Is Google launching a true attribution tool?

[Alexander Lau]

Well, you knew Brian Pasch would have a take. He's right...

Google Attribution Falls Short for Automotive Dealers and Advertisers
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/google-attribution-falls-short-automotive-dealers-brian-pasch
Dealers are not consistently using UTM tags to properly identify traffic from email campaigns, mobile apps, and social media marketing investments.

Until recently, there have been no standards for franchise auto dealers who use Google Analytics.

For some businesses, the release of Google Attribution will be welcome news but it will not satisfy my readers from the auto industry. The hard reality is that the vast majority of dealers in the United States do not have Google Analytics goals, events, and referral traffic properly configured to generate meaningful attribution reports that are built into Google Analytics already

 

[ed.brooks]

Another outstanding look at Goggle's new 'Attribution' tool - This, from Transparency.ai...

“Dad, I got all A’s – Google’s New Attribution Release”

I’m a father of 3 teenagers. And this past week, my oldest had final exams at school to wrap up the year. Of course, like any parent, I asked about how she did on her tests? Imagine how skeptical I’d be if she replied with, “Dad, I got all A’s!”

Skeptical, I’d probably ask, “Well how’d you find out the results so quickly?”

“It’s simple Dad, I graded them myself!”​

 

[Rick Buffkin]

Guys, I've completely ran out of popcorn!!!!

This is what I'm wondering. Has either of these three ppl / companies that's made these post about Googles tool even seen or used the tool yet??? Also, I find it ironic that all three that are saying "Wait.... Google is judging themselves" have an attribution tool or dashboard of some sort themselves that they sell. I think that they realized their market share just got extremely smaller and they are doing what they can to plant a seed of doubt. I would be doing the same thing as well, if I had a Attribution Dashboard that I was selling.

At the end of the day, those 3 are going to have to up their game. It's going to come down to features and customization that google doesn't offer along with good customer service! That's what the focus should be on. Show screenshots of their tool and Google's and why their tool is a better fit for the dealers.

 

[ed.brooks]

It's going to come down to features and customization that google doesn't offer along with good customer service!

Features and customization are great, BUT... accuracy and a lack of bias may be MUCH more important. These tools are all designed to help dealers make better marketing decisions. That is hard to do when a supposed tool is one platform's direction.

 

[Rick Buffkin]

Ed, have you had a chance to see Google''s Attribution tool? Do you think the 3 Ppl who the wrote the post about the tool have seen it??? If they have seen it and used it they would have probably stated so right!?!?! I haven't seen it or used it. It may be biased as all get out or it maybe unbiased as all get out. I don't know!!! I'm not going to place judgement on it being biased simply because someone says it might be. All I'm trying to convey is to keep an open mind about it and not be so quick to shut it down simply because a few guys that have attribution products that they sell say so.

 

[ed.brooks]

@Rick Buffkin, if I came off as being aggressive, man, I apologize. I want to keep an open mind, but a skeptical open mind. No one has seen it yet. All we know for sure is it works with AdWords, DoubleClick, and YouTube -all three are Google-owned platforms. So based on what they have actually told the world, this is basically another vendor dashboard.

I really hope it has much more to offer.

 

[Rick Buffkin]

Ed... Brother, I have massive, massive, MASSIVE amounts of respect for you! You my friend are not being aggressive at all. I hope I don't sound aggressive. I'm not trying to! I promise. I completely agree with you about keeping an open skeptical mind. To take it a step further though, I want to keep an open skeptical mind about Googles tool and the reasons behind the blog post that was made about the tool. Me personally, I feel the content in the blog post about the tool by those 3 specifically are very premature. Especially if they haven't used the tool. Thats all.

 

[Alexander Lau]

Even though it's unclear what the Google Attribution product will contain. I haven't seen any indication that it will let data flow into Google Analytics at all (so, there's that), it looks to be more focused on AW + DCM. There may not be any GA component at all.

@Rick Buffkin, I don't feel as if it's premature, Google hasn't produced an automotive-centric attribution system. Example, if a 3rd party system allows for the calculation of automotive websites like Autotrader, Cars.com, Edmunds, CarGurus, Carfetch, etc. (offsite data) and Google Attribution doesn't, well there's massive value in the 3rd party tool, amongst many other automotive-centric reasons.

 

[Rick Buffkin]

Even though it's unclear what the Google Attribution product will contain.

My point exactly!!

if a 3rd party system allows for the calculation of automotive websites like Autotrader, Cars.com, Edmunds, CarGurus, Carfetch, etc. (offsite data) and Google Attribution doesn't, well there's massive value in the 3rd party tool, amongst many other automotive-centric reasons.

Great point!!

 

[yagoparamo]

@Alex Snyder

I think that any attribution tool will provide some type of positive data or it will be manipulated until it does.

The opposite can be said to 3rd party attribution tools, for one what is that they actually measure, but secondly they need to create some drama to create their value.