Targeting

Targeting in ADCP V2.3 is designed to be both powerful and human-readable. It uses a layered approach, combining a base template from a Product with a specific Targeting Overlay from a Media Buy.

The Targeting Model

The Targeting object is a unified model that captures all targeting criteria for a campaign.

• geography: A list of targeted geographies (e.g., ["USA", "GB-LND"]). Uses ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 for countries and ISO 3166-2 for subdivisions.
• exclude_geography: A list of geographies to exclude.
• day_parts: Human-readable strings for dayparting (e.g., ["weekdays-daytime", "weekends-evening"]). The publisher defines which strings they support.
• technology: Technology-based targeting (e.g., ["device-mobile", "browser-chrome"]).
• content_categories_include: A list of content categories to target (e.g., ["news", "sports"]). Based on IAB Content Taxonomy.
• content_categories_exclude: A list of content categories to avoid.

Example Targeting Object

{
  "geography": ["USA-CA", "USA-NY"],
  "exclude_geography": ["USA-FL"],
  "day_parts": ["weekdays-daytime"],
  "technology": ["device-mobile"],
  "content_categories_include": ["technology", "business"],
  "content_categories_exclude": ["politics"]
}

Layered Application

Targeting is applied in two layers:

1. Base Template (Product.targeting_template): Every product in the catalog has a base Targeting object that defines its core audience. For example, a "Premium Sports Video" product would have content_categories_include: ["sports"].

2. Targeting Overlay (CreateMediaBuyRequest.targeting_overlay): When a media buy is created, the client provides a targeting_overlay. This overlay refines the base templates of all products included in the buy.

How Overlays Work

The overlay does not replace the base template; it adds to it. The final targeting for a given product is the combination of its base template and the media buy's overlay.

• Lists are combined: geography, technology, etc., are merged.
• Exclusions are added: All exclusions from both the template and the overlay are applied.

Example:

1. Product Template:

   { "content_categories_include": ["sports"] }

2. Media Buy Overlay:

   { "geography": ["USA"], "content_categories_include": ["mens-lifestyle"] }

3. Final, Effective Targeting:

   {
     "geography": ["USA"],
     "content_categories_include": ["sports", "mens-lifestyle"]
   }

This layered approach allows publishers to create well-defined products while giving buyers the flexibility to tailor their campaigns to specific needs.