Google recently released the first cross device conversion tracking benefit from Enhanced Campaigns called Estimated Total Conversions. The objective is to provide advertisers with a more comprehensive understanding of the path to purchase and the value of touch points across the Google network. It will estimate the total impact of an advertiser’s campaign by measuring the performance of users that are logged in to Google.com across devices and layering an estimation algorithm to project the total impact of each device for all Google searches. The key enhancement is the data enables cross-device attribution. This new enhancement affects all advertisers who have Google conversion tracking enabled, and will be rolled out over the month of October. Why is this change happening? How does it work? Read our Havas Media Group focus to understand more.

1. google
Estimated Total
Conversions
October 2013

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Google estimated total conversions
Lead contributors
Ann Kane
SVP, Search Marketing Director
Havas Media USA
ann.kane@havasmedia.com
Michael Tuccillo
VP, Search Marketing Director
Havas Media USA
michael.tuccillo@havasmedia.com
Victor Davidson
VP, Analytics Director
Havas Media USA
victor.davidson@havasmedia.com
Jacob Davis
Search Marketing Director
Havas Media USA
jacob.davis@havasmedia.com
© 2013 Havas Media Group
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Google estimated total conversions
Executive summary
Google recently released the first cross device conversion tracking benefit from
Enhanced Campaigns called Estimated Total Conversions.
The objective is to provide advertisers with a more comprehensive understanding
of the path to purchase and the value of touch points across the Google network.
It will estimate the total impact of an advertiser’s campaign by measuring the
performance of users that are logged in to Google.com across devices, and layering estimation algorithm to project the total impact of each device for all Google
searches. The key enhancement is the data enables cross-device attribution. With
this valuable information, opportunities for usage are expansive impacting campaign management functions like bid updates across device and real time measurement of upper funnel activities. As new iterations of the tool are launched, it
shows promise to eventually inform strategic planning functions like channel planning and budget allocations.
This new enhancement affects all advertisers who have Google conversion tracking
enabled, and will be rolled out over the month of October.
Why is this change happening?
After helping advertisers reach consumers more easily on multiple devices via the
mass change of Enhanced campaigns (See >> Google Enhanced Campaigns POV,
Havas Media Group, February 2013), Google is aiming to help advertisers better
understand consumer behavior by enabling cross device tracking. Previously, if
a user conducted a search on a mobile device, clicked on an ad, but did not convert, the tracking process ended. Advertisers wouldn’t know to correlate that same
person who conducted another search via a desktop computer soon after and
converted. Thus, the mobile device would get no credit for being part of the conversion process and advertisers would adjust media budgets accordingly.
Now, Google is aiming to change the process, allowing advertisers more transparency in the conversion process, which has been problematic in the past. Google hopes
that with this new change, advertisers will be able to better attribute all steps in the
conversion process, not just the final touch point.
Google has shared that initial testing showed increases between 2% and 12% lift in
conversions across multiple verticals and that, for some, a large increase in conversions attributable to mobile. For example, Google found that the travel vertical
partners were able to measure 33% more conversions originating with a mobile click.
© 2013 Havas Media Group
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4. HAVAS MEDIA GROUP FOCUS
Google estimated total conversions
How does it work?
The Estimated Total Conversions product will use data from users who are logged
into Google conducting searches on Google.com to establish sample data as a
proxy from which it will estimate the total conversion volume. Currently, 20% of
Google users are logged in across devices when conducting searches, which may
limit the overall sample size to draw data. In the future, Google hopes to incorporate conversions originating from its search and display networks. As a note, the
product requires at least 50 conversions per day, per account.
What we think/expected impact
Google has made a great first step into data transparency that will provide future
value to advertisers. It enables visibility not previously accessible via Google directly,
a key benefit of Google’s shift to Enhanced Campaigns. It was specifically designed
to help advertisers more accurately gauge the value of mobile, as most mobile campaigns have lower on-site conversion rates than desktop and tablet devices.
However, in the short run, it will not be overly impactful to campaign strategy and
media investment for a number of reasons:
• By factoring search investments only, it still has a limited view of
the consumer journey.
• Currently, the conversion process is based on a last click attribution
model. At press time, Google was not exploring other attribution models.
This limits the potential use for many clients already using more advanced
attribution modeling.
• Due to conversion minimums, we believe that the results could be met
with some initial doubt by advertisers and are not statistically significant
enough for some verticals.
It is expected that subsequent iterations of Cross Device Conversion tracking will
provide a more in-depth perspective of the consumer journey expanding beyond
search into display as well as content. As the estimates are based on actual data,
they are therefore a realistic valuation and will eventually win over skeptics. More
importantly, cross channel attribution remains a pain point for most. Havas Media
expects Google’s entry into the market will propel solutions from other analytics,
data and software companies.
For more information, see:
>> http://adwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/estimated-total-conversions.html
© 2013 Havas Media Group
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