Marketing attribution determines which touchpoints and channels deserve credit for conversions. Proper attribution helps allocate budget to what actually works.

Attribution Models

View Attribution Models

Last Click: 100% credit to final touchpoint (most common, flawed)
First Click: 100% credit to first touchpoint
Linear: Equal credit to all touchpoints
Time Decay: More credit to recent touchpoints
Position-Based: 40% first, 40% last, 20% middle
Data-Driven: AI determines credit based on patterns

Why Attribution Is Hard

  • Cross-device journeys
  • Privacy changes (iOS 14, cookie deprecation)
  • Offline to online connections
  • Long consideration periods
  • Multiple people in purchase decision

Attribution Solutions

  • Google Analytics 4 data-driven attribution
  • Platform-specific attribution (Meta, Google)
  • Third-party tools (Triple Whale, Northbeam)
  • Marketing mix modelling for bigger picture

Practical Advice

No attribution model is perfect. Use multiple views, understand each model's bias, and combine with incrementality testing for better decisions.