Visualising marketing attribution without starting a fight

Attribution charts cause arguments because two people are usually looking at different models without knowing it. Making the model explicit removes most of the heat.

Put the model in the title

Revenue by channel, last-touch is a different chart from Revenue by channel, linear, and both are legitimate. Naming the model converts an argument about numbers into a discussion about assumptions.

Flows beat bars for multi-touch

A bar chart of channels hides the fact that most conversions touched three of them. A flow diagram from first touch through assisting channels to conversion shows the paths, and paths are what budget decisions are actually about.

Show the unattributed

Direct and unknown traffic is usually a large slice, and charts that quietly drop it overstate everything else. Give it a node; its size is itself a finding.

Two models, side by side

The most useful version of this chart is two: first touch and last touch on the same slide. Channels that look strong in one and weak in the other are where the interesting conversation is.

• Name the attribution model in the title, always.
• Give direct and unknown their own node.
• Compare two models rather than defending one.
• One period per chart, stated explicitly.

No model is correct. The point of the chart is to make the assumptions visible enough that people argue about the right thing.