Targeting Best Practices

In this article you will learn about best practices on setting up targeting for your campaign.

• Avoid layering multiple targeting options in one package/line item: Layering multiple targeting options in one package/line item can severely limit your campaign delivery.
• Split environment (Desktop Web, Mobile Web, or Mobile App) for optimization efficiency: Setup separate packages/line items by environment for more effective CPC or CPA optimization.
• Apply environment-specific pre-bid filters: Apply environment specific pre-bid filters such as Brand Safety and Viewability filters to your campaign.
• Enable Cross-Device targeting at package/line Item level to save costs: Amobee recommends you to enable Cross-Device targeting only on specific packages/line items with a goal to expand reach. A fee of CPM $0.5 is applied across all packages/line items if you enable Cross-Device targeting at the IO level.
• Enable Cross-Device frequency cap at IO level for better control: Amobee recommends you to enable Cross-Device frequency cap at IO level for better overall frequency control across all targeting selections under the IO.
• Remove open exchanges when targeting PMP deals only: You can run both open exchanges and PMP deals in one package/line item. When targeting only PMP deals, remember to remove open exchanges.
• Set a lower First-Price Auction than a Second-Price Auction: You can place two bids when using flat bidding. Please input your first bid price, and it should always be lower than your second-bid price.
• Leverage viewability algorithm on video: Mostly it outperforms the pre-bid segment, as it leverages real time signals and more data points for better optimization. There may be a fee associated with this setup; reach out to your account team or email [e-mail] for more information.
• Use Nielsen Demographic targeting: To make sure ads are shown to the right demographic segments, use Nielsen Demographic targeting. Nielsen’s Digital Ad Rating (DAR) is an accredited verification tool that measures the likelihood of your ad campaign being targeted to appropriate demographic segments. However, using Nielsen can sometimes limit reach and under-delivery on all environments, especially mobile web.
• Avoid conflicting targeting options: Some targeting selections may conflict with others. Make sure that each targeting selection, including all categories within each concept and segment, aligns with your all other targeting selections.  Here are some examples:
  • Remove any negative news categories from your Brand Safety concept when targeting news related PMPs.
  • Apply Cross-Device targeting when targeting only the mobile app environment and when using a segment containing cookie-based data.
  • When using a Country Music Enthusiasts segment only in Hoboken, New Jersey, you can resolve underspend by using audience extension to identify other relevant categories of users that aren’t limited to a specific music taste that is uncommon in that city.
  • Set a bid price that is at least a dollar (USD) higher than all data costs and margins applied. A line item with a $1.00 bid price and $0.75 in various data and margin costs will have less than $0.25 for buying inventory.
  • Setting video bid prices over $10.00 will allow your campaign to target more premium and better performing inventory. Significantly lower video bid prices will struggle to deliver and/or meet performance goals.
  • Line items using Automated Bidding to optimize to CPA goals should only have conversion beacons with consistent fires.

Best Practices on Concepts

Here are some best practices to build Concepts:

• Ensure scale: Do not rely on only one contextual partner for contextual targeting. Create multiple concepts from partners such as Grapeshot, Double Verify, IAS, etc. to ensure scale and to provide flexibility for performance optimization. Contextual targeting on apps is less scalable, please use app categories, for example, from Peer 39 to help improve scale.
  
  
• Custom keyword targeting: If custom categories are needed, please reach out to Grapeshot or leverage Amobee Precision Targeting. See More on Amobee Precision Targeting
  
  
• Concept creation is optional before creating packages/line items: Instead of creating a concept in advance, you can create and apply up to five contextual categories directly in a package / line item.