections

The interface includes a chart showing optimized incremental revenue at different advertising budget levels.

It also presents a channel-level table comparing:

• Projected versus optimized advertising spend
• Projected versus optimized incremental revenue
• Incremental ROAS
• Percentage changes between scenarios

This gives media planners a way to examine proposed budget adjustments alongside their modeled financial outcomes.

Ask Advisor

The dashboard also features an AI advisor.

In Google's example, a marketer asks what to do when projected revenue is falling short of a quarterly target.

The advisor identifies the projected shortfall and offers to review a revised channel allocation.

Why This Matters for Media Planning and Buying

The key development is the ability to evaluate alternative media allocations using modeled incremental revenue and ROAS.

Rather than looking only at individual platform results, media planners can examine how changes in investment across channels could affect overall business outcomes.

These remain projections, not guaranteed results. Their value depends on the data and modeling behind them.

2. Enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution Includes Third-Party Impressions

Understanding Multi-Touch Attribution

Multi-Touch Attribution distributes conversion credit across advertising interactions that contribute to a customer journey, according to an attribution model.

What's Changing?

Google's enhanced MTA capabilities now include third-party impression data from platforms such as:

• Meta
• TikTok
• Snap
• Pinterest

This is particularly relevant for advertisers buying media across multiple platforms.

Individual advertising platforms provide their own reporting, but those reports do not necessarily offer a consistent view of advertising interactions across the wider media mix.

Relevance for Cross-Channel Media Measurement

By incorporating supported third-party impression data, Google Analytics aims to provide additional visibility into how advertising interactions across platforms contribute to conversions.

For media planners and buyers, this can help inform the evaluation of channel contributions alongside existing campaign-level reporting.

It does not mean every advertising impression or customer interaction across these platforms will automatically be measurable.

3. Data Manager Integration in Google Analytics

Understanding Data Manager

Google Data Manager helps advertisers connect, manage and activate first-party customer data across supported advertising and measurement systems.

What's New?

Google is integrating Data Manager directly into Google Analytics.

The announcement highlights a unified interface for:

• Connecting first-party data from CRM systems and other sources
• Managing customer data connections
• Troubleshooting data issues
• Supporting data activation across the advertising ecosystem

Google also identifies third-party platforms, including Pinterest, Reddit, Snap and TikTok, within its broader data connectivity capabilities.

Why This Matters for Campaign Measurement

Media buying decisions depend on the quality of the conversion and customer data available for measurement.

Data Manager integration is intended to simplify how relevant first-party information is connected and maintained within Google Analytics.

This is particularly useful when important business outcomes are recorded outside the website, including CRM-based customer activity.

For advertisers, more reliable data connections can support more complete measurement and provide a stronger foundation for evaluating media performance.

4. Incremental Conversions Reporting

Understanding the Measurement Approaches

Google is introducing Incremental Conversions Reporting, designed to harmonize three measurement approaches.

Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)

Estimates how marketing investments contribute to business outcomes across channels.

Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA)

Distributes conversion credit across advertising interactions based on an attribution methodology.

Incrementality Testing

Uses causal experiments to estimate the additional business outcomes generated by advertising.

What's New?

Google describes Incremental Conversions Reporting as a set of metrics that brings together incrementality, Meridian and MTA to provide a more consistent view of return on investment.

These measurement approaches serve different purposes.

Attribution helps marketers understand how conversion credit is distributed. MMM evaluates marketing contributions across the broader media mix. Incrementality testing helps establish whether advertising generated additional business outcomes.

Why This Matters for Media Investment

For media planners and buyers, platform-attributed conversions are useful for campaign optimization, but they do not necessarily establish the incremental impact of advertising.

Bringing these measurement approaches together is intended to help advertisers evaluate media effectiveness using a combination of attribution, modeling and causal evidence.

This is relevant when assessing channel performance, reviewing investment levels and making budget allocation decisions.

5. What These Developments Mean for Media Planning and Buying

The announcement brings several capabilities closer together within Google Analytics, with Meridian-powered budgeting specifically available as an announced capability for Google Analytics 360.

A. Media Budget Allocation and Scenario Planning

Meridian-powered budgeting introduces modeled projections that allow marketers to compare alternative spending allocations across channels.

The dashboard connects budget recommendations with incremental revenue and ROAS projections, making the information directly relevant to media planning.

