Live Ads

Live Ads Configuration

Before you begin using Live Ads, you must complete two procedures to configure your ExactTarget account. These procedures need be done only once per account.

To configure your system to use the Live Ads feature, first you must do the following:

• Upload creative placeholders to your portfolio that match the height and width of your standard ads
• Create a data extension from the AdImpression template to collect your ad impression information

Upload Creative Placeholders to the Portfolio

A portfolio is a single entry point in your ExactTarget account to manage the image, document, and media files that you use and refer to in your emails. See the Portfolio Guide for more information.

Uploading a placeholder with the same height and width of your standard ads helps you more easily envision the layout of the email and ad when previewing the email.

Except for the default image that appears if the email is not able to retrieve the ad due to lack of inventory, the images you upload to the portfolio are only a preview for your convenience in visualizing the ad.

When inventory is available to deliver, the image that appears in the email is the creative in you Google Ad Manager account, even if that image is different from the image you uploaded to your portfolio.

See the How to Import a Single Piece of Creative into your Portfolio and How to Upload a Batch of Files into your Portfolio procedures for specific steps.

Create a Data Extension from the AdImpression Template

A data extension is a table within the ExactTarget application database that contains your data. See the Data Extensions Guide for more information.

You create a data extension to contain your ad impression data and then select that data extension when you create the Live Ad. When you send emails that contain the Live Ad, the system automatically collects the following information about your ad impressions in the data extension:

• Live content instance ID - identifies the Live Ad
• Job ID - identifies the email job
• List ID - identifies the list the email job was sent to
• Batch ID - identifies the email batch the ExactTarget application sent the email in
• Subscriber ID - identifies the subscriber the message was sent to
• View URL - identifies the URL of the ad the subscriber saw in the email
• Click URL - identifies the URL the subscriber would get to by clicking the ad
• Date Assigned - the date and time the subscriber viewed or clicked the ad

Note: The data extension is only for tracking impression data. ExactTarget tracking continues to track opens, clicks, and all of the other data that you have always tracked for your emails.

If you choose to create only one data extension to contain all of your ad impression data for all email sends in your account, you need to perform this step only one time. You can also choose to create separate data extensions for different Live Ads if your business processes require them.

See the How to Create a Data Extension with the AdImpression Template procedure for specific steps.

Live Ads Creation

Just as setting up a slot and placement in Google Ad Manager is a one-time process, setting up the ad in ExactTarget needs only be done once for each slot. After your ads are set up in Google Ad Manager, you connect them to Live Ads in ExactTarget by creating Live Ad definitions.

Live Ad Usage

You include the Live Ad in an email to distribute it to customers. After an email campaign that includes a Live Ad, you have the option to extract the ad impression data from the data extension. You perform the following processes to incorporate Live Ads in your email campaigns:

• Include the Live Ad in an email within a content area or by using HTML paste
• Export the ad impression information from the data extension 

<a href="http://cl.exct.net/LiveContent.aspx?t=2&i=7&%%=LiveContentURLParameters()=%%&u=1">
<img src="http://cl.exct.net/LiveContent.aspx?t=2&i=7&%%=LiveContentURLParameters()=%%"                               alt="Text that appears when you pause your mouse on the ad" border="0" height="250" width="300">
</a>

Scenario 1: Rotating and Expiring Ads

A publisher wants to include an ad in the weekly newsletter. The publisher wants the ad to be able to rotate each time a subscriber opens the email. This approach is consistent with a CPM or CPC-based business model.

Note: Because line items can have different goals, the same ad may appear multiple times in this scenario instead of a different ad appearing each time the subscriber opens the email. To optimize competition between line items, Google Ad Manager delivers the line item most in need of impressions to meet its goal by the expiration date.

To make the scenario work, the publisher creates an order line item with a Delivery priority of Standard, sets the Start date and End Date, and chooses CPC as the Cost type.

The publisher also sets the Delivery Rate on the line item to As fast as possible and the Creative rotation is Optimized, as is recommended by ExactTarget.

When a subscriber opens an ExactTarget email that contains the ad, Google Ad Manager decides the ad to display based on the price and quantity.

Scenario 2: Exclusive or Non-Expiring Ads

A publisher wants to include an ad in the invitation to the company's annual user conference. The ad is for a special offer from a local restaurant for conference attendees. In this scenario, the publisher does not want the ad to be able to change every time a subscriber opens the email. Instead, the publisher wants this ad to appear every time.

Note: In this scenario, the exclusive ads can be overbooked on top of each other. In this case, Google Ad Manager randomly selects from the competing ads. If you have two exclusive advertisers, Google Ad Manager assumes that each has bought half of the impressions and each will be delivered about half of the time.

