By John Onuorah
Having a proper attribution system put into use was, in my opinion, one of the biggest changes I saw at FoodCourt. The decision to take attribution seriously came after a period of frustrating guesswork.. At first, campaigns seemed impressive with their results, but ut we could never confidently say which channel or creative was driving real impact. I felt as if we had no guidance. After adopting a straightforward attribution model, everything began to look different. We observed how the money was distributed effectively and where there were losses. Even more importantly, we could apply this knowledge to our lives.
Once marketers know how to use attribution tools, they have the insights they need to build the right strategy. From last-click to time-decay and data-driven models, each offers a way to assign credit to different points in the user journey. For years, the industry relied on last-click methods, yet the team at FoodCourt decided to move away from them. It overlooked the influence of earlier actions and gave most of the credit to what happened just before the sale. It was with this new model that we saw the possibilities. I noticed there was a difference in how campaigns on Meta and YouTube were now leading to conversations once driven only by Google Search.
This is one area where modern technology is really shining. Currently, attribution tools do more than simply provide information. Because they are now entered into the field of machine learning, they can now analyze millions of pieces of data and identify patterns not noticed by a human analyst. ROI analysis was immensely improved because of what the accounting team provided. We decided to not only report the outcomes, but to also try to predict them. We realized that the amount of influence was equally important for scaling channels as the conversion rate.
But the promise of attribution is not without complications Merging data from different channels is a significant problem for businesses. A potential customer can discover what we offer on Instagram, read our blog to understand what we do and then finish the process by coming to our site. Should we fail to keep track on all these platforms, devices and browsers, we miss out on the important details. This problem is not limited to technology. It is a problem companies have to solve. Not comprehending who did what results in making bad decisions. The budgets are not handed out to the people who need them. Power is being used in the wrong places. The costs fall onto the company.
Then there is the privacy question.As third-party cookies are being phased out and iOS reduces user tracking, it is becoming harder to execute attribution. Tools that once gave full-funnel clarity are now often working with incomplete pictures. Nowadays, both consent and compliance have become true everyday practices. The more privacy-centric the digital environment becomes, the more creative we have to be about capturing meaningful insights while respecting user choices.
Actually, even in comparatively limited data situations, the guidelines are still followed. Whenever possible, we must credit everything we use to others. If our efforts in marketing can’t tie back to the business, we are wasting both money and time. It is through attribution that we make our work honest. It makes it easier for us to share our value with stakeholders, focus on what goes well and understand our errors quickly.
I understood this lesson well, working at FoodCourt. Attribution is something more than a tool. It is simply a way of thinking.
John Onuorah is a rising star in performance marketing, with 3+ years of experience helping brands like Edukoya, Garmspot, and Peppa achieve their growth goals. Specializing in leveraging data to drive impactful campaigns, John is passionate about customer lifecycle management and its crucial role in customer retention for Nigerian businesses. Currently making waves at FoodCourt, he’s quickly becoming a trusted name in the field.