According to the company, Microsoft’s Atlas Institute (www.atlassolutions.com) consists of “a think tank of senior marketing analysts, who uncover hidden trends, test theories, and evaluate the effectiveness of digital marketing practices,” providing leading-edge intelligence that is unavailable elsewhere.
Among the institute’s initiatives is the evangelism of Engagement Mapping, which is designed to move online advertisers beyond what it calls “the outdated ‘last ad’ model,” by facilitating the evaluation of “every touch point, not just the last.”
“Unlike the outdated ‘last ad’ model that narrowly attributes 100 percent success to the most recent ad clicked, Engagement Mapping technology reveals the entire conversion funnel,” an institute spokesperson stated.“
“Typically, between 93-95 percent of audience engagements with online advertising receive no credit at all when advertisers review campaign ROI."
That presents a substantial margin for missed opportunity,” the spokesperson added. “We built Engagement Mapping so that marketers can choose and prioritize the key variables that impact their campaign performance and ROI.”
While Microsoft says that all advertisers will benefit from Engagement Mapping functionality in their reporting, it is most valuable for larger advertisers reaching many consumers across different sites and marketing channels.
You can learn more at the Atlas website, which offers a number of informative PDFs, including “The Long Road to Conversion: The Digital Purchase Funnel” and “Measuring ROI Beyond The Last Ad.” Reports are also available on Engagement Mapping for both Advertisers and Publishers.