Why Our Full-Funnel Attribution Approach is Different and How It Can Transform Your Marketing Strategy

September 4, 2024

— min read

In today's competitive digital landscape, marketing attribution has become a cornerstone of effective marketing strategy. It enables businesses to understand which marketing efforts are driving conversions, allowing for more informed decisions and efficient budget allocation. However, traditional attribution models often fall short of providing the full picture. Ad platforms tend to overestimate their own effectiveness, creating biased metrics that make it difficult to truly gauge return on investment (ROI). Additionally, most businesses struggle to connect brand spend to tangible results, and the fragmented nature of marketing technology further complicates the process. At Kleene, we recognized these challenges and developed a full-funnel attribution solution to address them comprehensively.

Why We Decided to Build Full-Funnel Attribution

Identifying the Gaps in the Market

In the current market, there are glaring gaps that need to be addressed:

Over-reliance on Direct Attribution: Many marketers depend too heavily on direct response data from ad platforms like Facebook and Google. This approach not only overcounts conversions but also skews ROI data, leading to misguided decisions.
Neglect of Brand Spend and Top-Funnel Activities: Brand awareness and top-funnel marketing activities are critical for customer acquisition, yet they are notoriously hard to quantify in terms of ROI. Traditional attribution models fail to provide actionable insights on how these investments contribute to overall growth.
High Costs for Top-Funnel Solutions: Most solutions that address top-funnel attribution are costly and only accessible to large corporations, leaving small to mid-sized businesses in the lurch.
One-Size-Fits-All Solutions: Off-the-shelf attribution solutions often fail to accommodate the unique complexities of different businesses. A standard approach may overlook specific nuances such as varying customer journeys, mixed digital and offline channels, and multi-stage conversions.
Misconception of Sufficient Attribution Methods: Direct attribution models or post-purchase surveys alone are not sufficient to understand the full impact of top-funnel marketing efforts. There is a critical need for an all-encompassing solution that combines both direct and indirect attribution.

Given these gaps, there is a clear need for a comprehensive, full-funnel attribution solution that considers both direct and indirect marketing efforts, thereby delivering a complete view of marketing performance.

Our Unique Approach to Attribution

A Solution That Works Better for You

At Kleene, we understand that marketing attribution is not a one-size-fits-all issue. Each business has unique customer journeys, different touchpoints, and varied channels that require a tailored approach. Unlike other solutions that rely on rigid frameworks, Kleene offers fully customized models calibrated to a business's specific needs. This means businesses get attribution models that genuinely reflect their marketing activities, providing a more accurate and actionable understanding of ROI.

Combining Indirect with Direct Attribution

To provide a true measure of the effectiveness of your media mix, our platform combines indirect and direct attribution methods. This comprehensive view allows marketers to assess not only the impact of bottom-funnel activities, such as paid search and retargeting ads but also the influence of top-funnel efforts like brand awareness campaigns and organic social reach. By integrating both, businesses can see the full picture, identifying which strategies are driving the most value across the entire customer journey.

Advanced Techniques We Use

Kleene employs several advanced techniques to ensure our attribution models are the most accurate and effective:

Conversion Matching: By matching conversions across multiple channels and platforms, our model ensures precise attribution. This technique reduces the over-counting problem common with individual ad platforms.
Geo Uplifts: Borrowing from TV region testing methodologies, we use geo-lift techniques to analyze the impact of media in different geographical areas, allowing for more granular insights and optimization.
Multi-Touch Multi-Attribution (MTMA) Models: For digital and direct response channels, our MTMA models provide a balanced view of how each touchpoint contributes to conversions.
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) for Brand and Offline Channels: Our MMM models help businesses understand how brand spend and offline activities drive results, filling a significant gap left by traditional digital-only attribution models.

These techniques work together to deliver a holistic view of marketing effectiveness, from the initial brand impression to the final conversion.

Sending Back the Learnings to Ad Platforms

Kleene takes attribution insights a step further by integrating directly with ad platforms via their Conversion APIs. This ensures that platforms like Meta and Google receive the most accurate and unbiased conversion data, allowing for better optimization of future campaigns. This feedback loop not only enhances ad performance but also provides more trustworthy data for ongoing strategy development.

