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Microsoft Advertiser and Publisher Solutions
Engagement Mapping
Engagement Mapping counts every customer touch point (not just the last) and enables advertisers to be more e�ective, more creative, and more relevant with their digital marketing
Thought Paper > Engagement Mapping
A new measurement standard is emerging for advertisers
> Marketers Know They’re Not Calculating Digital Advertising ROI Correctly 2
Table of Contents
> The “Last Ad” Model vs. Conventional Wisdom 2> The “Last Ad” Model Miscalculates ROI 3> New Research Underscores the Need for a New Conversion Model 5 Understanding the interaction between channels is critical 5
> Technology Driven Marketing 8> With Engagement Mapping, You Can Get There from Here 9 Weighting factors 10> Practical Application of Engagement Mapping 10 An easy transition 12 Stay on course, but go a lot further 13> About Microsoft, Atlas and the Atlas Institute 13
Marketers Know They’re Not Calculating Digital Advertising ROI Correctly. Until Now, Their Hands Have Been Tied.
Marketers don’t need to change the way they think. They need digital marketing
technology and measures to conform to their standard marketing tenets. The outdated
model for measuring return on investment from digital advertising falls short… but a
new model is gaining momentum.
Digital marketing continues to incur an enormous amount of growth. The quickening
proliferation of new digital channels, compelling web sites and countless new opportu-
nities makes it difficult for marketers to keep pace, and even more challenging for them
to reach and engage their audience. Moreover, the increasing percentage of people
accessing the internet over high-speed connections has profoundly changed the
consumption patterns of media. Large brands and direct response marketers are
constantly seeking the right mix of channels, sites and interesting creative to engage
their audience as effectively as possible. Yet when a digital advertising campaign is
successful, they can only credit one of the many touch points their audience experi-
enced. Typically, between 93% and 95% of audience engagements with online advertis-
ing receive no credit at all when advertisers review the ROI on their campaigns. While
the universe has been getting bigger, marketers have been forced to view it through a
very limited lens. And the limited view constrains marketers’ vision, creativity and
success.
The reason for this misalignment is that the industry has been using a method of ROI
measurement that only attributes credit for advertising effectiveness to the last ad
clicked or viewed prior to a customer conversion. The “last ad” standard forces market-
ers to pay attention to a small set of data, and ignore key information required to
properly calculate the return on investment for each site and channel. In addition, it
goes against conventional marketing wisdom, and therefore stands in the way of
adoption, creativity and the innovative evolution of digital advertising by marketers who
are seeking better results.
The “Last Ad” Model vs. Conventional WisdomThe current “last ad” model attributes 100% of the credit for a conversion to the last ad seen or clicked. This is the current standard the industry has relied on to justify their digital media spend. The problem with this approach is that it ignores the contributions of any previous ads that led the customer down the road to that conversion.
The “last ad” model forces marketers to place greaterimportance on the aspects of their advertising that supportthe model, rather than the aspects that support theiradvertising success.
The “Last Ad” Model Miscalculates ROIThe “last ad” model is based on only a single engagement, so it forces marketers to
place greater importance on the aspects of their advertising that support the model,
rather than the aspects that support their advertising success.
Since the “last ad” model has forced marketers to attribute 100% of the credit to only
the last click, marketers have logically allocated their marketing dollars entirely to media
that sit at the bottom of the conversion funnel: search engines, sites and networks that
are the last stop on the conversion path.
Contradicting the “last ad” perspective is the notion that most marketers believe in the basic tenet that individuals respond to marketing messages differently depend-ing on their awareness of, interest in, or intent to buy a particular brand or product. To date, the industry’s online ROI measurement models, including click-through rates and the “last ad” standard have been significantly out of alignment with these basic marketing fundamentals.
Additionally, a critical marketing concept, the sales funnel, is completely disre-garded by the “last ad” model. The idea is simple: different marketing messages play different roles for consumers. Some marketing messages drive awareness, others close the deal. In the offline world, broadcast media have typically been at the top of the funnel while other channels, such as direct mail, have been used to induce a purchase. In the last ten years, online media have moved from strictly a direct response medium to a multifaceted channel with the potential to reach consumers across every point in their journey. The “last ad” model is exceptional at measuring ROI if your only goal is to measure the bottommost touch point in the sales funnel. In this regard, our current conversion attribution standard is sadly out-of-touch with the reality of online marketing today.
The “Last Ad” Model Miscalculates ROI
by attributing credit to only the last click before a conversion.
The model works as if the consumer doesn’t see or click any other
To illustrate the faulty logic of the model, imagine that you’re standing in the grocery
store knowing precisely what you want to buy. You’ve seen the product ads on TV, the
full page ad in a magazine, and a full color mailer that actually made you hungry just
looking at the pictures. You’ve even clipped a coupon and brought it with you to the
supermarket. When you ask the grocery clerk where to find the specific item, he smiles,
points and says, “Aisle five.” Off you go to aisle five, find the item, pay, and leave the
store.
