How to Set Up Brand and Competitor Terms

Learn how to add brand and competitor terms in the Intentwise platform for precise brand and non-brand segmentation in your advertising campaigns.

Brand and Competitor Terms in Intentwise

Intentwise allows you to clearly distinguish between Brand, Competitor, and Non-Brand search terms giving you a deeper understanding of where your ad spend is going and how different types of search intent perform.

Brand Terms are search terms that specifically identify your own brand or company on Amazon. For example, “Apple iPhones” would be a Brand Term for Apple.
Competitor Terms are search terms that mention other brands competing in your category, such as “Samsung phones” for Apple.

Anything that is not tagged as a Brand or Competitor term will automatically be considered Non-Brand.

This three-way segmentation — Brand, Competitor, and Non-Brand — is unique to Intentwise. It allows advertisers to:

Analyze performance by intent type (brand, competitor, non-brand).
Understand how much budget is being spent on targeting competitors.
Optimize bids and budgets accordingly.

Why Competitor Terms Matter

Previously, users could only differentiate between Brand and Non-Brand terms. As a result, spend on competitor keywords had to be tracked manually using filters such as “contains” or “equals.”

With Competitor Terms, Intentwise removes this manual step — helping you instantly see how competitor-targeted terms are performing and how much they contribute to your total spend.

Steps for setting up Brand and Competitor Terms in Intentwise

1. Navigate to the Global Settings in the left menu > Select Brand & Competitor Terms.
2. To add brand terms, click on "Add Brand Term(s)" in the Brand Terms tab.
3. Enter any brand terms associated with your brand and/or products. Include any and all possible versions of the brand name, including misspellings.
4. Similarly, to add competitor terms, click on "Add Competitor Term(s)" in the Competitor Terms tab.

Note: The same term cannot exist as both a Brand and a Competitor term. Intentwise will display an error if you try to add duplicates.

Watch this video for detailed steps for adding brand terms

Features

- Automatic Tagging: Intentwise automatically tags your targeting and search term data as Brand, Competitor, or Non-Brand — ensuring accurate segmentation and reporting.
- Roll-up Capability: Use the roll-up feature to visualize and analyze performance across all three types of terms in aggregate or detail views.
- Filters: Use the Brand Type filter (Brand / Competitor / Non-Brand) across relevant dashboards to isolate performance data and gain deeper insights.
- Rules: Implement custom rules to manage and segment brand and non-brand keywords effectively.
- Recommendations: Receive actionable recommendations to optimize brand performance by refining search terms and targeting.
- Integration with Intentwise Analytics Cloud: Brand terms integrate seamlessly with Intentwise Analytics Cloud and reporting tools like Looker Studio for in-depth brand analysis.

Benefits and Use Cases

- Enhanced Campaign Insights: Clearly see how Brand, Competitor, and Non-Brand terms perform relative to each other.
- Efficient Budget Allocation: Understand and control how much budget is being spent on competitor-targeted terms.
- Improved Targeting Accuracy: Identify and manage cases where non-brand keywords trigger competitor-related searches.
- Time Savings: Streamline auditing processes with quick access to consolidated brand data, saving time on analysis and decision-making.
- Scalability: Scale campaigns effectively based on actionable insights derived from segmented brand data.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why should I segment Brand, Competitor, and Non-Brand keywords?

Segmenting helps you understand performance drivers more clearly. Brand terms typically have lower ACOS and higher conversion rates, while Competitor terms often indicate conquesting opportunities and higher acquisition costs.

Where can I see performance by Brand Type?

You can use the Brand Type filter (Brand / Competitor / Non-Brand) in the Keywords and Search Terms sections to view performance data.

How do I segment branded keywords in my campaigns?

Create separate campaigns for branded and non-branded keywords. Use negative phrase or exact match for your brand name in non-branded campaigns to ensure no overlap.

How should I allocate my budget between branded and non-branded campaigns?

Allocate a significant portion of your budget to non-branded campaigns to attract new customers and expand your market reach. Dedicate a portion to branded campaigns to maintain brand visibility and capture high-intent traffic. Continuously monitor performance and adjust budget allocation as needed.