Frequently Asked Questions About Verified Visits™

5 Min Read

We love it when marketers ask us for a detailed breakdown of MNTN’s attribution because they absolutely should! Without trustworthy measurement, there’s no way to know if a marketing channel is actually generating the site traffic and subsequent outcomes its reporting says it is.

Fortunately, we work with smart marketers who ask us smart questions about our Verified Visit™ attribution all the time. So we’ve compiled the top questions we receive (and their answers) to share with you.

What attribution model does MNTN use to measure the site traffic generated by Performance TV campaigns?

Historically, it’s been tough for marketers to measure the outcomes driven by TV campaigns. That’s why we created Verified Visits™—our proprietary attribution model that allows you to accurately measure when a viewer sees your MNTN ad and deterministically visits your site as a result of that ad exposure.

And thanks to our detailed source validation, we ensure that credit for performance is only given when it’s earned.

How does MNTN measure Verified Visits™?

First, a viewer sees your MNTN ad, then visits your website within a set window of time that you define.

Our system then automatically checks to see if the viewer engaged with another media source that ultimately prompted the visit, such as paid search, social, or email marketing.

If they didn’t and the visit occurred directly or organically after the user saw a MNTN ad, then that’s a MNTN-delivered Verified Visit™.

While they visit your site, we note their IP address, device ID, and additional signals.

We then track all devices tied to that household, so when the viewer converts on your site using one of those devices, we can attribute that outcome to your campaign.

How does MNTN’s source validation ensure credit is only attributed when it’s due?

Our system automatically analyzes the UTM tags associated with each user’s site visit to understand the referral source that ultimately delivered that visit. If a non-MNTN referral source is detected—either from a paid marketing channel, such as paid search, or an organic marketing channel, such as a CTA button in a marketing email—then MNTN does not take credit for that site visit.

MNTN will only take attributable credit for a site visit if a user has seen an advertiser’s MNTN ad and then organically or directly visited the advertiser’s site on a device within the same household—all within an attribution window of time that the advertiser defines (aka their Verified Visit Window).

Is MNTN’s attribution the same as first-touch or view-through attribution?

No. First-touch attribution enables a campaign to take credit for all site traffic and resulting conversions that occur within a set period of time after a connected TV ad has been served to a household. First-touch attribution does not use source-validation to ensure credit is only delivered when it is due. By not using source validation, first-touch attribution allows Connected TV campaigns to take credit for site traffic that was clearly delivered by other paid and organic referring sources, from paid search and paid social to email marketing and beyond.

Comparatively, Verified Visits uses automated source validation to ensure Connected TV does not take credit for site traffic that was delivered by other referring sources.

Do other platforms offer Verified Visits™?

No. Verified Visits™ is trademarked by MNTN and our attribution model is patent-pending.

Another technology provider is telling me that they offer similar attribution for linear and/or Connected TV. How do I evaluate the accuracy of their attribution?

We recommend asking them if you can customize your visit window and how they take into account the impact of other marketing channels. You should be able to decide how long or short your attribution window for site traffic should be. You should also be aware of exactly how they take into account the impact of other marketing channels—otherwise, your Connected TV campaigns may be taking credit for site traffic and subsequent outcomes that were actually delivered by other channels.

Inaccurate attribution is an industry-wide issue that has only gotten more complex as platforms continue to rebrand their own versions of first-touch / view-through attribution with unique naming conventions. That’s why we at MNTN are committed to transparency in our measurement and suggest that advertisers demand that same transparency from all of their technology providers.

Where can you measure Verified Visits™?

You can measure Verified Visits and their resulting conversions directly in MNTN’s reporting or alongside your other marketing channels in Google Analytics.

Are the Verified Visits measured in Google Analytics also source-validated?

Yes. We use source validation to measure and attribute every Verified Visit delivered by your MNTN campaign. The Verified Visits attributed to your MNTN campaigns in Google Analytics have gone through the same source-validation process as the Verified Visits in your MNTN dashboard.

You can then use your preferred methodology and logic in Google Analytics to measure conversions that result from a MNTN Verified Visit.

Can you run blocklists and measure Verified Visits?

Yes. With MNTN, you can create IP-level blocklists, publisher-level blocklists, and TV network blocklists. These blocklists will ensure your ads are not served in specific households or against specific content that does not align with your brand’s suitability standards. These blocklists will not interfere with your ability to measure Verified Visits.

TLDR? Watch our video below for an overview of Verified Visits™