Source Medium MTA Advanced Documentation

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Overview

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Why is this a superior approach to MTA modeling?

• No New Pixels: use the first party funnel data you already have
• Total Transparency: direct access to all underlying data that make up the model in BigQuery
• Accurate Revenue Impact: use accurate net revenue, gross revenue, or profit figures
• All the Numbers Add Up: everything adds up to the correct number, no “magic”

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Architecture

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Data Sources

• Customer Acquisition Platforms (CAPI): Elevar and Blotout
• Analytics Platforms: Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Snowplow, and Heap
• Mobile App Streams: Tapcart
• Compatible MTA Vendors: Northbeam, TripleWhale, Rockerbox

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Unified Purchase Journey Dataset

• Highest Quality Journeys: We select the best purchase journey from each data source, referred to as the “Source System”.
• Quality Assessment: The quality of a purchase journey is judged by the number of valid touch points it contains.

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Data Quality Assurance

• Event Deduplication: Eliminating duplicate events to prevent skewed attribution.
• Consistent Classification: Applying rigorous rules for channel and touch point classification.
• Validation Testing: Implementing tests to ensure correct purchase associations and revenue calculations.

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Key Concepts

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Purchase Journey

• Collection & Product Page Views
• Add to Cart
• Lead Capture
• Checkout Steps
• Purchase

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Touch Points

• Timestamp: When the event occurred.
• UTM Parameters: Campaign tracking codes.
• Landing Page URL: The initial page the customer landed on.
• Ad Creative ID: Identifier for the ad that led the customer to the site.

1. Landing Page
2. UTM Parameters
3. Ad Creative ID

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Valid Touch Points

• Valid Landing Page: Any URL that is not a checkout or order confirmation page.
• Valid Ad Creative ID: A numerical ID with at least four digits, extracted from URL parameters.
• Mappable Marketing Channel: A marketing channel that can be identified through our channel mapping logic.

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Lookback Window

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Dimensions

• Marketing Channels
• Ad Creatives
• Landing Pages

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Distinct Dimension Values

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Linear Attribution Deduplication

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How It Works

1. Session Identification: Each touchpoint is associated with a user session via event_user_session_id
2. First Occurrence Tracking: Within each session, only the first occurrence of a dimension value receives attribution
3. Credit Distribution: The linear multiplier is calculated based on unique dimension values, not total touches

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Implementation Details

-- Deduplication logic in obt_purchase_journeys_with_mta_models
case 
    when row_number() over (
        partition by purchase_order_id, source_system, event_user_session_id, dimension_value.marketing_channel
        order by event_local_datetime
    ) = 1 then true
    else false
end as is_first_occurrence_marketing_channel

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Multiplier Calculation

-- CORRECT: Uses unique dimension value count
linear_multiplier = 1.0 / unique_dimension_value_count.marketing_channels

-- INCORRECT (old method): Used total touch count
-- linear_multiplier = 1.0 / valid_touch_count.marketing_channels

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Example Scenario

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Available Deduplication Flags

• is_first_occurrence_marketing_channel
• is_first_occurrence_ad
• is_first_occurrence_campaign
• is_first_occurrence_ad_group
• is_first_occurrence_landing_page
• is_first_occurrence_email_sms

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Attribution

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Channel Classification Overview

• Meta: Facebook and Instagram, identified through UTM sources like facebook, fb, and referrer domains.
• Google Ads:
• Non-Brand Search: Campaigns not containing branded terms.
• Brand Search: Campaigns containing branded terms but are not considered for attribution.
• TikTok
• Snapchat
• X Ads (Twitter)
• Pinterest
• AppLovin

• Email: Identified via UTM sources/mediums like email, klaviyo, and referrer domains.
• SMS
• Push Notifications
• Direct Mail
• Shop App

• Affiliate
• Influencer
• Loyalty Program
• Organic Search: Traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo.
• Organic Social
• Press/Media Coverage
• Blog
• Customer Service
• QR Code Scans
• Marketplace

• Email:
  • UTM Source/Medium contains patterns like email, klaviyo.
  • Referrer domain matches known email providers.
• Meta:
  • UTM Source is facebook, fb, or ig.
  • Referrer domain is facebook.com or instagram.com.
• SMS:
  • UTM Medium contains sms.
  • No referrer domain, and UTM Source is null.

