WHY CLICK-BASED ATTRIBUTION SHOULDN'T ANCHOR EXECUTIVE DASHBOARDS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Click-based attribution remains popular because it provides clear, deterministic outputs that are simple to interpret. However, these models do not account for untracked influences such as video, social exposure, or thought leadership content that shape perception and intent. As a result, executive dashboards dominated by click metrics can create bias toward activities that generate visible conversions at the expense of long-term demand generation. This focus may impact investment in brand building and creative impact while prioritizing only short-term returns.