How Georgia Pacific Modernized Its Marketing Mix Modeling

Achieving true cross-channel attribution remains an uphill battle as walled gardens restrict access to critical log-level data.

Georgia Pacific's Vice President of Integrated Media and Brand Analytics, Javier Bustillos, reveals how his team combats these fragmentation challenges by accelerating in-house Marketing Mix Modeling and adopting a disciplined, test-and-learn approach to automation.

Key Highlights

📊 Walled gardens continue to choke cross-channel attribution by withholding log-level data, forcing brands to rely on a mosaic of complementary measurement frameworks rather than a single source of truth.

🎯 Strategic mass awareness is shifting toward a hybrid model that blends broad linear reach with hyper-targeted digital video tactics like CTV and YouTube to balance scale and precision.

📺 Premium addressable and data-driven linear television formats frequently fail to generate the performance lift required to justify their steep upfront cost premiums.

👥 Independent content creators should be treated as dynamic ad formats and flexible engagement assets deployed across diverse platform verticals rather than being siloed as a standalone media channel.

📈 Bringing Marketing Mix Modeling in-house can drastically condense operational reporting loops, shifting analytics cadences from lagging annual retrospectives to agile, granular quarterly deployments.

🧪 AI applications in programmatic media yield immediate dividends for algorithmic bidding and supply-path optimization, but agentic decision-making still requires strict human guardrails for multi-million-dollar budgets.

🏗️ Building a high-functioning in-house programmatic operation demands a multi-year road map focused on incremental scaling, specialized talent retention, and direct ad-tech relationship management.

Resources & Next Steps

🔗 Javier Bustillos on LinkedIn

🎧 Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Chapter Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

1:28 Georgia Pacific's Role and Brand Portfolio

2:20 Evolution from Mass Reach to Integrated Targeting

4:05 Cross-Channel Integration Challenges

5:00 Upfront Evolution and New Players

7:10 Creator Economy Integration Across Platforms

8:31 Marketing Mix Modeling Evolution and In-House Capabilities

11:00 MMM Limitations and Supplementary Measurement

13:04 Business Outcome Accountability and Long-term Impact

14:36 AI Implementation and Agentic Capabilities

16:28 Future of Agencies and In-House Teams with AI

18:36 CFO Relations and Marketing Value Communication

19:55 In-Housing Reality Check and Implementation Timeline

21:16 In-Housing Challenges and Relationship Building