Attribution

What is the definition of Attribution?

Attribution is the process of crediting conversions (app installs or post-install events) to user acquisition sources. If the user installed the app after watching an ad from a certain media source, the user is attributed to this media source. If the user did not see any ad but installed the app organically (ex: word-of-mouth, app store search), the user is determined to be acquired organically. Mobile marketers use 3rd party tools (MMP) to have an unbiased view of data from multiple sources.

What are the different Attribution Methods (Deterministic vs Probabilistic)?

Deterministic: This method is used when advertising identifiers such as GAID for Android and IDFA for iOS are available.

Probabilistic: This method is used when advertising identifiers are not available and MMPs rely on alternative signals such as IP addresses.

What are the different Attribution types?

Click-through: The app install is attributed to a click if the user installed the app after clicking on an ad such as interstitials, videos, and banners within the click attribution window set up by the advertiser.. Tenjin’s default click attribution window is 7 days. .

View-through: The app install is attributed to a view if the user installed the app after viewing an ad within the view-through attribution window set up by the advertiser.. Tenjin’s default view attribution window is 1 hour..

You can read more about Tenjin’s attribution technology here.

Why is attribution important?

Attribution tells you which sources your users are coming from and how they’re using your services/products. Attribution data allows you to understand whether you are meeting your growth goal (ROI) and helps you strategize on how your mobile ad marketing budget can be spent by comparing campaign performance.