Why do you need a mobile measurement partner?

Not every app marketer knows they need a mobile measurement partner (MMP). But with 70% of marketers struggling to act on marketing insights, it’s clear that attribution plays a key role in giving marketers the data they need to optimize their mobile marketing.

A majority of marketers say that “attribution provides indispensable insight,” so let’s look at why attribution providers and MMPs are key to mobile marketing in 2022.

What is mobile attribution?

Mobile attribution, also known as mobile measurement or app attribution tracking, is the technical process of identifying whether a user installs an app after seeing an ad, and then keeping track of how a user behaves after installing the app.

Mobile app attribution is incredibly valuable as it allows marketers to discover where their users are coming from. Some installs might come from ads within an app, others from social media; it’s multi-touch attribution that reveals and records that information.

How does mobile attribution work?

Mobile app attribution is different from web attribution because mobile apps don’t have cookies, image pixel tags, or any of the other standard web tracking methods. As a result, the methods that work for web tracking won't work for mobile app attribution.

Companies like Adjust, known as mobile measurement partners, attribution providers, or measurement tools, provide marketers with mobile attribution tools. We supply attribution solutions to advertisers who use any kind of paid marketing for their apps. Our main job is to attribute a mobile app install (as well as post-install events) to the source it came from.

You might question why a third party should be involved. After all, shouldn’t this system just exist between the advertiser and the ad publisher? But there’s a good reason behind this.

The advantages of using a mobile attribution provider, even for single-channel marketers, cannot be overstated. Here are just the top 10 benefits.

1. In the world of mobile advertising, we’re Switzerland. It’s impossible to get completely objective attribution data from the place that bought or sold you an ad. Plus, if you only use data from publishers, you’re going to run into discrepancies as different ad networks use different criteria to claim their installs (and your ad budget). This is especially true if you’re running campaigns across multiple platforms.
2. Responsible marketing. In most cases, the attribution provider is responsible for enforcing your standards on performance measurement. For instance, an ad network may try to claim an install even though the user’s last engagement with the ad was weeks before they actually installed the app. Making sure that all installs are measured correctly and consistently is a core part of an attribution provider’s job.
3. We provide 100% accuracy. Every engagement that runs through Adjust is attributed via a matching waterfall—also known as an attribution waterfall. Our attribution methods are industry-approved, transparent, customizable, and accurate.
4. Our business is mobile measurement. Attribution isn’t a product we developed on the side; it’s our bread and butter. We’ve spent years developing how to track, measure, and display your campaign ad performance in a single dashboard. Datascape gives you quicker, easier access to your data than any single network dashboard, allowing you the deepest insight into what’s happening with your user base displayed on an easy-to-understand dashboard for faster, better decisions.
5. You control how much data you share. We care about privacy. We’ve built tools to help you keep your data safe, regardless of the partners you want to work with. With Audience Builder, you build your own segments. Find the device identifiers you want to retarget, send that list (and only that list) to your preferred partner, and keep the rest of your data to yourself.
6. We fight fraud (so you don’t have to). Our Fraud Prevention knocks out fake installs from the most common types of mobile ad fraud and is the only solution on the market based on proactive prevention. You’ll never accidentally end up paying for your own organic users. You deserve to only pay for real users. Consider us quality insurance.
7. We unify your data. We take all of your data and put it in one place. We deduplicate users coming from different sources; you won’t pay for anyone twice. We align the rules and standards of attribution and give you unparalleled access to all of your raw data.
8. You make the rules. Want to change an attribution window to better fit your ad campaign goals? Do it. Want reporting in your time zone? We’ve got a toggle for that. Campaign Wizard puts you in control over the campaign logic of each and every campaign you run, right down to the adgroup level — manage your redirects, callbacks, and deep links right in the dashboard.
9. When you’re ready to scale up, we’re here. When your marketing takes off, a single network is often no longer enough to truly scale your reach. We have everything you need to try out new networks set up and waiting for you. We’ll integrate you with any of our over 3,000+ partners with a couple of clicks.
10. We work in real-time. For apps that tie their bids around crucial events, or who need to react quickly to changing headwinds, there’s a need for real-time data. Unlike many mobile measurement partners, Adjust works in real-time, providing marketers with the data they need to act instantly.

Learn more about how Adjust can grow your mobile app with mobile attribution and how we’re tackling the complexities of mobile measurement on iOS 14.5+.