Dmexco 2017: Last-click attribution is a dangerous game

Last-touch attribution should be dead, but it persists for a variety of reasons.

What’s more, nearly all (90%) of U.S. marketers think last-click attribution models are effective — despite numerous drawbacks. That’s according to new research from AdRoll and Econsultancy, released this week in Cologne, Germany, during Dmexco 2017.

AdRoll’s Shane Murphy presented data from the study, which came from a survey of nearly 1,000 marketers across North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Key findings:

• For both U.S. (40%) and European (50%) marketers, click-based models are the predominant measurement model of choice.
• Most (90%) of U.S. marketers think last-click models are effective.
• Fewer (about 70%) European marketers think this.
• Optimizing toward clicks costs about 5.5x more.

Last-click is more $$ — and the fraudsters have noticed.

Recent Pixalate research found that click fraud is a growing problem in the programmatic marketplace.

• Smartphone click fraud is increasing (102% jump within four months)
• Mobile video click fraud is also on the rise, with a 3x jump
• Connected TV/OTT click fraud increased by 70%
• Display click fraud rose 17%

With advertisers paying an average of 5.5x more for users who click, it’s no surprise to see fraudsters attacking this portion of the industry with more vigor. Are you protected against invalid clicks?

Want to stop invalid clicks — and other forms of invalid traffic? Schedule a demo today.

Sign up for our blog to stay updated with new stats, trends, and analysis on digital ad fraud.