utm_marketing_tactic

utm_marketing_tactic is an optional UTM parameter that records the targeting approach behind a campaign click, such as remarketing or prospecting. It tells GA4 whether traffic came from an audience that already knew the brand or from a new audience reached for the first time. Google added it for GA4 alongside utm_id, utm_source_platform, and utm_creative_format, extending the original five Urchin tags.

A tagged URL with utm_marketing_tactic looks like this:

https://example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_marketing_tactic=remarketing

When GA4 reads that URL, it records remarketing in the “Manual marketing tactic” dimension and ties the value to the session.

What utm_marketing_tactic Identifies

utm_marketing_tactic answers one question: who was this campaign targeting? It groups campaign traffic by targeting strategy, which lets analysts compare how warm and cold audiences perform.

Google suggests two standard values:

• remarketing: ads shown to people who already visited the site, used the app, or engaged with the brand.
• prospecting: ads shown to new audiences who have not interacted with the brand before.

These values are not enforced. A team can use any label that describes its targeting, such as lookalike, retention, upsell, or interest-based. The value is descriptive only. It does not change attribution, channel grouping, or how the click is counted.

utm_marketing_tactic vs utm_campaign

This is the most common point of confusion. Both relate to a campaign, but they record different things.

Parameter	What it records	Example value
utm_campaign	The marketing initiative	spring_sale, q3_launch
utm_marketing_tactic	The targeting approach used	remarketing, prospecting

utm_campaign names the initiative. utm_marketing_tactic describes who that initiative targeted. A single spring_sale campaign can run a remarketing push and a prospecting push at the same time. Tagging each with a utm_marketing_tactic value keeps both under one campaign while still splitting the report by audience.

One caution: marketers sometimes put remarketing in utm_medium. That distorts GA4 channel grouping, since utm_medium drives how a session is classified. Keep targeting labels in utm_marketing_tactic and reserve utm_medium for channel type, such as cpc, email, or social.

The Extended GA4 UTM Parameters

utm_marketing_tactic is one of four parameters Google introduced specifically for GA4. None existed in Universal Analytics, and all four are optional:

• utm_id: a unique campaign ID used to join clicks to imported ad cost data.
• utm_source_platform: the platform that managed or bought the campaign.
• utm_creative_format: the type of ad creative, such as display or video.
• utm_marketing_tactic: the targeting approach, such as remarketing or prospecting.

Each feeds its own “Manual” dimension in GA4. utm_marketing_tactic and utm_creative_format are aimed at teams running paid campaigns that need finer reporting than the original five tags allow.

Where utm_marketing_tactic Appears in GA4

GA4 stores the value in a dimension called “Manual marketing tactic.” This dimension does not appear in the default Traffic acquisition or User acquisition reports.

To see it, build an exploration: open Explore, create a Free-form report, and add “Manual marketing tactic” as a dimension or breakdown. The GA4 Data API exposes the same field as manualMarketingTactic. Pairing the dimension with a metric such as conversions or revenue shows whether remarketing or prospecting drives better returns.

Best Practices

• Stick to a fixed value list. Pick a short set of tactics (remarketing, prospecting) and reuse them. Free-typed values fragment the report.
• Keep values lowercase. Like all UTM values, utm_marketing_tactic is case sensitive. Remarketing and remarketing register as two separate tactics.
• Do not use it for channel type. Targeting goes here. The channel belongs in utm_medium.
• Add it only to paid campaigns with mixed targeting. If every ad in a campaign reaches the same audience, the parameter adds no insight.
• Skip it for organic email and social. Those links rarely have a defined paid targeting tactic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is utm_marketing_tactic used for?

utm_marketing_tactic records the targeting approach behind a campaign click, such as remarketing or prospecting. It lets analysts compare how warm and cold audiences perform inside GA4. The parameter is descriptive only and does not affect attribution or channel grouping.

What values can utm_marketing_tactic take?

Google suggests remarketing and prospecting, but the field accepts any value. Teams often add labels like lookalike, retention, or upsell to match how they segment audiences. Keep the list short and consistent so GA4 reports stay clean.

What is the difference between utm_marketing_tactic and utm_campaign?

utm_campaign names the marketing initiative, like spring_sale. utm_marketing_tactic describes who that initiative targeted, like remarketing. One campaign can run both remarketing and prospecting ads, each tagged with a different utm_marketing_tactic value.

Where does utm_marketing_tactic show up in GA4?

GA4 stores it in the “Manual marketing tactic” dimension, which is not in default reports. Open Explore, create a Free-form exploration, and add “Manual marketing tactic” as a dimension to see the values. The GA4 Data API exposes the same field as manualMarketingTactic.

Does utm_marketing_tactic work in Universal Analytics?

No. utm_marketing_tactic is a GA4-only parameter. Universal Analytics supported only the original five Urchin tags: utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, and utm_content.

To build campaign URLs with utm_marketing_tactic and the other extended GA4 parameters, use the free UTM builder at linkutm.