Financial Truth in Marketing
Financial Truth in Marketing is the state where marketing performance reports exactly match the bank account reality. It requires stripping away attribution models, view-through windows, and platform bias to reveal the raw economic impact of media spend.
The Short Version
No more lying with statistics.
Visual Explanation
SpendSignal vs GA4
GA4 tracks events. SpendSignal measures incremental revenue. See the difference.
Prerequisites
The Reconciliation Nightmare
Marketing dashboard says we made $10M.
Bank account says we made $6M.
Financial Truth reconciles this. Until they match, you are flying blind.
How it works
Triangulation: Compare Attribution, Incrementality, and Cash Flow
Calibration: Adjust platform numbers down until they sum to reality
radical transparency about what is 'measured' vs 'estimated'
Common Misconceptions
Believing the dashboard because it looks green
Allowing ambiguity to persist ('We think it worked')
Keeping finance and marketing data in separate silos
Frequently Asked Questions
QDoes truth hurt?
Often. Revealing Financial Truth usually shows that marketing is less efficient than you thought. But knowing this allows you to fix it and actually grow.