HDYHAU surveys as an attribution source: when they work (and what to do when they don’t)

Attribution tracking is crucial for app businesses to determine the origins of their user acquisitions, but it presents challenges due to the diverse advertising channels and the difficulty of tracking word-of-mouth influences. The "How did you hear about us?" (HDYHAU) question is a common method used to gather self-reported data from users, which can be more consistent than mobile measurement partner data for early-stage apps focused on a few social channels. However, as app businesses scale and diversify their advertising channels, the reliability of HDYHAU as an attribution source diminishes due to users' recall biases and the prevalence of culturally dominant platforms like Facebook and TikTok. This leads to over-attribution to familiar platforms and potentially misleading data for budget allocation and channel optimization. For larger ad budgets, more reliable methods such as incrementality tests and blended performance analysis are recommended to gauge the true impact of various advertising channels. While HDYHAU surveys offer qualitative insights, they should not be solely relied upon for evidence of attribution efficacy.