Airbridge Attribution Model

The Airbridge Attribution Model is the set of rules Airbridge uses to determine which ad contributed to an event. Airbridge measures ad performance based on the Airbridge Attribution Model.

Attribution is the process a mobile measurement partner uses to measure ad performance, and an attribution model is the set of rules applied during measurement. The Airbridge Attribution Model is the set of rules Airbridge uses to determine which ad contributed to an event. The model is based on the Last Touch Attribution (LTA) model. In the LTA model, an event is attributed to the single touchpoint that occurred most recently before the conversion event. Airbridge builds on the LTA model. It ranks the ads in a user journey from highest to lowest priority, then attributes the event to the ad that occurred closest to the outcome.

The Airbridge Attribution Model uses the following concepts.

For details, see the explanation of each concept below.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, the user journey is the series of steps a user takes from viewing or clicking an ad to installing the app and generating events.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, a touchpoint is an event in which a user interacts with an ad. Touchpoints are typically impressions and clicks. When a target event occurs, the touchpoints that occurred during the lookback window are ranked by priority. Airbridge credits the single winning touchpoint that is closest to the target event among the ranked touchpoints.

The Airbridge Attribution Model evaluates touchpoint priority in the following order.

Touchpoints supported by specific channels only

Some channels support touchpoints unique to that channel. Examples include Engaged View on Meta Ads, Engaged View on Google Ads, and engaged view through on TikTok for Business. These touchpoints typically rank higher than impressions and equal to or lower than clicks.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, a target event is the event at which Airbridge starts measuring performance. Each time a target event occurs, Airbridge starts measuring performance to determine the touchpoint that the target event is attributed to. There are three target events: app install, deeplink open, and deeplink pageview.

• App Install: An event in which a user who has not installed the app installs it on a device

• Deeplink Open: An event in which a user who has installed the app clicks an ad or content and is redirected to the app

• Deeplink Pageview: An event in which a user who has installed the app clicks an ad or content within that app and is redirected to another page in the same app

Set up deeplink pageview tracking

To track deeplink pageviews as target events, you need to configure the SDK to generate in-app tracking links. For platform-specific steps, see the Android and iOS guides.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, the lookback window is the period that determines how far back before a target event a touchpoint can still be considered related to that target event. The model only measures touchpoints that occurred during the lookback window set before a target event. For example, if an app install occurs at 2 PM on January 4 and the lookback window is 3 days, the model only measures touchpoints that occurred between 2 PM on January 1 and 2 PM on January 4.

Note

You cannot edit the lookback window for Deeplink Open and Deeplink Pageview. Deeplinking occurs almost simultaneously with the user's ad click, so the winning touchpoint for these deeplink touchpoints is clear without additional analysis. For this reason, Airbridge does not provide a lookback window setting for these deeplink touchpoints. If you need to change it, contact your Airbridge CSM. If you don't have a dedicated CSM, reach out through the Airbridge Help Center.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, the attribution window is the period that determines how long after a target event an event can still be considered related to that target event. The model only measures events that occurred during the attribution window set after a target event. For example, if an app install occurs at 2 PM on January 4 and the attribution window is 3 days, the model only measures events that occurred between 2 PM on January 4 and 2 PM on January 7.

Attribution window priority between target events

Deeplink open and deeplink pageview have a higher attribution window priority than app install. If a deeplink open or deeplink pageview occurs within the attribution window of an app install, the attribution window of the deeplink-related event takes priority.

In the Airbridge Attribution Model, a subsequent event is an event that occurs within the attribution window after a target event. The performance of a subsequent event follows the touchpoint that the target event was attributed to. For example, if a touchpoint from Channel A is attributed to a target event, then every subsequent event that occurs within the attribution window after that target event is also attributed to the touchpoint from Channel A.

Based on these concepts, Airbridge measures performance as follows.

1. When a user views or clicks an ad, the touchpoint type and the time it occurred are recorded.

2. When a target event occurs, Airbridge starts measuring performance based on the Airbridge Attribution Model.

3. The touchpoints within the lookback window before the target event are ranked by priority.

4. The touchpoint that occurred closest to the target event among the ranked touchpoints is determined to be the winning touchpoint.

5. The target event is attributed to the winning touchpoint. Campaign information from the winning touchpoint, such as the ad channel and campaign name, is also recorded for the target event.

6. Events within the attribution window after the target event, such as sign-ups, product detail views, and purchases, are classified as subsequent events.

7. Subsequent events are also attributed to the winning touchpoint that the target event was attributed to.

The Airbridge Attribution Model is based on the app environment by default. The attribution rules for events that occur in a web environment differ in the following areas.

• There is no lookback window in web attribution because the target event, Open (Web), occurs almost simultaneously with the user's ad click, so the touchpoint attributed to Open (Web) is clear. No additional touchpoint analysis is needed.

• The attribution window and subsequent events work the same way in both app and web. The default attribution window for web events is 3 days. You can change the default through the Airbridge Web SDK.