Marketing Channels, Attribution, and Data Governance
Marketing Channels classify traffic using processing rules ordered by rank, with channel rules matching on referrer, campaign, or query string. Understand first-touch vs. last-touch channel dimensions, channel expiration, and override behavior for direct traffic. Know that channel processing order determines which rule wins.
Attribution distributes credit across touchpoints using models such as last touch, first touch, linear, participation, and position-based. Attribution IQ applies models to dimensions and metrics; Calculated Metrics can embed models. Know the difference between marketing channel attribution and dimension-level attribution.
Data governance covers data retention, PII handling, consent, data subject requests, and access controls. Know that hashing and classification rules protect sensitive values.
Traps
- Assuming a rule's position in the list is irrelevant - rank order decides the winning channel.
- Confusing participation (any touch gets full credit) with linear (even split).
- Forgetting that direct traffic can absorb credit when campaigns expire.
- Treating governance as an IT-only concern - analysts must classify and restrict data.
Rule of thumb
When a channel looks over-credited, check rule rank, channel expiration, and direct override settings in that order.
Worked example: Paid search and email both fire on one visit. The rule ranked higher wins the visit's channel credit. If email is ranked above paid search, email receives the credit regardless of arrival order.