B. Broader Cross-Channel Attribution

Enhanced MTA incorporates supported third-party impression data from Meta, TikTok, Snap and Pinterest.

This expands the measurement information available when evaluating advertising interactions across platforms.

C. First-Party Data Connectivity

Data Manager integration simplifies the process of connecting and troubleshooting customer data within Google Analytics.

The focus is on making relevant first-party information more accessible for measurement and activation.

D. Incrementality and Marketing Effectiveness

Incremental Conversions Reporting brings together MMM, attribution and incrementality evidence.

For advertisers, this provides an additional approach to evaluating marketing returns beyond individual platform-reported conversions.

Final Perspective

Google's 2026 announcement is particularly relevant to advertisers managing media investment across multiple channels.

The Meridian-powered budgeting capabilities in Google Analytics 360 introduce scenario planning, channel-level allocation recommendations and projections based on incremental revenue and ROAS.

Enhanced MTA expands the use of third-party impression data, while Data Manager integration addresses first-party data connectivity.

Incremental Conversions Reporting adds another measurement layer by bringing together attribution, MMM and causal evidence.

These developments complement the campaign-level metrics that media planners and buyers already use to manage and optimize advertising.

The most significant opportunity is the connection between cross-channel measurement and media budget allocation, allowing marketers to evaluate spending decisions against modeled incremental business outcomes rather than relying exclusively on individual platform reports.

 Practical Example: Media Planning and Buying With Google's New Analytics Capabilities

Scenario: An eCommerce advertiser manages a €100,000 monthly advertising budget across Google Ads, Meta Ads and TikTok Ads.

The media planning and buying team wants to evaluate budget allocation, understand cross-channel performance and measure incremental business impact.

All financial figures and customer journeys below are illustrative, not actual Google recommendations or results.

1. Meridian-Powered Budgeting: Where Should the €100,000 Be Invested?

Current Budget vs. Alternative Scenario

Advertising Channel	Current Budget	Alternative Budget
Google Ads	€50,000	€45,000
Meta Ads	€30,000	€35,000
TikTok Ads	€20,000	€20,000
Total	€100,000	€100,000

 

How the Budget Changes

Google Ads: €50,000 → €45,000 (−€5,000)

Meta Ads: €30,000 → €35,000 (+€5,000)

TikTok Ads: €20,000 → €20,000 (No change)

Total investment remains €100,000.

What Meridian-Powered Budgeting Adds

The new budgeting capabilities in Google Analytics 360 allow advertisers to evaluate alternative media allocations using:

• Projected vs. optimized advertising spend
• Projected incremental revenue
• Incremental Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
• Channel-level budget recommendations
• Scenario and projection planning

Media planning takeaway: Evaluate whether reallocating the same advertising budget could generate higher incremental revenue or ROAS.

2. Enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution: Which Channels Contributed to the Purchase?

Understanding the Customer Journey

A customer encounters advertising across multiple platforms before purchasing.

Step 1: TikTok Ad Impression

↓ Product discovery

Step 2: Meta Ad Impression

↓ Further consideration

Step 3: Google Search Ad Click

↓ Final advertising interaction

Step 4: Purchase Completed

€150 Order Value

What Previously Happened?

Google Search captured the final advertising click, but TikTok and Meta may have influenced the customer earlier.

Looking exclusively at the final click would not reflect those earlier advertising interactions.

What's New?

Google's enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution includes supported third-party impression data from:

• Meta
• TikTok
• Snap
• Pinterest

This expands the cross-channel information available for attribution analysis.

Media buying takeaway: Evaluate advertising contributions across supported platforms rather than relying exclusively on the final converting interaction.

Not every impression or customer interaction is necessarily available for attribution.

3. Data Manager: Connecting Customer Data With Advertising Measurement

How the Data Connection Works

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System

Customer records and relevant business data

↓

Purchase and Transaction Systems

Sales and purchase information

↓

Google Data Manager

Supported first-party data connections and troubleshooting

↓

Google Analytics

Connected data available for supported measurement activities

What's New?

Google is integrating Data Manager directly into Google Analytics.

The unified interface is designed to support:

• First-party data connections
• CRM and other supported data sources
• Data connection management
• Troubleshooting and diagnostics

Practical Application

An eCommerce advertiser wants to connect relevant customer and purchase information from its business systems.

