# Marketing Data Visualization Guide > Choose the right visualization for marketing data — when to use line vs bar charts, funnel diagrams, cohort curves, and scatter plots. ## Chart Selection Matrix | Question | Chart | Example | |---|---|---| | Trend over time | Line | Weekly MER, blended CAC | | Category comparison | Horizontal bar | CPA by channel, CTR by variant | | Funnel leak | Funnel / waterfall | Landing → purchase drop-off | | Retention decay | Retention curve | Video viewer % by second | | Spend vs return | Scatter | Spend vs iROAS by campaign | | Cohort behavior | Heatmap | Repeat rate by acquisition month | ## Time Series Rules - Start Y-axis at zero for absolute metrics (spend, revenue) - Annotate creative refreshes, budget changes, promotions - Limit to 3–4 lines per chart ## Creative Performance - **Retention curve:** mark 3s (thumbstop), 15s (hold/ThruPlay), end (VCR) - **Variant comparison:** grouped bars with confidence intervals and impression counts - **Feature heatmap:** rows = creative features, columns = metrics ## Common Mistakes - Pie charts with 8+ slices - Line charts with categorical X-axis - Dual Y-axis without clear purpose - Truncated Y-axis exaggerating small changes - Unweighted rate averages ## Related Tools - [Video Drop-off Calculator](/resources/tools/calculators/video-dropoff-calculator) - [Hook Rate Benchmark](/resources/tools/analyzers/hook-rate-benchmark) - [ThruPlay Rate Benchmark](/resources/tools/analyzers/thruplay-rate-benchmark) - [Chart & Graph Mockup Generator](/resources/tools/generators/chart-graph-mockup-generator) - [Data Table Generator](/resources/tools/generators/data-table-generator) - [Charts Glossary](/resources/glossary/charts/line-chart) — per-type definitions with marketing use cases