What bid factors does Quantcast use?
We don't plan to build bid factors as they imply human optimization rather than algorithm optimization, which would deliver inferior results. Instead, we allow humans to segment the campaign strategies and, if they wish, set independent goals for each. This will marry the best of human strategy and machine optimization for our clients.
How does Quantcast make bidding adjustments or max/min bids?
Our approach is based on fair value. For every campaign, our model algorithms determine the value of an impression to your objectives and bid accordingly. We do not support bid shading controls because our bidder handles them automatically, which is an essential differentiator from competitors who often charge for this as a service.
What budget/pacing optimizations are available?
Ad set budget options include Daily and Flights. On flights, pacing options are Even, Custom, and Pacing Ahead. Campaign Budget Optimization is available for some Campaign goals.
What Budget Management options does Quantcast offer?
You can use multiple methods to manage your budget with Quantcast. We offer two types of Budget: Daily and Flights. Bidding options include Dynamic CPM, which can be capped, target eCPM, or automatically optimize eCPM; and Billable CPM, in which you can specify your desired eCPM. A Dayparting option lets you choose the dates and times you want your ads to run.
Note: We don't encourage dayparting if your goal is maximum conversions, because most conversions have a lag between the first impression and the conversion. If you daypart on a Sunday, you could be reducing your Monday conversions.
What is frequency capping?
Frequency capping is a feature that allows advertisers to limit how many times a user sees an ad within a given period.
Is campaign-level frequency capping available?
Yes, you can set a campaign-level frequency cap.
What buying methodologies are available within the DSP? (CPM, CPV, CPA, CPI, CPC, Etc.)
eCPM and Billable CPM.
What are the limitations of mid-campaign forecasting in the Quantcast Platform?
It is available for CPA-only conversion campaigns. We are working to support it for all campaign types in the future. Reach and clicks as outputs are not yet supported. Reach as an output is currently on the roadmap.
What are experiment campaigns?
With experiment campaigns, you can run an A/B test. You can easily and quickly test attributes such as audiences, creatives, and locations. Quantcast Platform will randomly select cookies to create a 50/50 split cookie pool, minimizing overlap and achieving clean test results.
You cannot use Campaign Budget Optimization when running a split cookie pool, minimizing overlap, and creating an Experiment campaign.
Are there character limits on campaign/flight names?
There are no character limits because we understand that clients have distinct naming conventions.
Can I build models based on multiple conversion events on the platform?
You can select multiple conversion labels using AND or OR logic during the campaign build.
What are your Pre-bid solutions (viewability, brand safety, etc)
All our campaigns use Quantcast's proprietary technology for brand safety and pre-bid fraud detection. IAS and DV pre-bid segments are also available.
Is postal code targeting available on the Quantcast Platform?
Zip code targeting is available in the US. Users can also bulk upload zip codes. Postal code targeting for the UK is also available.
What are the limitations when targeting with a whitelist/blacklist?
Blocklists: Quantcast includes our default global block list of over 60K sites in all our campaigns. We can also support custom block lists that clients provide to run across a campaign.
Allowlists: Quantcast can apply the allow lists clients provide, or we can create a customized allow list. We build allow lists based on several criteria:
Contextual Relevance: We access thousands of site categorizations, allowing us to customize lists to a specific content category or vertical if needed.
Note: This is optional if contextual relevance isn't required.
Inventory Quality Signals: We consider historical block rates for brand safety and fraud from third-party verification vendors, as well as internal QC data. This provides an additional level of assurance for inventory quality.
Note: This is in addition to our existing methodologies, which will still apply, such as ads.txt and fraud modeling.
Campaign Targeting: We identify sites with inventory that match the geo and format type your campaign targets.
How is the hierarchy of the DSP structured?
The hierarchy in the Quantcast platform is:
Organization
Account
Campaign
Ad Set
Creative
Where does the budget get set and managed?
The budget can be managed at the Campaign or Ad Set level.
What tools are available for bulk editing within the DSP?
The Quantcast Platform's Bulk Upload feature lets you create or edit multiple offline campaigns simultaneously. You can also edit/create budgets, dates, allowlists/blocklists, tag sheets, and more.
When using demographic targeting, can you still deliver to unselected demographics? For example, if I select Males, could I still be delivering to non-Males?
Any overlaid demographic or interest targeting for conversion and traffic campaigns doesn't exclude unselected Demographics or Interests from our campaign targeting to maximize outcomes.
When a conversion objective isn't the primary goal, demographic targeting is given greater weight as the primary optimization goal. The Platform UI explains that we optimize towards the selected audience target; however, Quantcast cannot know or infer the demographics of all people due to its probabilistic nature.
