Stopped Obsessing Over Attribution

Why We Stopped Obsessing Over Marketing Attribution

Attribution tracking has long been treated as the compass of marketing—guiding budgets, strategies, and conversations with leadership. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: it’s broken.

The Problem with Marketing Attribution in B2b

Attribution models promise clarity. Last-click, first-click, multi-touch, linear, time-decay—each one tries to tell a neat story about where credit belongs.

But reality isn’t neat. Most closed deals touch multiple marketing assets, often across weeks or months. Yet, the report ends up giving all the credit to the final click—usually a brand search.

This creates a dangerous illusion: we optimize for what’s measurable, not for what actually matters.

When Marketing Attribution Misleads

We once cut a podcast because attribution said it had zero ROI. Months later, one of our largest deals told us they binged every episode before reaching out. That podcast was the single most influential driver in their journey, yet attribution wrote it off as worthless.

This happens often: activities that shape perception, build trust, or plant seeds for future demand get buried because they don’t map cleanly into a dashboard.

What Customers Actually Tell Us

Instead of relying solely on tracking pixels, we started talking to customers.

When asked what influenced their decision, they rarely mention the last ad they clicked. Instead, they point to:

• A post they read six months ago that reframed their thinking.
• A whitepaper that circulated within their team.
• A webinar they caught on replay.

These touchpoints matter deeply, but attribution models almost never give them credit.

Why Measurement ≠ Meaning

Yes, leadership wants numbers. But what they truly want is revenue. Attribution gives us numbers, but not always the right ones.

Competitors who are growing fastest aren’t obsessing over last-click reports. They’re investing in the things customers actually remember and talk about: content that resonates, stories that stick, and ideas that change the way people work.

A Better Way Forward

Instead of asking “Which channel gets the credit?” the better question is, “What are customers remembering, sharing, and acting on?”

That shift changes how we invest:

• Build thought leadership people trust.
• Create content worth saving and sharing.
• Focus on depth and resonance, not just reach.

The Takeaway

The most important marketing touchpoints are often the ones you’ll never track. Attribution tells you what’s easy to measure. Customers tell you what truly mattered in their decision.

The best marketers know the difference.