Data Manager helps establish and manage supported connections, making that information easier to use within Google's measurement ecosystem.

Media buying takeaway: More reliable first-party data connections can support more complete campaign measurement and better-informed optimization decisions.

4. Incremental Conversions Reporting: Did Advertising Actually Generate Additional Revenue?

Advertising Performance Scenario

Metric	Amount
Total advertising spend	€100,000
Platform-attributed revenue	€400,000
Reported ROAS	4.0
Actual incremental revenue	Not established by attribution alone

 

Important: €400,000 in attributed revenue does not automatically mean €400,000 in incremental revenue.

Some purchases may have occurred even without advertising.

Three Measurement Approaches

Measurement Method	What It Measures
Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA)	Which advertising interactions receive conversion credit?
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)	How do marketing investments contribute to business outcomes?
Incrementality Testing	What additional business outcomes were caused by advertising?

 

What's New?

Google's Incremental Conversions Reporting aims to harmonize:

Multi-Touch Attribution

•  

Marketing Mix Modeling (Meridian)

•  

Incrementality Testing

↓

A more consistent view of advertising ROI

Media planning takeaway: Evaluate advertising effectiveness using attribution, modeled marketing contributions and causal evidence rather than relying exclusively on platform-reported revenue.

5. Ask Advisor: What Happens When Revenue Falls Below Target?

Revenue Projection Scenario

Metric	Amount
Quarterly revenue target	€400,000
Projected quarterly revenue	€395,000
Projected shortfall	€5,000

 

How Ask Advisor Fits Into Budget Planning

Step 1: Identify the Revenue Gap

Projected revenue is €5,000 below target.

↓

Step 2: Ask Advisor

Explore potential adjustments to the current media plan.

↓

Step 3: Review Channel Allocations

Examine proposed changes to advertising spend across channels.

↓

Step 4: Evaluate Projected Outcomes

Review modeled incremental revenue and ROAS before making budget decisions.

What's New?

Google's illustrated Analytics 360 interface includes an AI-powered Ask Advisor feature that can respond to questions about revenue targets and proposed channel distributions.

Media planning takeaway: Explore budget adjustments against revenue objectives using modeled projections.

The illustrated recommendations do not guarantee results or automatically execute media purchases.

6. How Everything Connects to Media Planning and Buying

Media Planning and Buying Responsibility	Relevant Google Capability
Allocate advertising budgets across channels	Meridian-Powered Budgeting
Compare alternative spending scenarios	Scenario and Projection Planning
Review projected incremental revenue and ROAS	Meridian-Powered Projections
Understand cross-channel advertising interactions	Enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution
Connect customer and purchase data	Data Manager
Evaluate incremental advertising impact	Incremental Conversions Reporting
Investigate revenue shortfalls	Ask Advisor
Review potential budget adjustments	Channel-Level Budget Recommendations

 

7. The Complete Media Planning and Measurement Workflow

STEP 1: CONNECT CUSTOMER DATA

Google Data Manager

↓

STEP 2: MEASURE CROSS-CHANNEL ADVERTISING INTERACTIONS

Enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution

↓

STEP 3: EVALUATE MARKETING CONTRIBUTIONS AND INCREMENTAL IMPACT

MMM + MTA + Incrementality Testing

↓

STEP 4: COMPARE MEDIA BUDGET ALLOCATIONS

Meridian-Powered Budgeting in Google Analytics 360

↓

STEP 5: REVIEW PROJECTED BUSINESS OUTCOMES

Incremental Revenue + Incremental ROAS

↓

STEP 6: MAKE MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING DECISIONS

Budget Allocation + Investment Adjustments + Campaign Optimization

This is an illustrative decision-making workflow, not a prescribed Google product sequence.

Key Takeaway

Google's new capabilities are intended to bring cross-channel measurement and media budget planning closer together.

Meridian-Powered Budgeting helps advertisers evaluate alternative media allocations using projected incremental revenue and ROAS.

Enhanced Multi-Touch Attribution incorporates supported third-party impression data to expand cross-channel measurement.

Data Manager simplifies connections between first-party customer data and Google Analytics.

Incremental Conversions Reporting aims to combine attribution, Marketing Mix Modeling and incrementality evidence.

For media planners and buyers, the practical value is being able to evaluate where advertising budgets should be allocated, how spending adjustments may affect business outcomes and whether media investment is generating incremental value.