What is Attribution?
Attribution in mobile marketing is the science of determining which ads, campaigns, or marketing channels are responsible for driving app installs and in-app actions. It answers the fundamental question: "Where did this user come from?"
Without proper attribution, you're essentially flying blind—spending money on advertising without knowing what's working and what's not.
Why Attribution Matters
Accurate attribution enables you to optimize budgets, identify top-performing channels, calculate true ROI, and make data-driven decisions about where to invest your marketing dollars.
How Attribution Works
- User sees/clicks an ad: Tracking parameters are captured
- User installs the app: The install event is detected
- Attribution matching: The MMP matches the install to the original ad interaction
- Data reported: Install credited to the appropriate source
Attribution Models
Last-Click Attribution
Credits the last ad clicked before install. Most common in mobile.
First-Click Attribution
Credits the first ad interaction in the user journey.
Multi-Touch Attribution
Distributes credit across all touchpoints in the conversion path.
View-Through Attribution
Credits installs to ads that were viewed but not clicked.
Attribution in the Privacy Era
With iOS 14+ and ATT (App Tracking Transparency), traditional attribution methods have evolved:
- SKAdNetwork: Apple's privacy-preserving attribution framework
- Probabilistic Attribution: Statistical modeling when deterministic data isn't available
- Privacy Sandbox: Google's evolving Android attribution solution
Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs)
MMPs are third-party platforms that provide attribution services. Leading MMPs include:
- AppsFlyer
- Adjust
- Singular
- Branch
- Kochava