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Channel Classification Detailed Logic

1. Reddit

    Matches ANY of:
    - source: reddit
    - referrer: reddit.com
    Channel: "reddit"

2. Podcast/Newsletter

- medium contains: podcast, newsletter
Channel: "podcast_newsletter"

3. YouTube

Matches ANY of:
- source: yt, youtube
- medium: yt, youtube
- campaign contains: youtube
- referrer: youtube.com
Channel: "youtube"

4. Google Search (Brand/Non-Brand)

When source = 'google':
Brand Search if:
- campaign_tactic = 'brand' OR
- campaign contains 'brand' (but not 'non-brand') OR
- medium = 'organic'
Channel: "brand_search"

Otherwise:
Channel: "non_brand_search"

5. AppLovin

Matches ANY of:
- source: applovin
- medium contains: applovin
Channel: "applovin"

6. Direct Mail

Matches ANY of:
- source contains: postpilot
- medium contains: direct[-_]?mail
Channel: "direct_mail"

7. Social Media Platforms

TikTok:
- source: tiktok
- referrer: tiktok.com
Channel: "tiktok"

Snapchat:
- source: snapchat
- medium: snapchat
- referrer: snapchat.com
Channel: "snapchat"

Influencers:
- source: refersion, grin
Channel: "influencers"

X Ads:
- source: twitter, x, x_ads
Channel: "x_ads"

Pinterest:
- source/medium: pinterest
- referrer: pinterest.com
Channel: "pinterest"

Meta (Facebook/Instagram):
- source/medium matches meta pattern
- meta_ad_id present
Channel: "meta"

8. Loyalty & Rewards

Matches ANY of:
- source: smile_rewards, friendbuy, referralcandy
- campaign: smileio_referrals, referral, loox
- referrer: referralcandy, stamped, loox-referrals
Channel: "loyalty_program"

9. SMS

Matches ANY of:
- source contains: postscript, attentive, sms, attv, mms, para
- medium contains: postscript, attentive, attv, sms, mms
- utm_id contains: sms
Channel: "sms"

10. Press/Media

- source or referrer matches press sources list
Channel: "press"

11. Email

Matches ANY of:
- source matches email pattern
- medium matches email pattern
- medium in email mediums list
- campaign matches email pattern
- campaign in: campaign, flow
- referrer in email referrers list
Channel: "email"
12. Other Channels
Organic Social:
- referrer in: facebook, instagram, tiktok, snapchat, pinterest, youtube, linktr, messenger, manychat
- source in: linktree, beacon
- medium: social
Channel: "organic_social"

Taboola:
- source/medium/referrer contains: taboola
Channel: "taboola"

AI Search:
- referrer: chatgpt, perplexity
- source contains: chatgpt, perplexity
Channel: "ai_search"

Organic Search:
- referrer matches organic search domains
Channel: "organic_search"

Employee Links:
- source: lululinktree
Channel: "employees"

Blog:
- source: blog
Channel: "blog"

Order Tracking:
- source/medium contains: malomo
Channel: "order_tracking"

Customer Service:
- referrer: gorgias
Channel: "customer_success"

QR Codes:
- referrer: qrcodes
- medium: qr
Channel: "qr_code"

Marketplaces:
- referrer in: amazon, costco, thredup
Channel: "marketplace"

Calendly:
- medium: calendly
Channel: "calendly"

Survey:
- referrer: typeform
Channel: "survey"

No Parameters:
- All UTM parameters and referrer are null
Channel: "(none)"

Unmatched:
- Any traffic not matching above rules
Channel: "(other)"

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Core Attribution Elements

1. UTM Parameters Standard URL parameters that help track traffic sources:

https://example.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid_social
&utm_campaign=summer_sale

• utm_source: Traffic origin (facebook, google, tiktok)
• utm_medium: Marketing method (cpc, email, social)
• utm_campaign: Campaign name
• utm_content: Ad variant/creative ID
• utm_term: Search keywords

• Manually added to URLs
• Built into ad platform URL builders
• Automatically added by email/SMS platforms
• Can be generated using URL builders like Google’s Campaign URL Builder

2. Referrer Domain The website that sent traffic to your site.

User clicks link on facebook.com → Your site
Referrer domain = facebook.com

• Automatically captured by analytics platforms
• Available in server logs
• Accessible via JavaScript: document.referrer
• Sometimes blocked by privacy settings or HTTPS restrictions

3. Ad Platform IDs Facebook/Meta Ad IDs

Common Parameters:
- fbclid      : Facebook Click ID
- fbadid      : Facebook Ad ID
- fb_adid     : Alternative Facebook Ad ID format

• Automatically added by Facebook Ads
• Found in Facebook Ads Manager
• Can be extracted from dynamic URL parameters
• Often used in conversion tracking
• Google Ad IDs

Common Parameters:
- gclid       : Google Click ID
- gadid       : Google Ad ID
- gaid        : Google Analytics ID

• Automatically added by Google Ads
• Found in Google Ads interface
• Used for conversion tracking
• Important for Google Analytics integration

TikTok Ad IDs
Common Parameters:
- ttclid      : TikTok Click ID
- ttadid      : TikTok Ad ID

