What is temporary attribution?

Temporary attribution is a time-sensitive model used to give UA managers and marketers flexibility with how their data is presented. It can also be useful for implementing tests and campaign management.

Put simply, it works on the basis that for a defined period of time, install or in-app activities are attributed to a particular source. At the end of this period of time, their attribution will return to the previous source (their initial eligible source of attribution) or be considered “organic” (not attributed to an advertising source).

To understand how this differs from regular attribution models (i.e. simply matching your app users to their source of install), let’s take a look at an example:

You have a gaming app and want to run a campaign with a limited time offer. You also want to see how a new network, Network B, can drive in-app events within one week post-reattribution. But when the week is over, you also want to stop crediting Network B with future in-app events.

If you use a temporary attribution model, any attribution to Network B would move back to the previous source of attribution once that week is over. The network would still be paid for those reattributions, but the reattributed users’ ensuing session and event data would be reflected under the previous source, whether it be organic or another network source.

Temporary attribution enables marketers to accurately measure the effectiveness of short-term campaigns without impacting attribution tracking over longer periods of time. It makes it possible to analyze the impact of time-sensitive messaging on engagement rates.

Shopping apps benefit from temporary attribution when launching promotions like “flash sales” or seasonal advertising campaigns. A marketer will gain a lot from understanding the immediate impact of flash sale advertising, but will not necessarily want to use it for attribution purposes in the longer term. After all, a month after the sale’s end, app users’ behavior is probably not connected to that particular campaign.

Keeping time-limited campaign data separate from ongoing brand awareness campaign data makes for a more in-depth understanding of user behavior and preferences.

Regular Adjust attribution uses the last-click attribution model to determine which ad is credited with engagement or an install, with all subsequent in-app activities credited to the same source unless we see engagement with a second source—in this case it’s reattribution, if certain criteria are met.

When it comes to temporary attribution, you’re in control of the exact duration of a temporary attribution setting. In other words, you define how long a user is attributed to a particular source before their attribution returns to the original source. This flexibility allows you to tailor attribution to your measurement needs and preferences.

Request a demo to learn more about how Adjust empowers you to attribute and temporarily attribute installs and engagements to truly understand your marketing impact and grow your app.