Why Your Attribution Model Misses Branded Search

Episode notes

Episode 129 of Marketing Analytics with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dig into a blind spot in most attribution models: branded search. They walk through a real scenario from a mid-market DTC brand that saw its ROAS drop 30% after attributing all branded-search conversions to the last click - even though those searches were triggered by podcast and TV ads weeks earlier. Lucas breaks down the 'branded-search cannibalization' trap, why last-click models overcredit owned channels, and how a simple holdout test revealed branded search was stealing credit from awareness media. Luna pushes back on whether the problem is the model or the metrics teams choose to optimize. Specific takeaways include how to run a branded-search suppression test, what to look for in lift studies, and why data-driven attribution still struggles with this one gap - because the search platform itself has no visibility into the preceding exposure. This episode includes a brief, organic listener-support segment.

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