Breaking the Growth Plateau: The Four-Step Framework to More Revenue

Simply increasing ad spend isn’t enough, it’s about optimizing every dollar. At fusepoint, we’ve seen firsthand how data-driven decision-making fuels real growth. Our clients achieved an aggregate of 16% YOY revenue increase with just a 3% rise in ad spend, and those who embraced optimized strategies outpaced their peers by 22%. The key? 

• Eliminating wasted ad spend (approximately 25%)

• Reallocating budgets to more incremental channels

• Improving iROAS across existing platforms and tactics

In this blog, we’ll break down the biggest shifts in media strategy, the four-step process to true incrementality, and how brands can move beyond outdated attribution models to unlock smarter, scalable growth.

Where We’re Seeing the Biggest Shifts

The media landscape is constantly evolving, and key trends are emerging in where brands are    finding the most impact:

• Shifting from lower funnel to upper funnel tactics

• Increased investment in TikTok as a high-growth channel

• A focus on high-margin, high-LTV (lifetime value) entry-point products

Beyond channel selection, success also comes from smarter account structures and deeper customer insights. Winning brands:

• Better understand their ideal customer profiles

• Structure ad accounts to maximize customer acquisition

• Identify and promote high-margin, repeat-purchase products

The Four-Step Process to Incrementality

Measurement alone won’t drive results. Brands must follow a strategic, data-backed process to unlock true incremental growth. The most effective framework follows these four steps:

• Define & Collect Data: Ensure all relevant marketing and customer data is accurately gathered.

• Identify Opportunities & Risks: Use preliminary models to pinpoint the biggest growth levers.

• Build a Strategic Testing Roadmap: Develop a structured media plan with clear hypotheses.

• Test with Incrementality in Mind: Execute experiments that reveal what’s truly driving results.

For most brands, this loop runs quarterly. However, some of the most agile companies iterate multiple times per month, constantly refining and improving their approach.

Challenging Industry Assumptions

Through rigorous testing and data analysis, some “contrarian” truths challenge common industry beliefs:

• Brand search is incremental—at lower budget levels.

• Paid media drives meaningful repeat purchases.

• Ad structure can double iROAS with the right optimizations.

• Performance media has a measurable impact on in-store and Amazon sales.

Why Most Brands Are Still Getting It Wrong

Despite advancements in marketing analytics, many brands still rely on outdated attribution methods. A recent eMarketer study found that over 75% of brands still use last-click attribution in some way.

Even more concerning? Most companies lack a formalized media planning process beyond simply “push when we’re efficient, pull when we’re not.” Many brands also rely on incomplete customer insights, often based on rough Google Analytics data or generic survey responses.

This approach is no longer good enough to compete in today’s market. With millions of businesses fighting for consumer attention, differentiation through strategic marketing execution is more critical than ever.

Moving Beyond Surface-Level Data

Many brands fall into the trap of using off-the-shelf measurement tools without understanding their limitations.

• Just throwing your data into an open-source MMM? Not enough.

• Just running a “How Did You Hear About Us” (HDYHAU) survey? Not enough.

• Just basing your ads on a Google Analytics persona? Not enough.

Winning brands treat data as a competitive advantage—using advanced measurement techniques and strategic insights to optimize their marketing efforts continuously.

The fusepoint Difference

At fusepoint, we’ve built a smarter approach to marketing optimization. We help brands maximize marketing efficiency, eliminate wasted spend, and accelerate growth.

Our methodology combines data science, strategic consulting, and hands-on execution. We don’t just analyze data, we provide actionable recommendations and guide brands through implementation.

• Custom Data Collection: We ensure brands have the right data foundation.

• Advanced Incrementality Testing: We use rigorous testing methodologies to prove what’s working.

• Strategic Media Planning: We create structured, hypothesis-driven media plans.

• Actionable Growth Strategies: We help brands execute optimizations with real revenue impact.

Take the Next Step Toward Smarter Growth

If your brand is ready to move beyond basic analytics and truly optimize marketing performance, fusepoint is here to help. We offer a free measurement assessment to help you understand where you’re leaving money on the table and how to unlock greater efficiency.

Schedule a consultation today and start making your marketing work smarter, not just harder.