To make the scenario work, the publisher creates an order line item with a Delivery priority of Exclusive and sets the Start date. The publisher sets the End Date to Unlimited, and the system automatically sets the Cost type to CPD. The publisher includes the Cost the ad sold for to ensure correct ROI reporting. 

The publisher also sets the Delivery Rate on the line item to As fast as possible and the Creative rotation is Optimized, as is recommended by ExactTarget.

When a subscriber opens an ExactTarget email that contains the ad, Google Ad Manager displays the restaurant ad.

Scenario 3: Targeting Ad Content Based on Subscriber Data

A publisher wants to include an ad in the weekly newsletter and wants the content of the ad to depend on the subscriber's gender. In ExactTarget, the subscribers' gender is stored in a subscriber attribute called gender. The attribute can contain one of two values: male or female.

To make the scenario work, the publisher first sets up ad targeting in Google Ad Manager. The publisher:

1. Logs into the Google Ad Manager account
2. Clicks the Inventory tab

3. Clicks the Targeting link

The Custom Targeting Criteria screen appears.

The publisher created a Targeting Key called Gender and creates predefined criteria that match the valid values of the subscriber attribute in ExactTarget.

On the order line item, the publisher specifies which value to display the line-item for. For example, this line-item should be displayed for male subscribers. The publisher sets the targeting criteria on multiple line items so that there is ad content for each value.

Note: The Browser, Browser Language, Operating System, Bandwidth, and User Domain criteria are not supported for use with the integration with ExactTarget.

Finally, the publisher creates the corresponding Live Ad in ExactTarget.

In the Customer Parameters field, the publisher enters the following text to tell the Google Ad Manager system to use the Gender subscriber attribute to decide the ad to display:

Gender=%%Gender%%

When a subscriber opens an ExactTarget email that contains the ad, Google Ad Manager displays an ad that is appropriate for the gender of the subscriber.

Create Your Custom URLs with AMPscript

Use the following base URLs to begin the information you will include in your email or landing pages:

• Ad request:

  http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/staticad?

• Click request:

  http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/staticclick?

Build out the URLs using the following variables, as shown in the example below. You can use AMPscript to substitute in values from the data extension described in this section to your URL.

%%[
var @jid, @lid, @bid, @sid, @vurl, @curl
SET @jid = JobID
SET @bid = BatchID
SET @sid = SubscriberID
SET @vurl = ViewURL
SET @curl = ClickURL
]%%
<a href="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/staticclick?iu=IUID&sz=250x250&url=http%3A#2F%2Fwww.example.com&prev_ius=PREVIUS&prev_iu_sz=798x90&nw=111&cust_params=JobID=%%=v(@jid)=%%,ListID=%%=v(@lid)=%%,BatchID=%%=v(@bid)=%%,SubscriberID=%%=V(@sid)=%%,ViewURL=%%=v(@vurl),ClickURL=%%=v(@curl)=%%,DateAssigned=%%=Now()=%%&correlator=123">
<img src="http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/staticad?iu=IUID&sz=250x250&url=http%3A#2F%2Fwww.example.com&prev_ius=PREVIUS&prev_iu_sz=798x90&nw=111&cust_params=JobID=%%=v(@jid)=%%,ListID=%%=v(@lid)=%%,BatchID=%%=v(@bid)=%%,SubscriberID=%%=V(@sid)=%%,ViewURL=%%=v(@vurl),ClickURL=%%=v(@curl)=%%,DateAssigned=%%=Now()=%%&correlator=123">
</a>

• iu = Inventory unit path for current ad (REQUIRED)
• sz = Size of ad to be returned (REQUIRED)
• url = URL of page matching email contents
• prev_ius = List of comma-separated IU paths of previous ad units
• prev_iu_sz = List of comma-separated IU paths for previous ad units
• nw = Network portion of the inventory unit path
• cust_params = Custom parameters; use this section to insert the custom parameters from the Ad Manager data extension in the ExactTarget application
• correlator = Correlation data for different slots in a pageview

How to Import a Single Piece of Creative into your Portfolio

Use the following steps to upload a single file:

1. Click the Content tab in the navigation bar.
2. Click Portfolio.
   The Portfolio workspace appears.
3. Click the Single Upload button on the toolbar.
   The Upload Item window appears.
4. Complete the Upload Item window:

5. Click OK.

How to Upload a Batch of Files into your Portfolio

You can use this procedure to upload multiple files or a compressed file (.ZIP) that contains multiple files.
Use the following steps to upload a batch of files:

1. Click the Content tab in the navigation bar.
2. Click Portfolio.
   The Portfolio workspace appears.
3. Click the Batch Upload button on the toolbar.
   The Upload Item(s) window appears.
4. Complete the Upload Item(s) window:

5. Repeat step 4 for each file to upload.
6. Click OK.

How to Create a Data Extension with the AdImpression Template

Use the following steps to create a data extension using the AdImpression template:

1. Click the Subscribers tab from the navigation bar.
2. Click Data Extensions.
3. Click My Data Extensions.
4. Click the Create from Template button.
5. Select the checkbox next to the template to use.
6. Click the Select button.
7. The Data Extension screen appears.
8. Complete the information in the Properties section:

9. Complete the information in the Type section.

10. Complete the information in the Fields section for each field you want to add in addition to the fields that are required for the template. Click Add to create a new field in the data extension.

