Attribution models (last-click, multi-touch) in Digital Marketing - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Attribution models (last-click, multi-touch)

User sees ads

↓

User interacts with ads

↓

User makes a purchase

↓

Last-click model

↓

Assign all credit

↓

Analyze results

Shows how user interactions lead to a purchase, then how different attribution models assign credit to ads.

Execution Sample

Digital Marketing

User clicks Ad1 -> User clicks Ad2 -> User buys product
Last-click: Credit to Ad2
Multi-touch: Credit split Ad1 & Ad2

Tracks user clicks on ads and assigns credit based on chosen attribution model.

Analysis Table

Step	User Action	Attribution Model	Credit Assigned	Notes
1	User clicks Ad1	Last-click	No credit yet	First ad clicked, no purchase yet
2	User clicks Ad2	Last-click	No credit yet	Last ad clicked updated to Ad2
3	User buys product	Last-click	100% credit to Ad2	Last-click model assigns all credit to last ad clicked
1	User clicks Ad1	Multi-touch	Partial credit to Ad1	First touch gets some credit
2	User clicks Ad2	Multi-touch	Partial credit to Ad2	Second touch gets some credit
3	User buys product	Multi-touch	Credit split between Ad1 and Ad2	Multi-touch model shares credit among ads
4	-	Both	-	Process ends after purchase credit assignment

💡 User completes purchase; attribution credit assigned based on model rules.

State Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
Last-click credit	None	None	Ad2	Ad2	Ad2 gets 100% credit
Multi-touch credit	None	Ad1 partial	Ad1 & Ad2 partial	Ad1 & Ad2 partial	Credit split between Ad1 and Ad2

Key Insights - 2 Insights

Why does the last-click model assign all credit to the last ad clicked?

Because as shown in execution_table row 3, the last-click model waits until purchase, then gives 100% credit to the last ad the user clicked before buying.

How does the multi-touch model share credit among ads?

As seen in execution_table rows 4-6, multi-touch assigns partial credit to each ad the user interacted with before purchase, splitting credit rather than giving it all to one.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

According to the execution_table, which ad gets full credit in the last-click model after purchase?

A Ad1

B Both Ad1 and Ad2 equally

C Ad2

D No ad gets credit

💡 Hint

Look at execution_table row 3 under 'Credit Assigned' for last-click model.

In the multi-touch model, when does Ad1 start receiving credit?

A After user buys product

B After user clicks Ad1

C After user clicks Ad2

D Never

💡 Hint

Check execution_table row 4 for multi-touch credit assignment.

If the user only clicked Ad1 and then bought the product, how would the last-click model assign credit?

A 100% credit to Ad1

B 100% credit to Ad2

C Split credit between Ad1 and Ad2

D No credit assigned

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker for last-click credit changes and imagine no Ad2 click.

Concept Snapshot

Attribution models assign credit for sales to ads.
Last-click: All credit to last ad clicked before purchase.
Multi-touch: Credit shared among multiple ads clicked.
Helps marketers understand ad effectiveness.
Choice affects marketing decisions and budget.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how attribution models assign credit for a purchase based on user ad interactions. The user clicks Ad1, then Ad2, then buys a product. The last-click model waits until purchase and assigns all credit to Ad2, the last ad clicked. The multi-touch model shares credit between Ad1 and Ad2, giving partial credit to each ad the user interacted with. Variable tracking shows how credit changes step-by-step. Key moments clarify why last-click gives full credit to the last ad and how multi-touch splits credit. The quiz tests understanding of credit assignment timing and differences between models. This helps beginners see how marketing attribution works in practice.

Practice

1. What does the last-click attribution model do in digital marketing?

easy

A. Distributes credit based on ad cost

B. Gives all credit to the final ad clicked before purchase

C. Ignores the last ad clicked and credits the first one

D. Shares credit equally among all ads seen

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand last-click attribution

   Last-click attribution assigns 100% credit to the last ad clicked before a purchase.

2. Step 2: Compare with other models

   Unlike multi-touch models, it does not share credit among multiple ads.

3. Final Answer:

   Gives all credit to the final ad clicked before purchase -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Last-click = final ad credit [OK]

Hint: Last-click means credit goes to the last ad clicked [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking credit is shared among all ads
• Confusing last-click with first-click attribution
• Assuming cost affects credit distribution

2. Which of the following correctly describes a multi-touch attribution model?

easy

A. It ignores all ads except the most expensive one

B. It gives all credit to the first ad clicked

C. It shares credit among multiple ads that influenced the customer

D. It credits only the ad with the highest click rate

Solution

1. Step 1: Define multi-touch attribution

   Multi-touch attribution divides credit among several ads that helped influence the customer.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   It does not give all credit to just one ad or ignore ads based on cost or click rate.

3. Final Answer:

   It shares credit among multiple ads that influenced the customer -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Multi-touch = shared credit [OK]

Hint: Multi-touch means credit is shared among ads [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing multi-touch with last-click
• Thinking only one ad gets credit
• Assuming credit depends on ad cost

3. Consider a customer who saw three ads: Ad A, Ad B, and Ad C. They clicked Ad A first, then Ad B, and finally Ad C before purchasing. In a last-click attribution model, which ad gets full credit?

medium

A. Ad A

B. All ads share credit equally

C. Ad B

D. Ad C

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the last ad clicked

   The customer clicked Ad A, then Ad B, and lastly Ad C before purchase.

2. Step 2: Apply last-click attribution rule

   Last-click attribution gives 100% credit to the final ad clicked, which is Ad C.

3. Final Answer:

   Ad C -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Last-click credit = last ad clicked [OK]

Hint: Last-click means credit goes to the last clicked ad [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Giving credit to the first or middle ad
• Sharing credit equally in last-click model
• Confusing last-click with multi-touch

4. A marketer uses a multi-touch attribution model but notices all credit is going to only one ad. What is the most likely error?

medium

A. They are actually using a last-click model by mistake

B. They shared credit equally among all ads

C. They ignored the last ad clicked

D. They gave credit based on ad cost

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand expected multi-touch behavior

   Multi-touch should share credit among multiple ads, not just one.

2. Step 2: Identify why all credit goes to one ad

   If all credit goes to one ad, likely the last-click model is used instead of multi-touch.

3. Final Answer:

   They are actually using a last-click model by mistake -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Single ad credit = last-click, not multi-touch [OK]

Hint: All credit to one ad? Check if last-click model is used [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming multi-touch always shares credit equally
• Ignoring model settings
• Confusing ad cost with credit assignment

5. A customer interacted with three ads: Ad X (first click), Ad Y (viewed but not clicked), and Ad Z (last click). Using a multi-touch attribution model that gives 40% credit to first click, 20% to views, and 40% to last click, how is the credit distributed?

hard

A. Ad X: 40%, Ad Y: 20%, Ad Z: 40%

B. Ad X: 33%, Ad Y: 33%, Ad Z: 33%

C. Ad X: 0%, Ad Y: 50%, Ad Z: 50%

D. Ad X: 100%, Ad Y: 0%, Ad Z: 0%

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify credit percentages per interaction type

   First click gets 40%, views get 20%, last click gets 40% credit.

2. Step 2: Assign credit to each ad

   Ad X is first click -> 40%, Ad Y is viewed -> 20%, Ad Z is last click -> 40%.

3. Final Answer:

   Ad X: 40%, Ad Y: 20%, Ad Z: 40% -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Credit split matches model percentages [OK]

Hint: Match credit percentages to ad interaction types [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring view credit
• Splitting credit equally instead of weighted
• Confusing first and last click percentages