What Do Teams That Use Our Attribution Solution Do Differently?

Our clients are leveraging Kleene's comprehensive attribution models to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Here are a few examples:

Example 1: Leveraging TRUE Conversion Data for Smarter Ad Platform Optimization

A retail brand used Kleene’s updated TRUE conversion view to feed accurate performance data back to ad platforms like Meta and Google. By providing these platforms with unbiased conversion insights, the brand was able to refine their algorithms, reducing ineffective ad placements and boosting overall ad efficiency.

Example 2: Understanding Channel Saturation for Optimal Budget Allocation

A SaaS company utilized Kleene’s saturation analysis feature to monitor the effectiveness of their channels over time. They discovered that their performance marketing channels were reaching saturation, with diminishing returns on additional spend. By identifying this saturation point, they were able to strategically reallocate budget to underutilized, high-potential channels, enhancing their overall marketing efficiency.

Example 3: Identifying Channel Overlap for Connected Campaigns

An e-commerce business used Kleene’s overlap feature to gain insights into how their different marketing channels were interacting. They found significant audience overlap between their social media and email campaigns. By coordinating these channels to deliver complementary messaging, the business amplified the impact of their campaigns, creating a more cohesive customer experience. This strategy of leveraging channel synergy led to an increase in overall marketing efficiency by driving higher engagement and conversions.

Isometric illustration of AI funnel filtering digital assets and cryptocurrency with people and analytics.

Is This Solution Right for Your Company?

Minimum Spend Requirements

Kleene is best suited for companies with a minimum marketing spend that justifies a sophisticated attribution model. Typically, this applies to businesses spending at least $100,000 per month on marketing across multiple channels.

Minimum Historical Data Requirements

To deliver accurate and actionable insights, we require a minimum of six months of historical data and ideally 2 years and over. Kleene will load in all your history at no extra charge. This data allows our models to calibrate accurately to your specific customer journey and conversion paths.

Cost of the Solution

Our solution is priced competitively relative to the improvement delivered to your marketing budget. Generally, we aim to deliver uplift in efficiencies of 5-10% across your in-play spend.

Conclusion

Kleene's full-funnel attribution model is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional models and provide a complete view of marketing effectiveness. By combining direct and indirect attribution methods, utilizing advanced techniques like conversion matching and geo-lift, and integrating seamlessly with ad platforms, Kleene offers a solution that is not only different but also more effective in driving growth. If your current attribution model is not giving you the clarity and confidence needed to optimize your marketing strategy, it might be time to consider a more holistic approach.

Ready to see how Kleene can transform your marketing strategy? Contact our team today for a consultation or demo. For more information, explore our related articles on optimizing your media spend and understanding conversion APIs.

Next Steps for Marketing Spend Optimisation

Integrating cutting-edge technological platforms, such as Kleene’s Decision Intelligence Platform, can make it easier for Chief Marketing Officers to implement Marketing Mix Modelling and ensure ROI.

By streamlining the implementation of Marketing Mix Modelling , our platform enables Marketing teams to access deeper insights more efficiently and effortlessly. This efficiency is achieved through:

Comprehensive Data Integration: Our platform excels in aggregating a wide array of data sources, including sales, marketing, consumer behaviour analytics, finance, and logistics. This extensive integration facilitates a more thorough and accurate analysis.
Holistic Campaign Analysis: The platform is adept at measuring the impact of both online and offline campaigns, ensuring a comprehensive view of marketing efforts. Enhanced Insights from Comprehensive Data: with the inclusion of diverse data sets, the platform provides richer insights, enabling more informed decision-making
User-Friendly Interface: Kleene’s platform is designed with user experience in mind, allowing CMOs and their teams to navigate complex data analytics with ease. This simplifies the process of deriving actionable insights from MMM results.
Exceptional Support and Expertise: Kleene partners with clients to ensure a significant return on investment and effective implementation of the platform, providing unparalleled support and expertise.

Contact a Kleene.ai data expert to learn more about how their Decision Intelligence Platform can help your company get a better ROAS