Gaining Actionable Insights through Data Visualisation of CM360 Full Customer Journey

TLDR

Campaign Manager 360 (CM360) solves the problem of duplicate conversions by acting as a central source of truth. But its raw Path to Conversion (P2C) data may be too complex to use on its own. The real value is based on visualising this data to reveal how channels assist, influence, and close conversions. FiveStones helps marketers attain this with a bespoke Looker Studio dashboard that makes assisted conversions and top paths clear—turning overwhelming spreadsheets into actionable insights that depict channel value and guide smarter decisions.

As a modern marketer, you’re likely familiar with the core dilemma of digital advertising: every platform, from Google to Meta to TikTok, wants to claim full credit for the same conversion. This leaves you with conflicting numbers and a frustrating inability to know what’s truly working.

The industry-standard solution is Campaign Manager 360 (CM360), which acts as the central, unbiased ad server and measurement system to de-duplicate conversions and establish a foundational “source of truth.” However, possessing the truth is only half the battle. The most valuable insights—the ones that reveal the complex journey your customers actually take—are often buried within raw data exports that can feel like a spreadsheet nightmare.

The ultimate value is unlocked only when this complex data is translated into clear, actionable visualisations. This article moves beyond the why of CM360 and focuses on how to harness its deepest capabilities to finally understand the true synergy between your channels.

Most seasoned CM360 users understand the power of Floodlights for de-duplicating conversions. But the real strategic power lies within the Path to Conversion (P2C) report. We’ve previously written about the tactical guide to this report (Understanding the user journey with the Campaign Manager 360 Path to Conversion report), but its potential emerges when you see it not as a report, but as a map of your customer’s mind.

This raw P2C data allows you to answer the most critical business questions:

The biggest obstacle is that, in its raw form, this data is overwhelming. Thousands of rows of overlapping paths are powerful, but not actionable. This is where the real work, or I should say, the real opportunity begins.

The challenge of making P2C data usable is why so many marketers don’t leverage it. This challenge was amplified in February 2024, when CM360 deprecated its native multi-channel funnel reports, leaving many users without easy access to assisted conversion and top path analysis.

At FiveStones, we solve this problem directly. Recognizing the immense value of this analysis, we have developed dashboard solutions that not only restore but also enhance this capability. We connect directly to your CM360 data to build custom Looker Studio dashboards that turn tangled conversion paths into clear, intuitive funnels and reports.

Our solutions focus on visualizing two key areas that marketers have been missing:

1. The Assisted Conversions Dashboard

This view is essential for proving the value of upper-funnel activities. It clearly distinguishes between channels that deliver the final click and those that play a crucial assisting role earlier in the journey. You can finally quantify the influence of programmatic display or social media on eventual search conversions, ensuring channels that build awareness receive the credit and investment they deserve.

2. The Top Conversion Paths Dashboard

Instead of an endless spreadsheet, we visualize the most common sequences of impressions and clicks leading to a conversion. This dashboard allows you to see with clarity how channels work together. You can instantly spot trends, such as users seeing a Display & Video 360 ad before clicking a Search ad, validating your cross-channel strategy and revealing the true synergy between your media investments.

Stop Guessing, Start Knowing

Stop spending money on media without a clear, unbiased way to measure its total impact. CM360 provides the single source of truth, but raw data is not enough.

FiveStones provides the clarity to act on it. We turn your most complex attribution data into a strategic asset, allowing you to optimize your budget, understand your customer journey, and build a measurement framework you can finally trust.