The Rise Of Television Attribution In The Digital Age

Digital advertising has paved a path toward highly complex and strategic strategies and methods of analysis, including TV attribution. 

The high-tech approach to digital advertising in 2024 contrasts with that of yesteryear. It wasn’t long ago when most families had a single TV in the living room with a mere 30 channels. The transition from the 80s to the 2020s brought the addition of numerous screens into the home, some of which are connected directly to the internet for streaming video through Connected TV (CTV). 

The Importance of TV Attribution

Previously, advertisers relied on Nielsen ratings and People Meters to understand ad reach. Though the old-fashioned approach to gauging responses to ads measured the number of viewers, they didn’t go much deeper. TV attribution is superior for several reasons, one of which is that it provides a comprehensive look at what drives viewer engagement and action.

Do your due diligence on TV attribution, and you’ll find it ultimately results in better marketing campaigns. However, the approach to attribution differs by individual businesses and marketers. The success of the TV attribution approach hinges on modeling. Marketing industry veterans are quick to point out that TV attribution modeling provides the advantage of analyzing the entirety of touchpoints without temporal restraint.  

Businesses and advertisers are liberated to run one or several TV attribution models. Each type of TV attribution model offers something of value in the age of digital advertising. As an example, first-touch attribution assigns full credit to the initial touchpoint, such as a click.  The models go as far as the last non-direct touch attribution. Rather than giving credit for directing traffic, this model zeroes in on the final marketing channel that determines the buyer’s journey, be it an email campaign, an ad on social media, or search ads.  

Advertisers, business owners, and entertainment creators alike benefit from TV attribution. Heightened viewer engagement makes it easier to create advertisements that keep viewers engaged. Those who lean on experienced advertisers to gauge the impact of ads aired on TV are more capable of enhancing their campaigns to generate better results.  

Moreover, TV attribution enhances advertising targeting capabilities. The data obtained through attribution ultimately makes it easier to pinpoint the segments of the audience that best respond to TV ads, ensuring highly precise targeting in subsequent campaigns.

Television Attribution Criticisms of Note

Search the internet for television attribution, and you’ll find some of the concerns about the individual models. The potential downside to using TV attribution is an overload of information that makes it difficult to identify the specific channel or multiple touchpoints that lead to conversion. It is possible that several touchpoints throughout a wide array of marketing platforms played a part in determining whether a viewer moves forward with a purchase.  

There is also a challenge in collecting insights and metrics for TV attribution. As an example, metrics such as viewer engagement and exposure are not always captured with full accuracy. However, such fallibilities are minor and greatly outweighed by the approach’s merits, as evidenced by its rise in the digital age.

The Staying Power of Television Attribution

Though no one has a crystal ball that predicts the future, most industry experts agree TV attribution has staying power. TV attribution has surpassed traditional methods of gauging responses to commercials, including its ability to measure success across several channels. Opt for today’s high-tech approach, and you’ll trade in the antiquated approach for timely data that portrays the truth of responses to ads.