There seems to be an increased buzz around cross-channel media attribution from many vendors lately and although we posted on the subject of attribution before we never really got into the nuts and bolts of the different platform options so here you go.

Check out the below slides we recently pulled together for one of our clients - the 1st part is a recap on cross-channel media attribution best practice in case you're new to the topic but the 2nd part goes into the detailed pros and cons of the various different technology platforms we've had experience with.

• Google Analytics multi-channel funnels
• Adobe SiteCatalyst Cross-Visit Participation JavaScript plugin, Light Server Calls and DoubleClick/Mediamind Genesis integration
• Atlas, Mediamind and DoubleClick ad server based purchase path tracking plus custom media attribution modelling
• Specialised ClearSaleing media attribution platform and out-of-the-box reports

Finally, it's important to make a distinction between media attribution and purchase path tracking, one is necessary to enable the other but they are not the same. Tracking the complete purchase path, i.e. every paid and organic campaign touch point leading up to a conversion is a necessary requirement to be able to actually do media attribution or the allocation or conversion credits back to those touch points. The purchase path tracking is the data collection if you so want and the media attribution the actual analysis or modelling part - given attribution modeling is only as good as the underlying data the below slides are focusing manly on the data collection aspects of the different options.

In case you missed our presentation on Re-thinking Media Attribution at the recent Google Go Measure event, check out the slide below. 

Thes slides obviously need narration, but the gist of the presentation is that the new Google Analytics multi-channel funnels are an awesome way to measure the full path to purchase as long as you're not a heavy display advertiser (the Google data only contains clicks and not mere impressions) and don't want to track offline responses via search calls to action (needs custom JavaScript otherwise just comes through as organic search traffic). You can track offline sales influenced by online media through email receipts.

We're excited to announce that Hamish Ogilvy, our Head of Data, will be running a workshop on digital data, campaign measurement and optimisation at the upcoming ad:tech event in Sydney

The workshop will be held from 10-1pm on Wednesday, March 9th, and will cover a diverse range of topics from standardisation of metrics over digital data sources and their limitations to advanced media attribution and targeting to reduce media waste.

It doesn't matter whether you’re agency or client side, the workshop will enable you to make better data driven campaign optimisation decisions through a combination of marketing theory and hands-on group exercises.

For more information on the workshop and to register please visit the official event page.

We're excited to announce that we will be presenting at Mediamind's (aka Eyeblaster) global roadshow event in Sydney next week on how to use advanced media attribution to improve media planning processes. There will be a short session to introduce the multi-channel media attribution concept followed by a panel discussion. 

Below is a short extract of the program, please visit the official Mediamind event website to register and to find out more about the full agenda.

3.00-3.25 pm

If the above sounds interesting but you want to do a bit more reading before the presentation check out our earlier blog post on how to avoid misallocation media budgets through multi-channel media attribution in Google Analytics.

To quantify the impact of offline and online media spend on new customer acquisition, along with the construction of a reporting and analytics framework to continually optimise media budget allocation using a better understanding of customer vs. non-customer navigational paths. 

Major review and upgrade of the existing Omniture SiteCatalyst deployment to build a data collection foundation that could properly address the core business KPIs. A controlled display exposure test was used to quantify the incremental conversion uplift from online display advertising and to determine the real media cost per acquisition. In addition, a website entry survey was used to further analyse the impact of existing brand equity and offline media activity on online channels, specifically navigational search and direct to site visits. It was particularly important to look at the differences between customers and non-customers.

E*Trade now has the ability to report on and de-duplicate conversions across all paid and non-paid media channels as well as to clearly differentiate between customers and non-customers. The marketing team can now not only optimise the company's media mix for maximum acquisition efficiency but also use the data to develop a smoother customer experience and media attribution model. The developed reporting and analytics framework provides the client with the ability to analyse a range of core KPI's on an ongoing basis, putting the business in an excellent strategic position moving forward.

"E*Trade Australia was originally looking for a provider who could help us optimise our media spend and Datalicious brought with them best practice analytics to demonstrate the true value of our marketing dollars. Since then, they have become a critical business partner in their support of our Omniture analytics implementation. They've provided great insights which have driven key business decisions." Trang Young, Senior Internet Marketing Manager, E*Trade Australia