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Set Up Benchmarks

Benchmarking lets you track competitor activity over time and understand how your market is evolving.

What is a Benchmark?

A benchmark is a custom tracking setup that monitors:

  • Specific competitors - Apps, publishers, or brands you want to track
  • Ad activity - How much they're spending, how many creatives they're running
  • Creative trends - What types of ads they're using
  • Regional focus - Which markets they're prioritizing
  • Performance changes - How their metrics change over time

Creating Your First Benchmark

Step 1: Access Benchmarks

  1. Log in to Appgrowing
  2. Click Benchmarks in the left sidebar
  3. Click Create New Benchmark

Step 2: Name Your Benchmark

Give your benchmark a descriptive name:

  • "Gaming Apps - US Market"
  • "AI Tools - Global Trends"
  • "Competitors - Q1 2024"
  • "SLG Games - Asia"

Step 3: Select Your Industry

Choose the industry category:

  • Gaming
  • AI Tools
  • E-commerce
  • Finance
  • Health & Wellness
  • Education
  • Social & Entertainment
  • Other

Step 4: Choose Competitors to Track

Option A: Track Specific Apps

  1. Click Add Competitors
  2. Search for specific apps or publishers
  3. Select the ones you want to track
  4. You can add up to 10 competitors per benchmark

Example:

  • Whiteout Survival
  • Last War: Survival
  • Kingshot

Option B: Track by Category

  1. Click Track Category
  2. Select a category (e.g., "SLG Games")
  3. Appgrowing automatically tracks the top 10 apps in that category
  4. The list updates monthly as rankings change

Option C: Track by Region

  1. Click Track Region
  2. Select a country or region
  3. Choose an industry
  4. Track all major advertisers in that market

Step 5: Set Tracking Frequency

Choose how often you want data updates:

  • Daily - Get fresh data every day (Pro and Enterprise only)
  • Weekly - Updates every Monday
  • Monthly - Updates on the 1st of each month

Step 6: Configure Alerts

Set up notifications for important changes:

  • New Campaign Launch - Alert when a competitor launches a new campaign
  • Spend Spike - Alert when ad spend increases by 50%+
  • Creative Change - Alert when they launch 10+ new creatives
  • Market Exit - Alert when they stop advertising

Step 7: Save Your Benchmark

  1. Review your settings
  2. Click Create Benchmark
  3. Your benchmark is now active and tracking

Viewing Benchmark Data

Dashboard Overview

Your benchmark dashboard shows:

MetricWhat It Shows
Total AdsTotal number of active creatives
Active CreativesNew creatives launched this period
Estimated SpendTotal estimated ad budget
Spend ChangeHow spend changed vs. last period
Top RegionsWhere ads are getting the most views
Top CreativesHighest-performing ads

Detailed View

Click on a competitor to see:

  • Creative Timeline - When they launched new ads
  • Spend Trend - How their budget has changed
  • Regional Distribution - Which markets they prioritize
  • Creative Types - What formats they use most
  • Performance Metrics - Engagement and reach data

Trend Analysis

View trends across your entire benchmark:

  • Market Growth - Is overall ad spend increasing or decreasing?
  • Creative Trends - What types of ads are becoming more common?
  • Regional Shifts - Are competitors shifting focus to new markets?
  • Seasonal Patterns - How does activity change by season?

Using Benchmark Data

Competitive Intelligence

Use benchmarks to understand competitor strategy:

  1. Monitor spend changes - When competitors increase spending, they may be testing new markets or campaigns
  2. Track creative launches - See what new approaches competitors are trying
  3. Identify gaps - Find market opportunities competitors aren't addressing
  4. Spot trends early - See emerging strategies before they become mainstream

Market Research

Use benchmarks for broader market insights:

  1. Industry trends - See what's working across your entire market
  2. Regional opportunities - Identify high-growth regions
  3. Seasonal patterns - Understand when to increase ad spend
  4. Emerging categories - Spot new product categories gaining traction

Campaign Planning

Use benchmark insights to plan your campaigns:

  1. Budget allocation - See how much competitors spend in each market
  2. Creative strategy - Understand what types of ads perform best
  3. Timing - Launch campaigns when competitors are less active
  4. Differentiation - Find creative angles competitors aren't using

Performance Benchmarking

Compare your metrics to competitors:

  1. Ad spend - How does your budget compare?
  2. Creative volume - How many ads are you running vs. competitors?
  3. Engagement rates - How do your ads perform vs. theirs?
  4. Market share - What percentage of market attention are you getting?

Managing Multiple Benchmarks

Create Benchmarks for Different Purposes

  • Competitive Tracking - Monitor direct competitors
  • Market Research - Track industry trends
  • Regional Analysis - Monitor specific geographic markets
  • Category Analysis - Track emerging categories

Organize Your Benchmarks

  1. Go to Benchmarks
  2. View all your active benchmarks
  3. Click a benchmark to view details
  4. Use filters to find specific benchmarks

Edit or Delete Benchmarks

  1. Click the benchmark name
  2. Click Settings
  3. To edit: Change competitors, frequency, or alerts
  4. To delete: Click Delete Benchmark (this removes tracking but keeps historical data)

Benchmark Limits by Plan

FeatureFreeProEnterprise
Active Benchmarks15Unlimited
Competitors per Benchmark310Unlimited
Update FrequencyWeeklyDailyReal-time
Historical Data30 days1 yearUnlimited
AlertsBasicAdvancedCustom
Export ReportsNoYesYes

Best Practices

Start Focused

  • Create 1-2 benchmarks initially
  • Focus on direct competitors or your target market
  • Expand as you learn what insights matter most

Review Regularly

  • Check your benchmarks weekly
  • Look for trends, not daily fluctuations
  • Compare month-over-month or quarter-over-quarter

Combine with Other Tools

  • Use benchmarks alongside the ad library
  • Compare benchmark data with your own campaign performance
  • Use AI mode to understand why competitors are making changes

Act on Insights

  • When competitors increase spend, investigate why
  • When new creative trends emerge, test them
  • When competitors exit a market, consider why
  • When you spot gaps, move quickly to fill them

Common Benchmark Scenarios

Scenario 1: Competitor Launches New Campaign

  1. You get an alert that a competitor launched 15 new creatives
  2. Go to their benchmark detail page
  3. View the new creatives
  4. Use AI mode to understand their strategy
  5. Decide if you need to respond

Scenario 2: Market Trend Emerges

  1. Your category benchmark shows a 40% increase in video ads
  2. Review the top new video creatives
  3. Analyze what makes them effective
  4. Test similar approaches in your campaigns
  5. Monitor performance vs. competitors

Scenario 3: Regional Opportunity

  1. Your regional benchmark shows a competitor entering a new market
  2. Check their spend and creative strategy in that region
  3. Analyze local market trends
  4. Decide if you should enter that market
  5. Plan your entry strategy

Next Steps

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