Heuristic-induced linear interaction attribution model (HILIAM) and ensemble advertising budgeting strategy (HEAB) : exploratory research consisting of influential heuristic assessment, heuristic-influenced attribution modelling, and advertising budgeting strategy

Abstract

Heuristics are mental shortcuts humans use to speed up decision-making. The influence of heuristics in decision-making is being studied globally across many domains, including finance, supply chain management, and consumer behavior. The thesis aimed to explore the most influential heuristic among availability, representativeness and anchoring in a sample of Bangladeshi university students across prominent digital advertising channels, including social media, influencer content, search engine, and online marketplace. Furthermore, the study presented the “Heuristic-Induced Linear Interaction Attribution Model (HILIAM)”, which allocated conversion credits to touchpoints using the “Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP)” while considering the influence of the target heuristics in the selected touchpoints. Additionally, the research proposed “Heuristic Ensemble Advertising Budget (HEAB).” Like HILIAM, HEAB’s objective was to allocate realistic advertising budgets across digital advertising channels while considering the influence of heuristics in the chosen touchpoints. Moreover, the thesis achieved the above objectives through a sample of 270 Bangladeshi university students, with the majority from East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In conclusion, the goal of the thesis was to be an exploratory study on heuristic assessment across channels and heuristic-infused attribution modelling, as well as advertising budgeting. Furthermore, the thesis aims to be an inspiration for better-equipped researchers to explore these niches more deeply and derive findings with significant practical and theoretical implications.