View-through attribution has become an increasingly important component of marketing in recent years. Also referred to as VTA, the view-through attribution approach is a digital advertising measurement model used to gauge the efficacy of display ads in relation to ensuring viewer actions.

VTA Quantification

VTA quantifies conversion attribution after one view. Credit for conversion following the viewing of a display ad occurs when the viewer performs a specific action, typically on a website, app, or app store in a specific period. For example, VTA credit commonly occurs when a viewer follows through with a purchase on an app 24 hours after viewing an ad.

In contrast, click-through attribution, referred to as CTA, strictly credits post-view conversions to those who clicked ads before converting. If such an action occurs within the period designated for CTA, VTA is canceled in favor of the credit going to CTA.

The Importance of VTA

VTA is especially useful for gauging the impact of display advertisements that have a high level of visibility yet minimal click-through. As an example, VTA is commonly applied to CTV ads. VTA empowers advertisers to gauge the return on investment of specific display ads with greater accuracy and then alter ad targeting along with marketing strategies as necessary moving forward.

When used strategically, VTA provides a clear view of what works and what does not in the context of display ads. The end result is a much more transparent picture of how ads impact viewers.

View-through attribution ultimately constitutes an advanced marketing metric model that helps businesses and marketers shorten the distance between impressions and meaningful results such as sales and revenue.

The Temporal Aspect of VTA

VTA distributes credit for conversions, be it in the form of leads or sales to impressions of display advertisements even if the viewers did not perform an ensuing action such as clicking the ad. The value of VTA lies in an acknowledgment that exposure to an ad shapes viewer behavior even if there is not a direct interaction with the ad itself. However, there is a temporal element of VTA that must be acknowledged.

VTA is quantified within a timeframe, typically between one day and a full week following the view of the ad. If a viewer converts within the target window of time, the point at which the ad was clicked does not matter. Ensuing conversion is then attributed to the advertising campaign that presented the ad for viewing.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common VTA temporal windows used by the top advertising platforms:

- Google Ads have a VTA window of a day, three days, or even weekly stretching across an entire month

- LinkedIn ads have a VTA window of a day, a week, a month, or three months

- TikTok has a much shorter VTA window of either a day or a week

- Meta ads have a VTA window of 24 hours

The VTA Umbrella Explained

VTA is an overarching term that references attributing conversions such as ad impression re-engagement, re-attribution, and the installation of apps. Also referred to as impression tracking, this approach empowers businesses and marketers to better quantify the impact of advertising campaigns and tinker with them accordingly.

For example, simply downloading a company’s app after viewing an ad constitutes a VTA conversion. Such a prospect might have already had a familiarity with the brand or the app yet waited until exposure to the app to take the action of installing the app.

Consider a situation in which a viewer sees a business’s ad on YouTube when surfing the web in the hours before leaving for work. The prospect installs the company’s app using the Google Play Store later that same evening after his or her work shift ends. The viewing of the ad preceding the YouTube video watched earlier in the day is the motivation for installing the app.Though the viewer did not click the ad in the video, he or she continued to think about the ad throughout the day and later downloaded the company’s app. Such VTA quantification is more effective than the CTA approach as the viewer did not click through the ad to learn more about the value offering.

Installing a company’s app is only one form of VTA attribution. A visit to the company’s website, downloading eBooks, or buying a product through the app store/website also constitutes success in the context of VTA. As long as the desired action occurs within the VTA lookback frame, attribution is deservedly credited.