Validating Attribution and Enhancing Media Strategy
Attribution models operate on learned chains of probabilities – sophisticated estimations of how different touchpoints contribute to conversion. While these models provide valuable directional insights, post-purchase surveys, if designed and conducted successfully, serve as the crucial bridge between probabilistic attribution and actual customer behavior. By directly asking customers about their journey at the moment of purchase, these surveys can provide the ground truth needed to validate attribution models and enhance their accuracy.
Beyond validation, post-purchase surveys (PPS) serve as a powerful tool for optimizing media buying strategies. By gathering first-hand information from customers about their path to purchase, teams can continuously refine their media approach based on concrete customer feedback rather than probabilistic assumptions.
The Value of Direct Customer Feedback
Post-purchase surveys offer unique insights by connecting directly with customers at the moment of conversion. This information complements existing measurement tools and provides additional context for media optimization:
- Understanding actual share % of customer journeys
- Validating target group definitions
- Identifying effective programming and genres
- Gathering qualitative insights about campaign message reception (for our creative and brand friends)
Creating an Optimization Cycle
1. Information Gathering
- Implement consistent survey methodology
- Collect responses across different campaign phases
- Monitor changes in customer behavior patterns
- Track program and genre performance
2. Analysis and Insights
- Identify top-performing dayparts
- Understand genre effectiveness
- Evaluate target group accuracy
- Assess creative impact on purchase decision
3. Strategy Refinement
- Adjust media buying based on performance
- Fine-tune target group definitions
- Optimize programming selection
- Enhance timing strategies
Rinse and repeat
PPS Implementation Best Practices
Survey Design
- Keep questions focused and relevant
- Rotate answer options to ensure unbiased responses
- Include clear response options
- Make participation simple and quick; like really simple stupid quick
(because consumers want to get back to being super excited about their purchase)
Timing Considerations
- Activate surveys before campaign launch for baseline data
- Maintain consistent measurement throughout campaigns
- Consider purchase cycle timing
- Account for seasonal variations
Response Quality
- Monitor completion rates
- Track answer patterns vs. rest
- Validate responses against other data points (ie. impressions, budget allocation, active channels just to name a few)
- Ensure representative sampling
Leveraging PPS Insights for Media Optimization
Programming Selection
- Identify high-performing genres (within defined attribution window)
- Understand daypart effectiveness
- Evaluate specific program performance
- Assess audience engagement levels
Target Group Refinement
- Validate audience assumptions
- Discover new audience segments
- Understand viewing patterns
- Track changes in audience behavior
Media Buying Enhancement
- Optimize spot placement
- Improve daypart selection
- Refine channel mix
- Adjust flight timing
Creating a Continuous Improvement Loop using PPS
The real power of post-purchase surveys lies in creating a continuous feedback loop:
- Gather Information
- Collect customer feedback
- Monitor response patterns
- Track performance metrics
- Document insights
- Analyze Patterns
- Identify trends
- Evaluate performance
- Compare against objectives
- Assess optimization opportunities
- Implement Improvements
- Adjust media channel strategy
- Refine targeting
- Optimize placement
- Enhance timing
- Monitor Results
- Track variable changes
- Measure impact
- Document learnings
- Identify new opportunities
Maximizing PPS Value
Data Integration
- Combine survey insights with other performance metrics
- Cross-reference with media placement data
- Integrate with customer behavior analysis
- Consider multi-channel impacts
Strategic Application
- Use insights to inform future campaign planning
- Apply learnings to target group definitions
- Refine media selection criteria
- Optimize budget allocation
Continuous Evolution
- Regular review of survey effectiveness
- Update questions based on new learnings
- Adapt to changing media landscape
- Incorporate new measurement opportunities
Conclusion
Now that you have made it to the conclusion, you can see that post-purchase surveys can be an invaluable tool in the media optimization toolkit, providing direct customer insights that help create more effective media strategies. By establishing a continuous feedback loops between customer responses and media buying decisions, teams can consistently improve performance and enhance campaign effectiveness. The key lies in viewing these surveys not as a one-time measurement tool, but as part of an ongoing process of refinement and optimization.
So, how did you hear from us?
