Digital Channel Attribution Methods

Method
1 Last click (LC)

Logic/ Source
Rulesbased Cookiebased

Definition
Attribution to the last digital channel that was clicked (both paid an unpaid)

Example(s)
Customer receives display ad and clicks: media click gets credit Customer receives display ad, doesnt click but later visits site directly; next day gets an email and clicks: email gets credit

Benefits
Simple This is the default tracking capability for most enterprise site analytics packages

Limitations
Places value only on immediate response from clickthroughs Ignores value of all non-click based response Only reflects display media clicks, which biases results to immediate response Complex research project Statistically-derived and subject to sampling error and panel-bias; typically ignores non-display media interaction Leverages test and control methodology to understand baseline response

Multi-touch Panel (MT-P)

Panelbased Research Study

Attribution to any display viewthrough if there was a visit subsequent to ad exposure (configurable) regardless of subsequent channel interaction; also called ad-influenced or any-touch Same as #2

Customer receives display ad and later clicks an email; media viewthrough gets credit

Broader panelbased demographic and lifestyle information can be provided in-context with campaign Reveals customer behavior outside known destination Web site Capability offered by major site analytics/ad server integrations; typically offers first glimpse of nonimmediate response and the passive impact of branding

Multi-touch Analytics (MT-A)

Rulesbased Cookiebased

Customer receives display ad and later clicks an email; media viewthrough gets credit Customer receives display ad and next day clicks on an affiliate link; both media viewthrough and affiliate get credit

Complex Non-display channels continue to be tracked as they were, which leads to double-counting Works best with a test and control to understand baseline response Limited to site(s) where tracking tags are in-place

2012 Domenico Tassone / The Encima Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Digital Channel Attribution Methods

Method
4 Last-touch (LT)

Logic/ Source
Rules-based Cookie-based

Definition
Same last-interaction logic as #1 but attributes response to display media if it was the last touch within viewthrough lookback window

Example(s)
Customer clicks on an email, visits site, doesnt convert; later sees an ad and then visits site directly (without clicking) and then converts; display viewthrough gets credit. Customer sees display ad and later on does a search, then clicks on search ad; paid search gets credit

Benefits
Simple More realistic than other methods in that it does not double-count or overstate display media value

Limitations
Still arbitrarily values the last interaction at 100% Biases results to the channels that yield an immediate response

Fractional Attribution (FA-M)

Anecdotal Weighting Cookie-based or log-files

Customizable weighting of digital channels interacted with by customer prior to conversion event

Customer receives display ad, then later does a search clicking on an ad then later clicks on an email and then converts; each channel receives a fractional share of the credit based on configuration Customer receives display ad, then later does a search clicking on an ad then later clicks on an email and then converts; each channel receives a fractional share of the credit based on probability of influence determined through data mining all permutations of digital channel interactions

Simple Attributes success across multiple digital channels

Complexity in manually determining weights

Fractional Attribution (FA-S)

Statistical Algorithm Cookie-based or log-files

Probabilistic weighting of ALL digital channels interacted with by customer prior to conversion event

Attributes success across multiple digital channels Automated weighting simplifies configuration

Complex and so the underlying math seen as black-box

2012 Domenico Tassone / The Encima Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.