In this purchase path, there are 3 searches. First there is a search for “Running shoes”. A Finish Line ad gets clicked on, but there is no purchase. The search is then refined to “Women’s Nike Shox”, again the consumer clicks on a Finish Line ad, but does not make a purchase. Then, they search “Finish Line” (a branded term), they click on the link, and a sale occurs. However this time the product that was purchased was a pair of Oakley women’s sunglasses. The product purchased was different than the product that was previously searched for.

1. In Attribution Rule A, there were 3 ads involved before the sale. Regardless of what product was purchased, all 3 ads contributed and therefore deserve equal credit for the sale.
2. In Attribution Rule B, the product sold does not matter. However when a branded term is used at the end of a path, it is being used to navigate back to the Finish Line. The customer could’ve found the Finish Line through the address bar or bookmark, however they choose to use search again. In this instance the consumer has already decided to buy and therefore no sales credit goes back to the branded term at the end of a Purchase Path. Credit for the sale is split evenly between the first and second search.
3. In Attribution Rule C, the purchase has nothing to do with what they searched for. Therefore credit is excluded from the terms that do not relate to the product bought. All of the credit of the sale is attributed to the final ad for “Finish Line”

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