Percentiles help marketers understand where they stand in the landscape, not just what the average looks like.
A percentile tells you where a result sits relative to a comparison set. It does not tell you the absolute size of the gap by itself.
| Key points |
|---|
| A 70th-percentile campaign performed better than 70% of comparable observations |
| Percentile context matters more when the cohort is tightly defined |
| Percentiles work best alongside median and quartile context |
Percentiles are useful for explaining market-relative position to leadership because they turn abstract averages into a clearer story about standing and movement.
| Key points |
|---|
| Use percentile to frame relative position |
| Use median to frame the central benchmark |
| Use the gap to explain what must improve next |
Median explains where the center of the market sits. Quartiles show the range. Percentiles help marketers locate their own position inside that range.
The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method. The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method reads every marketing metric against four percentile bands — P25 (bottom quartile), median, P75 (top quartile), and elite (top ~10%) — for a specific industry and channel, instead of a single cross-industry average. Averages blend brand and non-brand campaigns, $500/month and $500,000/month accounts, and unrelated industries into a number almost nobody actually has.
Where the numbers come from. The figures on this page come from the Benchmarketing benchmark dataset — thousands of curated benchmark observations across channels, industries, and US metro areas. Every statistic traces to a named source: WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks (2024), Meta Business Insights (2024), HubSpot Email Marketing Report (2024), Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report (2024), Databox Marketing Benchmark Report (2024), AdLiftr Snapchat Ads Cost Benchmarks (2026), Ad Badger Amazon Advertising Benchmarks (2026). Benchmarketing does not publish anonymous "studies show" figures.
The Benchmarketing position. Beating the cross-industry average is a vanity milestone, not a target. Compare your number to the P25–P75 band for your specific industry and channel; if you are above average but below your industry's P75, you are leaving performance on the table.
Use them as rank language: your performance sits above or below a share of comparable campaigns, based on a defined benchmark group.
Because percentile shows position while median shows where the market center actually sits.