Target benchmark

Target Benchmark allows you to set a primary marketing goal - such as maximizing revenue or minimizing Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) - and receive data-driven budget allocation recommendations to achieve it.

How to Set a Target Benchmark

Applying a benchmark is a straightforward process from the main Attribution dashboard.

1. Navigate to the Attribution section of the platform.

2. Click the Target [Benchmark Name/Metric] button located at the top-right corner of the dashboard

   

3. In the Target modal that appears, use the Select a Metric dropdown to choose your desired benchmark.

   

4. Click Confirm to apply the benchmark. The Channel Breakdown table will refresh with specific recommendations.

Understanding Recommendations for Causal Attribution

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When using Causal attribution, the Target Benchmark feature provides quantifiable budget recommendations.

Because Causal models are powered by Lifesight's advanced Marketing Mix Models and experiments, the platform can calculate the precise budget adjustments needed to meet your goals.

Benchmark Options for Causal Models

You can set the following types of targets:

• Forecasted Scenarios: Select a pre-configured business forecast that has been set as a default scenario (e.g., 'BFCM-Q4-Forecast').
• Incremental Metrics: Target a specific incremental ROAS (iROAS) or incremental Cost Per Action (iCPA) to optimize for true business lift.
• Marginal Metrics: Set a goal for marginal ROAS (mROAS) or marginal CPA (mCPA) to ensure the efficiency of your next marketing dollar spent.

Interpreting Causal Recommendations

The recommendations will appear with specific dollar amounts, advising you exactly how much to increase or decrease spend in a channel to reach your target.

Understanding Recommendations for Touch-Based Attribution

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When using touch-based attribution models (e.g., Time Decay, Last Touch), the recommendations provided are directional.

These models evaluate channel performance relative to your target and provide guidance on how to shift budgets, rather than prescribing exact amounts.

Benchmark Options for Touch-Based Models

You will typically select a standard marketing metric and set a specific value as the target (e.g., Target ROAS 3.7).

Interpreting Directional Recommendations

The recommendations guide your strategy with the following labels:

• Scale up: Indicates that the channel is performing efficiently against the target and has room to absorb more budget.
• Reduce: Suggests the channel is underperforming relative to the target, and funds could be reallocated to more efficient channels.
• Maintain: The channel is performing as expected, and the current budget level is appropriate.

Key Considerations

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Past Scenarios

When selecting a benchmark, you may see a warning: "The selected scenario is in the past. Recommendations may no longer be relevant." Always ensure your target benchmark is relevant to your current optimization period for the most accurate recommendations.

To learn more about how the Attribution Recommendations are made, read the detailed documentation.