Comments on: R.I.P Last Click Attribution

By: Michael Wiegand

Michael Wiegand — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 15:28:26 +0000

Whole-heartedly agree, Natasha. Data driven should be the present.

By: Michael Wiegand

Michael Wiegand — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 15:25:46 +0000

Correct, Dan. But it’s inconsistent throughout the product. In the Multi-Channel Funnels section, for instance, it’s true LCA by default. And in the rest of the product it’s LNDCA.

Doesn’t change the fact that no credit is being given to upper or middle funnel visits in the click stream.

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 08 Jan 2014 14:48:02 +0000

Michael,

You should correct your article as Google analytics currently uses Last Non-Direct Click attribution they confirm that on their help pages:
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1665189?hl=en

“The Last Non-Direct Click model ignores direct visits and attributes 100% of the conversion value to the last channel that the customer clicked through from before buying or converting. Google Analytics uses this model by default when attributing conversion value in non-Multi-Channel Funnels reports.”

Probably they made the change last year or at the end of 2012, but it has been that way for an year and a half now.

By: Natasha Moonka

Natasha Moonka — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 23:14:13 +0000

You are spot on when you point out that Last Click Attribution is dead and that the “status quo is comfortable.” We see that as one of the #1 reasons that marketers haven’t pursued holistic marketing measurement. While I agree that for certain marketers, fixed attribution models can make sense, there’s other non-static options for measurement. While the two models you propose are BETTER than last click, I think that rather than just looking at the % or $ difference from last click, marketers need to also think about looking at how attribution results improve over time. Advanced Attribution models allow marketers to pursue a data driven approach that evaluates a marketer’s individual data set to find what efforts are driving conversions. This is beneficial because as you change the media mix and pull levers to improve your media, you aren’t just applying a static set of rules to evaluate, you are actually seeing if those changes influence your overall conversion rates individually. If you have a complex media mix where you are making constant changes and optimizations, this is definitely an option to consider.

- Natasha Moonka, Product Marketing Manager, Adometry

By: Michael Wiegand

Michael Wiegand — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 17:18:34 +0000

The future is certainly data driven attribution models.

But you have to crawl before you can walk. Heh!

By: Emanuele Inforzato

Emanuele Inforzato — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 17:16:16 +0000

Hi Michael, great article. I just think that today with the huge amount of data available (Big Data), it’s wrong to re-attribute starting with assumptions based on the client’s vertical or maybe about some sample of users’ paths.
Today on the market are available tools and algorithms that allow clients and agencies to have and put in place a real and concrete Data Driven approach and let the clients’ “data speaks”.
To fully adopt a new currency you need to have a totally trusted and actionable new metrics that is MTA (Mutli Toch Attribution).
What do you think about?

Best

By: Tom Mansell

Tom Mansell — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 15:20:32 +0000

Great theory Michael.

Particularly useful when trying to influence client buy-in into channels they do not regard as profitable due to their consistent referencing of LCA reports (mainly because they are easy to access in GA and understand).

For proving value of channels that adopt much longer sales cycles (such as social) this type of reporting is of great importance.

There’s more than one cog in a well oiled machine!

By: ratcode

ratcode — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 06:23:47 +0000

Good post. It should also be noted that last click is only half the problem. Last view can be equally short-sighted and is suspect to retargeting abuse. Marketers that are looking to target new in-market prospects need something more sophisticated. Good news: it’s out there. (Note: We don’t sell attribution, but we can help performance marketers understand it better.)

By: Michael Wiegand

Michael Wiegand — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 18:10:46 +0000

Love the second to last click credit piece, Rick.

If your last click is marriage, then second to last click is getting engaged.

The models I propose are just meant to be a jumping-off point.

By: Michael Wiegand

Michael Wiegand — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 18:08:24 +0000

This is great, Chris.

Ultimately, more folks are going to have to adopt Universal Analytics and do session stitching across devices for a true modern attribution conversation to happen.

But until then, we can do better than LCA for attribution on a single device purchase path.