issue with email tracking code attribution across multiple marketing channels

[keeTee]

we are encountering an issue where a significant amount of traffic from email tracking code (starting with e) is moved heavily out of email and into direct and also paid search tracking code (starting with s)is moved into referrers. Nothing significant has changed on the site and was wondering was if anyone can shed light on why this could be happening.

[Pablo_Childe]

what are examples of the url structure for the tracking codes?

ecid= or some other?

[keeTee]

URL structure for email  site.com?ecid=e:pr:promo:eam:doff:mcl:050222_SpringEvent&mi_u=233715898&mi_ecmp=050222_SpringEvent&link=hero...

for Paid search its ?ecid=s:

[keeTee]

Marketing channel expiration is set to 7days same as tracking code. If these 2 have the same allocation then it shouldn't be a persistence problem,right?

[Pablo_Childe]

I don`t think its persistence related.

Was there any domain level change or proxy for web server introduced?

Is this some sort of SPA(single page application) application? was it changed from a non SPS to and SPA recently?

Were there any related processing rules here?(maybe changed?)

[keeTee]

Hi @Pablo_Childe  No to all questions.

[yuhuisg · Accepted solution]

Tracking Codes and Marketing Channels have different persistences.

As you've stated, your Tracking Codes expire after 7 days.

But Marketing Channels are evaluated with every hit.

So, a user could have come to your website via a Paid Search tracking code, thus getting his Marketing Channel set to "Paid Search". But then he returned to your website (3 days later) via a link from his friend's website. Then, his Marketing Channel is set to "Referral", but AA still remembers his Paid Search tracking code since 7 days haven't passed since it was set.

[keeTee]

Hi @yuhuisg 

Can you please expand more on this?

[yuhuisg]

This table showing example hits might illustrate what I'm saying:

	Tracking Code (v0)	Marketing Channel
Mon 12:00pm: visits your site from a paid search link	s:one:thing (instance)	Paid Search
Tue 9:00am: visits your site from another paid search link	s:something:else (instance)	Paid Search
Thu 11:00pm: visits your site from a friend's website link	s:something:else (persist)	Referral