If you applied the “last ad” model to this scenario, the grocery clerk would get 100% of
the credit for your purchase (no wonder he’s smiling). As a result, marketers would invest
heavily in grocery clerks, and they’d pull their advertising dollars from the marketing
channels that actually piqued your interest or moved you through the funnel toward the
purchase. Of course, everybody likes grocery clerks, but marketers need to invest in the
most effective ways to get customers into the store and map each milestone along the
way.
Right now marketers are optimizing their media buys based on the very last step in the process. But the “last ad” model is flawed. It ignores some very important questions:
1. How can marketers accurately reach their audience and plan campaigns if they are unable to calculate the return on investment on each of the touch points upstream of the conversion? 2. What other factors beyond exposure (such as frequency and interaction) may lead to a conversion? 3. What is the interaction between different media? How much, for instance, do search and display advertising interact? 4. Different ads, messages and media are employed at different points in the conversion funnel. Which touchpoints make the greatest impact along the way? Which make the smallest?
This is the way that it really looks for an
advertiser as people spend more time
online.People interact with
many channels. They see video online, interact with rich media, view
The “last ad” model is opaque. With an inflexible, black-box model, marketers can’t make sound marketing decisions. Imagine a world where you could see exactly which advertising experiences contributed to a conversion, and which were less effective. To experience that world, you have to be able to see what you’ve been missing.
New Research Underscores the Need for a New Conversion ModelRecent research proves that marketers benefit by understanding and considering additional factors in their ROI calculations. Evaluating the positive effects of the synergy between multiple channels and duplicated reach can lead to a greater ROI. Research also shows that marketers benefit by reconsidering their reliance on search and the concept of the “last ad.”
Understanding the interaction between channels is criticalWith the last ad model, not only is credit given to a single ad, but also a single channel.
While the audience is viewing display ads, clicking on search ads and viewing web video
ads, marketers can never attribute credit to more than one of those things.
The reality is that multiple channels actually work together to increase conversions.
Consider the impact of two popular channels, search and display. Search produces great
CPAs. It can be a very effective channel if you look at conversion rates and cost per
conversion. It can also be a highly-qualified channel, reaching most consumers at the
last step of the conversion funnel. Someone who searches on your terms and clicks is
prequalifying themselves as somebody who's interested in what you sell. In the
presence of such high prequalification, does it even make sense to incorporate display
advertising in your campaign? If you've got this universe of search clickers that are
largely self-identifying, is there any benefit to also supplementing that experience with
display impressions from the same advertiser?
Multiple channels area good thing.
Multiple touch points can move customers your way.
According to Atlas Institute research, the answer, overwhelmingly, is yes. When market-
ers supplement search with display impressions, they get a significant lift in conversions.
Unfortunately, most advertisers that run both search and display are unaware of this,
because there hasn’t been a way to measure it. A recent Atlas Institute study demon-
strated that users exposed to both search and display ads convert at a higher rate: an
average of 22 percent better than search alone and 400 percent better than display
only. The lift of search over display is well-known and well accounted for by the “last ad”
model since the searches in this study came after the display impressions. Those
preceding impressions, however, are completely disregarded under current conversion
reporting. Using this information today in post-campaign reporting required time-
consuming custom analytics. If you’re measuring your search and display campaigns
separately, you are missing the complete picture and undervaluing your display impres-
sions. The ability to track all of your media in one central place and all of your engage-
ments with a single model allows advertisers to measure cross-channel impact, and
reveals important information about the user’s conversion experience.
Overlap drives higher conversion rates Another recent study by the Atlas Institute revealed that about a third of the reach of an average campaign is overlap, meaning a third of the people you reach on a campaign are going to see your ads on two or more sites (This statistic varies from advertiser to advertiser - generally, the bigger the advertiser, the greater the overlap). Those overlapped users disproportionately represent your converters, the consumers that actually buy from you, register with you, and become your sales leads. 2
Fowler, Jed (2007) “Overlap’s Impact on Reach, Frequency and Conversions.” The Atlas Institute.
Strong, Esco (2006). “The Combined Impact of Search and Display Advertising – Why Advertisers Should Measure Across Channels.” The Atlas Institute.
The Reality ofCross-Site Duplication
Overlap can driveconversions. Two-thirds of converters view ads across multiple sites. But the “last
ad” model only allows advertisers to attribute credit to one of them.
With Engagement Mapping, You Can Get There from HereThe new model is called Engagement Mapping. It’s based on three simple premises:
1. Marketers need to attribute credit to multiple sites and engagements, not just
the last one.
2. Marketers need to have the flexibility to be able to weigh the importance of
influential factors such as ad size, frequency and rich media interactions in their
ROI calculations.
