Data
Attribution
Knowing which channel caused the sale, not merely which one touched it.
The problem
Every platform claims the same conversion. Add up the reported numbers and you have more sales than the business made. Last-click attribution then quietly credits whichever channel happened to be last, which is usually branded search — the one channel that would have converted anyway.
Precision
How the work actually runs.
Model rather than assume
Data-driven attribution where the volume supports it, and clearly labelled estimates where it does not.
Test incrementality
Holdout tests that show what happens when a channel is switched off, which is the only honest answer.
Reconcile to finance
Marketing-reported revenue matched to the accounting file, monthly.
Evidence
Measured in the client’s own systems.
Questions
Answered before you ask.
Is last-click ever acceptable?
For a single-channel account with a short cycle, it is roughly right and much simpler. For anything multi-channel with a considered purchase, it systematically misleads.
What is a holdout test?
Switching a channel off in one region or audience while leaving it on elsewhere, then comparing. It is the closest marketing gets to a controlled experiment, and it occasionally proves an expensive channel was doing nothing.
Innovation
Related thinking.
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Growth
Start with the numbers you already have.
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