• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 9, 2009

Well, sort of. To prove that point, Neo@Ogilvy’s Greg Smith invoked the famous â€" or infamous, as may be the case â€" Tuck's medicated pads anecdote to illustrate the impact that offline attribution can have on sales.

When hemorrhoidal product Tuck’s medicated pads suddenly experienced a spike in sales, the marketer turned to its analytics team to figure out what was driving the phenomenon, Smith said, adding, “It turns out that Norm Abrams on ‘This Old House,’ said, ‘You know what’s great for keeping wood off floors, Tuck’s pads.’”

Smith says the number of “outside factors” that are becoming variables in the attribution process are growing and becoming harder, but more important to discern, including product placement, news coverage, PR, and social media.