3. Marketers need to be able to easily adopt and transition to the new model
from the old.
Engagement Mapping is made possible by back-end technology that analyzes many factors behind the scenes, so marketers don’t have to worry about the technological aspects managing the terabytes of data today’s campaigns generate. In the new model, key influential factors can roll up into a very straightforward site-by-site analysis to succinctly summarize Engagement ROI. Factors that can be taken into account include Frequency, Ad Size, Recency, Ad Format, Interaction, and Order. Considering these experiential factors will enable advertisers to learn from previous campaigns, and fine-tune their media strategy while their campaigns are still in progress. Marketers can manage their digital media investments by channel, placement, site, media type, etc.
It is easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. At its heart, Engagement Mapping is a simple concept, throwing light on the entire conversion funnel. Engagement Mapping is about two things: reach and the quality of that reach. The role of a third-party ad servicer is to deliver advertising across accountable media and measure to whom the advertisements are delivered. This is the reach component. It is up to advertisers and agencies to decide, for their business, how the quality of that reach will be assessed.
Weighting factors The Engagement Mapping model is supported by a new level of measurement flexibil-
ity. Your application of the model can be easily customized to the factors you deem
important for measuring your specific campaign. Each of those different factors can be
weighted differently in your Engagement ROI calculation. All types of events may
receive different weights, with, for example, passive events like viewing a text link or a
display ad receiving a relatively low weight. Active events, like clicks and rich media
interactions, that convey a level of interest, can be assigned higher weights. If you aren’t
sure how much weight you should assign to a factor, you can start by simply choosing a
default setting that reflects your marketing objectives.
Factors that impactEngagement ROI
FrequencyHow many times did your customers see an ad across multiple sites and channels?
Ad Size Which ads are more impactful when you factor in their size? Should a bigger ad get more credit than a small text link?
Recency How much should impact diminish as engagements move further away in time from the action? Was it the first exposure that caught the audience’s attention?
Media typeIs a rich media ad more effective than a skyscraper banner ad? How should video be weighted versus display?
InteractionHow much time is a user spending interacting with a rich media ad, or visiting your website before seeing a banner ad and clicking on it?
Order of engagement What if you determined that order matters, such that the first ad gets most of the credit or the last ad gets less, or vice-a-versa?
Passive EventsText link
Active EventsClicks
RM Interactions
Display
Flash and Java
Rich Media
Video
Last AdAdvanced
Model
Engagement Mapping is a flexible attribution model that enables advertisers to include many factors in their Engagement ROI calculations.
Practical Application of Engagement Mapping: Single Site ExampleEngagement Mapping isn’t just conceptual. It’s a model that you can begin to apply
practically today. When the model is applied, each exposure and interaction can be
attributed a portion of the credit for a conversion.
Here is a hypothetical example of how Engagement Mapping attributes credit differ-
ently. Let’s say you have a site right now that gets 1000 conversions under the “last ad”
model. When frequency is figured into the calculations using the new model, it actually
boosts the attribution number up to more than twice as many conversions. So your
number of conversions credited to the specific site has jumped up to 2000. But it turns
out a lot of these impressions that are frequent are not very large. By factoring in ad size
the number of conversions attributed to the specific site is revised downward to 1400.
Continuing down this path, the Engagement Mapping model also accounts for inter-
action, creative type, reach, recency and order and the model ends up attributing 1600
of your conversions to this one site. When you use Engagement Mapping to evaluate
the sites that produced the greatest return on your media investment, this one site looks
very different than it did when you used the “last ad” model.
Today, advanced technology that powers digital advertising behind the scenes makes it
possible to apply the Engagement Mapping model to your campaigns with very little
effort.
By being able to weigh the importance of various factors, you can put a greater focus on
those that matter more if you’re a direct-response marketer (such as clicks and recency).
If you’re a brand marketer, you may want to be able to read things differently and give
more credit to more passive engagements (such as video views and ad size), even if
there’s no interaction. Or, your objective may lie somewhere in between. Flexibility in
the way you measure each factor lies at the heart of the new model.
If you use Microsoft’s Atlas advertising platform, transitioning from the old model to the
new requires only two things:
1. A decision on your part to measure Engagement ROI differently and more
accurately
2. A simple selection of your basic objective (direct response, brand marketer, or
both).
Stay on course. Go a lot further.Great marketing comes from a healthy combination of both right and left brain thinking.
Digital advertising has a tendency to be constrained creatively because the “last ad”
analytics make advertisers believe that the best results come from channels and sites
that limit creative options. Imagine how much more creative you can be, how much
more attention your ads can garner, how much more effective your media plan can be
when you can measure and justify the incorporation of a greater variety of formats, sites
and channels. Engagement Mapping gets you there. And you can go there today.
Engagement Mapping will allow you to calculate your EngagementROI from every site you purchase, whether through passiveexposures, active interactions, or both.