Simple definitions for overcomplicated terms.
Definition
What is Marketing Attribution? Definition & Meaning
Dec 18, 2025
What is Marketing Attribution?
Marketing attribution is the analytical science of determining which marketing tactics, channels, or touchpoints contributed to a sale or conversion. In short, it is the method companies use to answer the age-old question: "Which one of our efforts actually made us money?"
By assigning "credit" to different interactions along the customer journey—from that first cold email to the final demo request—attribution allows revenue teams to understand what is working, what is wasting budget, and where to double down.
Marketing Attribution in Plain English
If technical definitions make your eyes glaze over, think of attribution like a soccer goal.
The striker kicks the ball into the net. That is the final conversion.
But before that, the midfielder made a perfect cross (the assist).
And before that, the defender stole the ball to start the play.
Marketing attribution is simply the rulebook you choose to decide who gets the bonus. Do you give 100% of the credit to the striker because they touched it last? Do you give it to the defender who started it? or do you split the credit among everyone involved?
Common Attribution Models
Different businesses use different logic to assign this credit. Here are the standard models you will run into:
Model | How It Works | The Vibe |
|---|---|---|
First-Touch | 100% of the credit goes to the very first interaction a lead had with your brand. | "I saw them first!" |
Last-Touch | 100% of the credit goes to the final interaction before the deal closed. | "I closed the deal!" |
Linear | Credit is split equally across every single touchpoint in the journey. | "Participation trophies for everyone." |
Time-Decay | Touchpoints closer to the sale get more credit than those in the past. | "What have you done for me lately?" |
Why It Matters for Sales & Marketing
Without attribution, you are flying blind. Marketing might be celebrating a high click-through rate on an ad that never actually results in a sale, while Sales might be ignoring a lead source that quietly generates your highest-value customers.
However, traditional attribution relies heavily on cookies, which are becoming less reliable. The future of attribution—and where platforms like Topo come in—is moving toward signal-based intelligence. Instead of just tracking clicks, modern teams track intent signals (like hiring sprees or tech adoption) to understand why a buyer is ready, bridging the gap between a marketing "guess" and a sales reality.