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Set the bidding objective and target

Every campaign managed by the bidding model has an objective and a target. The objective says what you are counting (installs, an in-app event, or revenue). The target says what a good outcome costs, expressed as a cost per result or a ROAS. This page covers the two target types, when to use each, and how to configure them in the Campaigns table.

Before you start

  • Apple Ads integration connected.
  • MMP integration connected if the objective involves an in-app event or revenue.
  • Editor or Admin role on the organization.

The two target types

The bidding model supports two target types, each tied to an objective metric.

CPO (cost per objective). Use when the goal is to acquire a specific outcome at a known unit cost. The objective metric can be installs (from Apple Ads directly) or any custom event your MMP reports (signup, subscription start, first purchase, etc.). The target is the maximum cost per one of those outcomes, on average.

ROAS (return on ad spend). Use when revenue is the primary signal. Objective metric is Revenue or a cohorted variant (Revenue D0, D7, D14, D30) from your MMP. The target is expressed as a percentage (for example, 300% means three dollars of revenue for every dollar of spend).

Cohorted revenue metrics (D0 through D30) are available only when Adjust is connected. Revenue windows mature at different rates; see Data freshness for the maturity rules.

How to set the objective in the UI

The objective metric is a badge on each row of the Campaigns table. Clicking the badge opens a dropdown grouped into Conversions, In-App Events, and Revenue & ROAS.

  1. Open the campaign list for the relevant campaign group.

  2. Click the objective metric badge on the campaign you want to configure. The dropdown shows Conversions (Installs), In-App Events (one entry per MMP event, with Count and Revenue sub-options), and Revenue & ROAS (Revenue, and Revenue D0 through D30 if Adjust is connected).

  3. Select the objective metric and, where applicable, whether you are optimizing for Count (volume) or Revenue. Selecting Installs or an in-app event with Count picks a CPO target. Selecting Revenue or a cohorted revenue variant picks a ROAS target.

  4. If the campaign is already active, or if you switch between a volume and a revenue objective, a Set Target dialog opens to capture the new target. CPO targets are entered as a monetary amount. ROAS is entered as a percentage. Save to persist the change.

After saving, the bidding model uses the new target on the next bid update. For details on how the target interacts with the daily budget, see Bidding constraint scenarios.

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