Hello Multi-Touch Attribution Models.  Over Here.  It’s Me.  Out of Home!

(1st in a Series examining what it will take to truly integrate OOH into traditional media.)

We at Reveal believe it’s time for the traditional marketers to take OOH and its impact on consumer behavior more seriously.  In this space we’ll explore the barriers and perhaps move the needle.

Let’s start with the basics.  What is Multi-Touch Attribution?

Multi-touch attribution is a marketing model that assigns credit to multiple touchpoints in a consumer's conversion path. Unlike single-touch models, which credit only the first or last interaction, multi-touch attribution offers a comprehensive view of how various marketing channels influence a customer's decision-making. This helps marketers optimize their strategies across platforms, ensuring effective resource allocation for maximum ROI. By analyzing the impact of each touchpoint, businesses can make informed decisions about where to focus marketing efforts to boost sales and engagement.

Is there just one model or are there multiple models?

There are several multi-touch attribution models, each serving different analytical needs based on business objectives and available resources. Common models include the linear model, time decay model, position-based model, and custom models. The linear model gives equal credit to every touchpoint in the customer's journey. The time decay model assigns more credit to interactions closer to conversion. The position-based model gives significant credit to the first and last interactions, distributing the rest among middle touches. Custom models let businesses assign weights to touchpoints based on unique insights. Choosing the right model depends on the specific context and marketing goals.


Does every large consumer brand have their own version of a multi touch attribution model?


While many large consumer brands develop tailored multi-touch attribution models to align with their marketing strategies, others may rely on established models or work with external partners. The decision to create a custom model depends on a brand's ability to gather and analyze data and the complexity of their customer journeys. Brands with more resources are more likely to invest in a unique model using their data insights. Smaller brands or those with limited resources might find traditional models sufficient. The choice hinges on balancing precise attribution insights with the effort and cost of a custom solution.


How would an industry like the Out of Home Advertising industry go about getting their attribution data into a multi-touch platform?

The Out of Home (OOH) Advertising industry faces distinct challenges in integrating attribution data into a multi-touch platform. First, OOH companies must capture engagement data using technologies like mobile location tracking. This data reveals when and where customers interact with OOH ads. Integrating this data into digital platforms involves matching it with digital identifiers, often through third-party vendors specializing in cross-channel attribution. These vendors help bridge the gap between offline and online data, ensuring accurate representation of OOH touches in the multi-touch attribution model. Once integrated, the platform provides insights into how OOH ads contribute to the overall marketing journey, allowing advertisers to evaluate their OOH strategy's effectiveness alongside other channels. This integration requires ongoing refinement to ensure accurate and meaningful attribution as customer behaviors and technologies evolve.

Can you explain more about what these digital identifiers are?

Typically, digital identifiers include unique codes or tags associated with devices, such as cookies or mobile advertising IDs, which can be used to track user interactions across devices and platforms. By deploying these identifiers, marketers can match OOH ad engagements with online actions, providing a comprehensive view of how offline media drives digital outcomes. The use of digital identifiers allows for more accurate attribution by linking physical and digital touchpoints, ultimately enhancing the precision of marketing strategy decisions. However, it's essential for companies to manage these identifiers with attention to privacy regulations, ensuring data is handled securely and transparently.

Do you have examples of who some of the 3rd party vendors are who specialize in cross-channel attribution.

There are several third-party vendors known for their expertise in cross-channel attribution. Some notable examples include companies like Neustar, Liveramp, and AppsFlyer. Neustar offers a robust suite of identity resolution and marketing analytics solutions that help brands measure and optimize the impact of their marketing efforts across both online and offline channels. Liveramp is well-regarded for its data connectivity platform, which allows marketers to link disparate data sources to gain a holistic view of consumer interactions. AppsFlyer specializes in mobile attribution and marketing analytics, providing insights into how mobile app campaigns influence consumer behavior globally. These vendors play a pivotal role in helping brands connect their offline and online marketing activities for improved attribution and measurement accuracy, driving strategy optimization based on a comprehensive understanding of consumer journeys.

So if these companies exist, why is Out of Home's contribution to multi-touch platforms still lagging?

Despite the advancements in technology and data analytics, accurately measuring Out of Home (OOH) advertising's impact within multi-touch platforms remains challenging. Some companies actually do a disservice by not accurately measuring exposures in the more complex channels and thus contributing to undervaluing OOH.  OOH mediums, such as billboards and transit ads, operate in largely analog environments, making it difficult to track precise consumer interactions without a direct digital component. Additionally, the spontaneous nature of encountering OOH advertisements makes it harder to integrate them into digital tracking systems, which typically rely on cookies or device IDs.  While mobile location data can offer some insights by correlating consumer movements with OOH ad locations, privacy constraints and data accuracy issues still pose significant barriers. Thus, although strides are being made, the inherently offline nature of OOH ads and the current limitations of widely used tracking technology simply underlines the importance of working with a measurement company with deep experience in this area.

So if a measurement company had reliable attribution data on out of home campaigns and their impact on consumers, the best move would be to make that data available via an API to the larger brands and agencies who use OOH, correct?

Absolutely, providing reliable attribution data through an API would be a significant advancement in integrating Out of Home (OOH) advertising into broader marketing ecosystems. By making this data accessible, brands and agencies could seamlessly incorporate usable OOH metrics into their existing analytics platforms, allowing for more precise measurement of its impact alongside other digital and offline channels. This would not only enhance the visibility of OOH's contribution to consumer engagement but also facilitate more informed decision-making and optimization for marketing campaigns. Furthermore, with transparent and accurate data, brands could more effectively justify their investments in OOH, ensuring it remains a key part of their multi-channel marketing strategies and giving OOH the credit it’s due for being more than just a channel for driving awareness.

Summary:  Hmmm if we only knew a company like that….