Is campaign-level frequency capping available?
Yes, you can control the frequency cap at both the campaign and ad set levels.
What frequency cap do you recommend for verticals?
Frequency caps can vary significantly by brand, vertical, and campaign. If you are interested in implementing a frequency cap, we recommend allowing the Quantcast AI to find the optimal frequency that meets your campaign objectives.
What is frequency capping?
Frequency capping is a feature that allows advertisers to limit how many times a user sees an ad within a given period.
Are we able to export conversions by postal code/zip code for Canada?
Reporting will only be supported at the city level (not the zip code level).
Are my settings hard filters or optimizations?
Our platform's Ad Set controls are divided into two distinct functions: Hard Filters and Optimization Signals. Hard Filters, which include foundational settings like Location, Budget, Dates, and Frequency Caps, establish the non-negotiable boundaries for your campaign, meaning the system must strictly adhere to these parameters and will not spend outside of them. Conversely, Optimization Signals, such as demographics, interests, and affinity audiences, serve as algorithmic guidance to help the machine learning model efficiently identify and prioritize users within those hard-filtered boundaries who are most likely to achieve your primary KPI, ensuring the platform always focuses on maximizing performance even if it means serving an ad to a compliant user who slightly differs from the initial signal. However, we still recommend using Audience by Q to give the model the greatest flexibility in finding the right audience.
What is the difference between Dayparting and Pacing?
Dayparting and pacing are both methods of controlling ad delivery. They affect different aspects of the campaign’s schedule and budget. Dayparting is the strategic decision about which hours of the day to run the ads to maximize audience relevance. Pacing is the automated mechanism for how quickly the budget is spent over time.
How can we manage or change campaign budgets?
Budgets are flexible and can be adjusted at any time during a campaign. You can set a total "flight" budget for the entire campaign duration or a "daily" budget. The platform also offers a Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) feature that automatically allocates the budget to ad sets in real time.
How do you handle campaign budget pacing?
You can choose different pacing options for your budget. "Even" pacing spreads the budget equally across the campaign's duration, while "custom" pacing allows you to allocate more budget to specific days, which is useful for promotions or weekends. You can also set the campaign to "pace ahead" to spend more aggressively at the start.
How can we improve campaign performance, for example, by lowering CPA or increasing conversions?
There are several optimization strategies available:
Broaden Targeting: Overly narrow or restrictive targeting can limit the AI's ability to find converting users and increase costs. Loosening constraints can often improve performance.
Budget & Bidding: Increasing the CPM can make bids more competitive. For campaigns with multiple ad sets, Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) enables the AI to shift spend automatically.
Creative Refresh: Introducing new ad creatives can combat audience fatigue and boost performance.
Also, consider expanding to include both cookie- and cookieless-inventory.
Why is campaign performance fluctuating or dipping?
Performance fluctuations can be caused by various factors, including:
Seasonality or Market Trends: General dips in consumer demand can impact performance.
Technical Issues: Problems like a tag no longer firing correctly due to website changes can cause a sudden drop in tracked conversions.
Budget Changes: Large, sudden increases in the budget can force the AI to "re-learn," leading to temporary CPA spikes.
Creative Fatigue: Over time, an audience may become unresponsive to the same creative, leading to a decline in performance.
How does a brand awareness campaign impact the performance of a conversion campaign?
Running brand awareness and performance campaigns simultaneously creates a powerful synergistic effect. Data shows that users exposed to both upper-funnel (awareness) and lower-funnel (performance) ads are significantly more likely to visit the website and convert than those exposed to only one type of ad.
What is a good frequency cap for a campaign?
The ideal frequency cap depends on the campaign objective. For brand awareness, a higher frequency can help ensure the message resonates. However, for performance campaigns, it's often recommended to leave the cap open or set it at the ad set level, allowing the algorithm to determine the optimal frequency for driving conversions without being overly restricted.
What are the best practices for creative assets?
To maximize performance, it is recommended to use standard IAB ad sizes and provide a variety of sizes to unlock more inventory. Creatives should include a clear call to action (CTA) to drive clicks. For native ads, it's best to use plain lifestyle images without text overlays and provide the headline and copy separately.
Can we use our social media assets for programmatic campaigns?
Yes, you can repurpose existing social media assets from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn for programmatic display, video, or CTV campaigns. Creative partners or Quantcast's in-house studio can help adapt this content for the open web.
How can we test different creative variations?
You can run multiple creative assets within a single ad set. For more controlled testing, you can set up separate ad sets for each creative. The Brand Lift Live tool is also an excellent way to A/B-test different creatives to see which one drives higher lift in brand metrics.