Why channel and campaign totals differ

Why channel and campaign credit can differ under linear and time-decay attribution, and which model to use when you need matching totals.

Ordinary Written by The Ordinary Team · Updated

Under linear or time-decay attribution, the total credit for Meta on Marketing Mix may differ from the sum of Meta’s campaigns on Channels. Both reports use the same orders and customer journeys, but group the touches differently.

For example, a shopper might click two Meta campaigns and one Google campaign before buying. Marketing Mix answers how much credit Meta receives as a channel; Channels answers how much credit each campaign receives. Summing the Meta campaign rows is not a way to recreate the Meta channel total under a fractional model.

When you need matching totals

Use first-touch or last-touch. Each order is credited to one touch, which belongs to one channel and one campaign, so those views reconcile.

Use linear or time-decay when you want to compare several touches in a journey. Compare channels with channels on Marketing Mix, or campaigns with campaigns on Channels; don’t mix their fractional totals.

For help choosing a model, see Attribution models explained.

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