Myth-busting in Attribution: Tourism Edition

Measuring results in destination marketing has always been challenging - especially with so many variations and opinions on how to do it effectively. The one thing that we can all agree on? We need to find a way to effectively link your marketing efforts to actual visitor conversions. This is why we love attribution - it actually makes that connection, and in doing so, gives DMOs valuable insights and a clear return on ad spend. 

Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty around how to best leverage attribution and what it’s actually capable of, so let’s go over some of the most popular misconceptions about everyone’s favorite digital reporting strategy. 

Myth 1: Geolocation tracking is like a GPS tracking dart

It sure would be convenient to be able to track users all throughout their day, as they went from the grocery store, to the bank, to the concert, like they coulddo when geolocation first came on the scene… But constantly evolving privacy regulations have made it nearly impossible to get such a full picture of any one person today. Now, users have full control over choosing where, what and when they share their data, and many opportunities to opt out, which means that we see more eclectic sets of location data than many would prefer.

A lot has changed since geolocation was born in the 2010s. Privacy laws are going to continue to move ahead in terms of individual choice, which impacts the amount of data and the consistency of the data that all geolocation providers receive. The reality of pick up today means that we need to 

be thinking about attribution and working with the technology (and the data science and technology teams) that allow us to approach it in a broader and more nuanced way.

Myth 2: A two-hour dwell time filter effectively differentiates between visitors and those driving through. 

A two-hour dwell time filter would be fine if all devices collected background data. However, adding in an arbitrary dwell time filter won’t work in the modern landscape, where the majority of users are only generating foreground data and choosing where, when and how to share their data. 

This type of filter arbitrarily cuts your user base, generates a false sense of security and will distort your findings (Consider how cutting the foreground-sharing one-day visitors that didn’t meet the dwell time requirement would incorrectly alter your top markets.) The landscape today requires a more nuanced approach to decipher between visitors and those driving through. 

Myth 3: Third-party cookies are safe now that Google has changed its direction on them. 

Digital marketers may have heaved a big sigh of relief when Google announced 

that they wouldn’t be deprecating third-party cookies after all - but don’t stay too comfortable with your third-party reliant pixels attribution techniques. 

The timing may have shifted, but we believe that Google still has every intention to keep deteriorating the effectiveness of third-party cookies to the point where they will eventually get phased out, and nobody will notice or care. We recommend moving forward with all digital marketing as if they are going to be going away. 

Myth 4: Campaign booking data is the ultimate indicator of success 

There’s been an idea in the industry that campaign booking data - sending someone an ad and watching them click all the way through to completing a booking - is the ultimate indicator of success. But it’s too risky to call this a silver bullet when you consider all the different ways, methods and locations that people can book today. (Plus, who’s to say that person actually showed up at your destination once they confirmed their booking?)

No one source of data - even campaign booking data - can provide a complete picture of campaign success. Successful attribution requires a broad view of all the different ways that money and time can be spent within a destination - and most often, that is going to require considering additional sources such as geolocation data, spending data, and economic impact reporting. 

Final thoughts: We can all agree that it’s a useful tool, but doing it right requires people who know what they’re doing (we’re talking data scientists and ad tech experts) and the right kind of software technology. (You’ll want to make sure that it can be filtered down to your specific needs and point of view.) Because when it’s done right, attribution can absolutely be the powerful and exciting tool that this industry needs it to be. 

(Pssst: We do it right. Reach out if you want to talk about putting it to work in your destination.)