Measuring Campaign Attribution...Where Are We?

Today our methodology of assigning campaign attribution is quite flawed. We have typically focused on last touch. According to two new studies by Forrester, agencies are getting more sophisticated and offering more services in this regard. Google and Adobe are also making it easier for us to apply proper campaign attribution. 

What is Attribution Modeling?  

It is realizing that is is not the simple diagram as shown below in Figure 1 which depicts "last touch" attribution modeling.

Figure 1:  Last Touch Attribution

But rather something more complex as that shown in Figure 2 which tries to understand the true customer journey and gives credit where credit is due.

Figure 2:  Linear Attribution Modeling

To do it right, we must give credit where credit is due.  All prior touches must get some percent of the credit.  How much depends on the attribution model you wish to employ.  

There are many types:

• Last Touch
• First Touch
• Linear
• Decay
• Customized

Assuming we selected the correct attribution model above, there are still many other issues that exist making attribution modeling a challenge and imperfect.  These include:

• Bringing off line and on line marketing efforts together into a single view of the customer journey
• Understanding online behaviors across multiple devices
• Understanding the true impact that online browsing behaviors have on off line purchasing
• Cookie deletion by customers
• Customers surfing in stealth mode 

We must realize that these obstacles will make it impossible to accurately conduct campaign attribution for the foreseeable future.  But that does not mean we can't do better.  We can.  We just need to be realistic as to what we can do and know that it will never be 100%.  Not even 90%.

Download a presentation I recently made at a large agency event this August on this very subject.

  http://www.drakedirect.com/measuring_campaign_attribution.pdf

In this presentation I discuss what Google and Adobe are doing to help us better understand attribution.   I also highlight two totally free white papers from Forrester on their assessment of various agencies doing it right and in comparison to Google and Adobe.  You will not want to miss those. 

Highlights of the presentation includes:

• What campaign attribution is
• Types of attribution models used today and when to use each
• Interactive vs cross channel attribution
• Attribution challenges
• The Google Analytics "Attribution Modeling Tool" and "Playbook"
• How Adobe is helping us better understand attribution with the help of Genesis and Insight including several articles
• "Social Assisted Conversions" in Google Analytics
• Offline complexities
• Case example for a movie club
• Forrester attribution report links and highlights

Many great things happening right now.  Take a look and stay informed and involved.

I hope you enjoy the presentation.

Perry