• Automatically added by TikTok Ads
• Found in TikTok Ads Manager
• Used for conversion attribution

4. MTA Vendor Parameters

Vendor-specific IDs:
- nbt         : Northbeam tracking
- tw_adid     : Triple Whale Ad ID
- h_ad_id     : Hyros Ad ID

• Added by respective attribution platforms
• Usually requires platform-specific pixel installation
• Often combined with platform native tracking

https://example.com/product?
  utm_source=facebook&
  utm_medium=paid_social&
  utm_campaign=summer_sale&
  utm_content=video_ad_1&
  fbclid=abc123&
  fbadid=789xyz&
  nbt=nb_campaign_456

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Common Implementation Methods

1. Direct URL Building

const baseUrl = 'https://example.com';
const params = new URLSearchParams(\{
    utm_source: 'facebook',
    utm_medium: 'paid_social',
    utm_campaign: 'summer_sale'
\});
const fullUrl = `${baseUrl}?${params.toString()}`;

2. Platform Auto-Tagging Most ad platforms offer automatic URL parameter addition:
   • Facebook Ads Manager: Auto-adds fbclid, fbadid
   • Google Ads: Auto-adds gclid
   • TikTok Ads: Auto-adds ttclid
3. Marketing Tools Integration Email/SMS platforms automatically add tracking:

Klaviyo: 
utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email

Attentive:
utm_source=attentive&utm_medium=sms

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Attribution Parameter Best Practices

✅ facebook, paid_social, summer_sale_2023
❌ FB, Paid Social, Summer Sale

1. Platform IDs (fbadid, gclid)
2. UTM Parameters
3. Custom Parameters

• Keep URLs under 2048 characters
• Use URL shorteners for long URLs
• Prioritize essential parameters

1. Use lowercase consistently for all UTM parameters
2. Follow standard naming conventions:

utm_source: Platform/origin (e.g., facebook, google, tiktok)
utm_medium: Traffic type (e.g., cpc, email, organic)
utm_campaign: Campaign identifier (e.g. summer_sale)

3. Document any custom channel requirements with the data team

• Verify parameters in analytics
• Check attribution in test transactions
• Validate against our test suite

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Days to Conversion

• Marketing Channels (e.g., Meta, Google, TikTok)
• Ad Creatives
• Landing Pages

• Only calculated for successful purchases
• Maximum tracking window of 120 days
• Measures days between first valid touch and purchase
• Independent tracking for each dimension
• Automatically handles missing or invalid touchpoints

• This data helps answer questions like:
• How long does it typically take for Facebook ads to drive purchases?
• Do certain landing pages lead to faster or slower conversions than others?
• Which marketing channels have the shortest time to purchase?

• Only tracks first touch to purchase (not intermediate touchpoints)
• Requires at least one valid touch in the dimension being measured
• Data older than 120 days is not included

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Attribution Models

1. First-Touch Attribution
   • Assigns all credit to the first valid touch point in the purchase journey.
   • Ideal for understanding initial customer acquisition channels.
2. Last-Touch Attribution
   • Assigns all credit to the last valid touch point before the purchase.
   • Useful for identifying conversion-driving channels.
3. Linear Attribution
   • Distributes credit equally among all valid touch points.
   • Provides a balanced view across the entire customer journey.

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Valid Touch Point Criteria

• Must Be: Non-purchase events with a mappable marketing channel.
• Excluded: Google branded campaigns, (other), (none), and null values.

• Must Have: A valid ad creative ID (numerical, at least four digits).
• Excluded: Brand search-associated ads.

• Must Be: Non-purchase events with valid page paths.
• Excluded: Checkout and order confirmation pages.

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Reporting Capabilities

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Channel Performance Reports

• Revenue Attribution: See how much revenue is attributed to each marketing channel.
• Conversion Paths: Understand the sequences of touch points leading to purchases.
• First vs. Last Touch Analysis: Compare the effectiveness of channels in initiating vs. closing sales.

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Journey Analysis Reports

• Journey Length Metrics: Analyze the number of touch points and time taken before a purchase.
• Multi-Session Patterns: Identify whether purchases occur in a single session or across multiple sessions.
• Cross-Channel Interactions: Understand how different channels interact throughout the purchase journey.

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Future Enhancements

• Advanced Attribution Models: Time-decay and position-based models.
• Custom Attribution Weights: Ability to assign custom weights to different touch points.
• Enhanced Ad Creative Analytics: Deeper insights into the performance of specific ads.
• Zero-Party Data Integration: Utilize customer-provided data for richer attribution.
• Discount Code Attribution: Include discount codes as part of the attribution analysis.
• Direct Ad Platform Integrations: Seamless data connections with platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.