11. Click Save.

How to Create Live Ads in ExactTarget

This procedure does not create placements, slots, or content in Google Ad Manager. You must create your placements, slots, and content in your Google Ad Manager account before you begin this procedure. You also must create the data extension to contain your ad impression tracking data before you begin this procedure.
Use the following steps to create Live Ads in ExactTarget.

1. Click the Content tab from the navigation bar.
2. Click Live Content.
3. Click Google Ads.

The Google Ads workspace appears.

4. Click the Create button in the toolbar.

The New Google Ad screen appears.

5. Complete the information in the Properties section:

6. Complete the information in the Fields section:

7. Click Save.

How to Include a Live Ad in an Email Using the Email Editor

Before you begin this procedure, you must create the live ad.

Use the following steps to include a Live Ad in your email using the email editor.

1. Click the Content tab on the navigation bar.
2. Click my emails.
3. Click the folder that contains the email, if applicable.

The folder workspace appears.

4. Open or create the email to contain the live content.
5. Click Create on the content area to contain the live ad.

The wizard to create a content area appears.

6. Select an orientation and click Next.
   • If you select an orientation with a space for a graphic, when you are prompted for the graphic, you select Live Content as the Image Type.
   • If you select Free Form or HTML, you place your cursor where you want the ad to appear and select Live Content from the Insert menu.
7. Select googleads as the Live Content Type.
8. Select the live ad as the Live Content and complete the wizard.

The live ad appears in your email preview.

9. Save the email.

How to Include a Live Ad in an Email Using HTML Paste

Before you begin this procedure, you must create the live ad.

Use the following steps to include a Live Ad in your email using the email editor.

1. Click the Content tab on the navigation bar.
2. Click my emails.
3. Click the folder that contains the email, if applicable.

The folder workspace appears.

4. Open or create the email to contain the live content.
5. Enter the following code in the email where you want the Live Ad to appear:

<a href="http://cl.exct.net/LiveContent.aspx?t=2&i=7&%%=LiveContentURLParameters()=%%&u=1">                           <img src="http://cl.exct.net/LiveContent.aspx?t=2&i=7&%%=LiveContentURLParameters()=%%"                            alt="Text that appears when you pause your mouse on the ad" border="0" height="250" width="300">
</a>

Where:

• http://cl.exct.net/LiveContent.aspx is the base URL of the Live Content handler. This value is static.
• t parameter is the Live Content type. This value is always 2 for Google Ads.
• i parameter is the ID value of the Live Ad. You can find this value on the screen where you define the Live Ad in ExactTarget.
• u parameter determines whether the request is for a link
  • 0 = retrieve the URL for the image. Not specifying u is the same as u=0.
  • 1 = retrieve the URL for the link
• %%=LiveContentURLParameters()=%% is an AMPscript function that encrypts the additional parameters that are passed to the handler and adds a parameter to indicate whether the send is in test mode.

6. Save the email.

How to Extract Ad Impression Data

If you do not have the data extract activity feature enabled for your account, you can call ExactTarget for a report on your AdImpression data extension.

After you complete this procedure, you can start the activity or include the activity in a program.

Use the following steps to create a data extract activity:

1. Click the Interactions tab on the navigation bar.
2. Click Activities.
3. Click Data Extract.
   The Data Extract workspace appears.
4. Click Create on the toolbar.
5. Complete the information in the Properties section:

6. Complete the information in the Fields section:

7. Click Save.

CPC 

Cost per click - the amount you charge to per click on an ad.

CPM

Cost per impression - the amount you charge for every 1000 impressions of an ad.

CPD

Cost per day - the amount you charge for every day the ad is shown.

Creative

The image and words that appear in the ad slot.

Custom Targeting

Using subscriber data stored in ExactTarget to target line-item content.

Geography Targeting or GeoTargeting

Using the subscriber's IP address to target line-item content.

Impression

An instance of displaying an ad in an email. A single email can result in multiple ad impressions if the email is opened multiple times.

Placement

An instance of an ad. If you sell the right to display an ad in one of your slots, the placement is what the advertiser is buying.

Slot

The area in your email where the ad appears. For example, you might have a slot at the top of the email and another along the right-hand side.