Retargeting Ad Group Framework

Emily Truong

September 23, 2026 20:29

Overview

Within the Location & Audience Targeting step (Step 3), there’s an option to enable Retargeting (referred to in Terra chat prompts as Re-engagement).

When enabled, Ads Manager automatically creates a separate, secondary ad group designed to re-engage consumers who were exposed to your primary ad group’s creative (impression-based retargeting).

To streamline setup, the retargeting ad group automatically inherits key settings from your primary ad group and applies recommended default rules. You can review and adjust these settings (Budget, Channel, Flight Dates, Targeting) manually before launching.

⚠️ Optional Feature: Enabling Retargeting is completely optional. You can return to your ad group setup and toggle retargeting on at any time prior to launch or mid-campaign.

When Retargeting Ad Group(s) Are Created

To ensure your setup is complete, Ads Manager automatically generates your retargeting ad group as soon as both your Retargeting selection and your Budget & Schedule steps are saved:

If Budget & Schedule are set first: The retargeting ad group is created immediately upon selecting Retargeting in the Location & Audience step.
If Retargeting is selected first: The retargeting ad group is created immediately upon completing your Budget & Schedule configuration.

Audience Naming Note: The system automatically generates a dynamic name for your retargeting audience (e.g., Retargeting Audience Channel-Mobile Adgroup-Adgroup ID), which you can customize to match your team's internal naming convention.

Schedule, Flight Dates & Start Date Logic

The total duration of your retargeting ad group automatically mirrors the overall flight duration of your primary ad group.

To allow your primary ad group enough time to build an initial audience pool, the retargeting ad group start date is calculated based on when your primary ad group launches:

Standard Rule (New/Future Launches): Starts 14 days after your primary ad group’s start date.
Active/Past Launches (14+ Days Active): If your primary ad group launched 14 or more days ago, retargeting begins Today.

Primary Ad Group Start Date	Retargeting Start Date	Calculation & Example
Today (e.g., Jan 1)	Today + 14 Days	Standard 14-day audience building window (Jan 15).
Yesterday (e.g., Dec 31)	Yesterday + 14 Days	Standard 14-day audience building window (Jan 14).
2–13 Days Ago (e.g., Dec 19-30)	Primary Start + 14 Days	Completes the remaining balance of the 14-day window (Jan 2).
14+ Days Ago (e.g., Dec 18 or earlier)	Today	Retargeting begins immediately (Jan 1).
Future Date (e.g., Jan 15)	Primary Start + 14 Days	Starts 2 weeks after primary campaign begins (Jan 29).

⚠️ No retroactive data collection: If you enable retargeting after your ad group has launched, the platform will only begin building the custom audience from that day forward. It cannot gather retroactive impression data prior to the toggle being turned on.

Budget, Channel & Minimum Rules

Budget Allocation (20% Cap): The retargeting ad group budget is capped at 20% of your primary ad group’s total budget.
Separate Allocation: Your retargeting budget is added to your overall campaign total. It is not deducted from your primary ad group's budget.
- Example: If your primary ad group has a $1,000 budget, your retargeting ad group can have up to a $200 budget, bringing your combined campaign total to $1,200.
Minimum Primary Ad Group Budget ($40): Because retargeting receives a 20% budget allocation, your primary ad group must have a minimum total flight budget of at least $40 to enable retargeting.
Daily Budget vs. CPM: Any ad group’s daily budget must always be greater than or equal to its CPM rate (Daily Budget ≥ CPM).
Channel Default: Defaults to Mobile.
- ⚠️ Changing the channel from Mobile to another channel will reset both your budget and bid price, requiring you to re-enter those settings.
Targeting & Placement Defaults: Retargeting ad groups automatically run Nationwide, targeting the pool of unique devices exposed to your primary ad group's impressions. Placement and publisher filters are reset to standard platform defaults.

💡 Reminder: Don't forget to upload dedicated ad creatives to your newly created retargeting ad group to activate your campaign.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why don't I see my retargeting ad group on my dashboard immediately?

The retargeting ad group generates only after both the Retargeting selection and the Budget & Schedule steps have been completed and saved. If your primary ad group budget is under $40, the system will prevent retargeting ad group generation until the budget meets the threshold.

Can I change the retargeting ad group start date to begin sooner than 14 days?

The 14-day start delay is enforced automatically to ensure your primary ad group delivers enough impressions to build a viable retargeting audience. Once created, you can edit the ad group flight dates, but starting too early may result in under-pacing due to small audience size.

Does enabling retargeting change or reduce my primary ad group's spend?

No. Your primary ad group budget remains untouched. The retargeting budget is calculated separately (up to 20% of the primary spend) and added onto the total campaign allocation.

Can I retarget users who saw an Audio or CTV campaign using Mobile display ads?

Yes. Retargeting defaults to Mobile display, allowing you to re-engage users on their mobile devices after they were exposed to your primary CTV, Audio, or Mobile ads.

Need Help?

For additional support and to ensure your campaign is set up for success, please reach out to your dedicated GroundTruth representative, or our Self-Serve team (selfservehelp@groundtruth.com) to be connected to a representative.