Programmatic in the Future: What’s Google betting on?

In our next edition of Programmatic in the Future, join us on Thursday, February 7 at 1:30 PM ET/10:30 AM ET as Steve Sullivan, Vice President of Ad Technology at IAB speaks with Scott Spencer, Director of Product Management at Google, about why Google is investing in programmatic buying and selling technologies.  Log into your Google+ account and look for the Hangout on Air in the Think with Google +page stream. Hit the play button to tune in.

Previously, we spoke with Joel Aranson, Vice President of Media Operations & Technology and AOD Liaison for Digitas, and David Chiang, Vice President of Monetization at CBS Interactive on how they’re working together via programmatic channels. In case you missed it, this is what they had to say:

Or, you could watch the hangout:



Posted by Alex Shellhammer, Product Marketing Team

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Attend an upcoming DoubleClick Bid Manager Training Webinar

DoubleClick Bid Manager: 15 Minute Campaign Tune-Up
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 – 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Join us for the first in a new series of live webinars covering tips and tricks to managing your campaigns in DoubleClick Bid Manager. This one hour session covers quick and easy ways to make pacing and performance improvements to campaigns when you are limited on time. This training is ideal for DoubleClick Bid Manager users who work in the interface and have set up and launched at least one campaign. Please register in the DoubleClick Bid Manager Help Center.

Posted by Molly Larrison, DoubleClick Bid Manager Product Trainer

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Bid optimization series: transparency and control for better bidding decisions

This is the sixth in a series of 7 blog posts about the DoubleClick Search bid optimization white paper, Seven Factors to Consider When Choosing a Bid Optimization Platform.

Last week, we explored the importance of updated algorithms to make use of every opportunity. However, the strength of algorithms can be difficult to evaluate without a clear way to test and see the real business impact delivered from them. For the best insight into measuring the effectiveness of algorithms, you need a bid optimization platform with full transparency and control  -- allowing you to monitor progress and introduce new inputs as needed to reach your specific goals. 

To learn more about the importance of transparency and control in search bid optimization platforms, follow the full blog post series on the DoubleClick Search Blog.

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Get Your DFA Fundamentals Certification

We are pleased to announce DoubleClick for Advertisers (DFA) Fundamentals Certification! DFA Fundamentals Certification is the next step for users who complete the DFA Fundamentals eLearning. Trainees can elect to take the DFA Certification exam after finishing the online course and will receive a certificate of completion in demonstration of their DFA knowledge when they pass.  

The DFA Fundamentals online course is designed to allow a new user to ramp up on DFA basics any time and at their own pace. After completing and passing the full program, trainees should feel comfortable with trafficking campaigns, conversion tracking, and the reporting tools available in DFA.

Register here for DFA Fundamentals and Certification to complete the course and get certified! 

Please note: if you have previously completed DFA Fundamentals Online, you can revisit the eLearning and go straight to certification using the navigation on the left. You may also take the exam as many times as needed to pass.

For more information on DFA Training, please visit the DFA Help Center.

Posted by Amanda Gangl, DFA Product Trainer

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Five resolutions for better search management in 2013

Cross-posted from the DoubleClick Search blog.

On Wednesday, we gave you 10 Resolutions to Reach Programmatic Zen in 2013. Today, we’re bringing you 5 new resolutions for better search management in the new year.
We know marketers are always looking to run better search campaigns by going bigger, moving faster, and taking new opportunities across formats, devices, and channels. Our mission with DoubleClick Search is to help them do that. Over the past year, we’ve further invested in making DoubleClick Search a best-in-class platform for search management, to meet the needs of agencies and advertisers. We’ve often called 2012 our year of transformation: after rebuilding DoubleClick Search from the ground up in 2011, our team focused 2012 on delivering powerful tools to make managing the world’s largest search campaigns more efficient and effective than ever before. Simply put, our goal is to make search simple -- providing easier, smarter, and faster ways to manage your campaigns -- and do it all as part of your broader digital marketing efforts through the DoubleClick Digital Marketing platform.



With this vision in mind, we’re kicking off the new year with a new look to our website, and a continued focus on investing in a search management platform that will save you time, get great campaign results, and help you make better digital marketing decisions. And in the spirit of self-betterment, we invite you to join us in resolving to make 2013 your best year yet. Here are a few suggested resolutions to improve your life as a search marketer:

1. I will remember important dates. Keeping track of anniversaries, birthdays, and other special occasions can be tricky enough. While Google Calendar can help you organize your personal events, DoubleClick Search has you covered the rest of the time, with reliable access to your campaigns on any day of the year, without the worry of extended downtime and missed opportunities. Backed by Google infrastructure, DoubleClick Search is up and running when you need it most -- during critical dates like Black Friday, Christmas day, and throughout the holiday season. We’ll keep the lights on throughout 2013, so you can worry about finding that perfect anniversary gift.

2. I will go to bed earlier. We get it; there’s just not enough time in the day. On top of back-to-back meetings, lunch dates, squeezing in some gym time and having dinner ready by 7, the last thing you want to do is manage a campaign that needs to go live at midnight. With DoubleClick Search, we help you get your life (and your search ads) on track with a set of scheduling features, including scheduled sync, scheduled UI edits, and scheduled upload sheets to effortlessly automate campaign changes around the clock. Coupled with easy bulk operations in the interface and ID-less uploads that have lowered bulksheet errors by 50% (1), save time and your sanity by cutting out repetitive tasks. Go on and catch those extra zzz’s -- we’ve got it covered.

3. I will save more for a rainy day. So you really, really want that new pair of shoes -- but resisting temptation can be hard. Ease your way into fiscal responsibility with DoubleClick Search Budget pacing reports, which allow you to keep track of your monthly search budgets at a glance. Visualize week-over-week, day-over-day, or month-over-month trends to quickly identify search campaigns that are under-spending or underperforming, and adjust keywords, bids, or budgets accordingly. (Now after setting up your Budget pacing reports, go out and get those shoes -- you deserve them!)

4. I will be a better listener. No smartphones out during dinner. No talking over your friends. And no more ignoring key search insights. Just as listening to your friends and colleagues can mean more opportunities to develop better personal relationships, listening to your search campaigns can help you nurture better campaign results to meet your business goals. Our Performance Bidding Suite offers a variety of transparency features into the bid optimization process, including bid rationale, preview intended bids, chart bid history, and primary constraint to help you get down to the nitty-gritty of what might or might not be working. Are your min and max bids too constrained? Is your goal too aggressive? Just lend us your ear and we’ll help you discover those insights.

5. I will spend more time with family. Your family is important -- they’re your bedrock, your confidants, and your circle of trust. That unified sense of integration and understanding is important to us, too. Because we know that search is one piece of a broader digital marketing “family”, we built DoubleClick Search to natively integrate with our display ad server, demand-side platform, and our rich media and analytics platforms -- all a part of DoubleClick Digital Marketing -- to help you take advantage of more opportunities across channels. Use Display remarketing from search ads to “close the loop” on paid search efforts, showing users display ads across major ad exchanges via DoubleClick Bid Manager, or across the Google Display Network. Then, call your mom. She misses you.

Here’s to your best year yet. Happy New Year from DoubleClick Search!
To learn more about DoubleClick Search, follow the DoubleClick Search blog.

1. Internal Google data

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Build Team Expertise Using DFA Personal Trainer

Is your team making the most of the features that we release? Are they prepared to be leaders in the eyes of clients and vendors alike when questions issues arise? Do they have the tools they need? Now, your answer can be yes.

Recently, we released DFA Personal Trainer for Advanced Users. This fun, interactive program is designed to turn experienced DFA users into true power users.

It includes:

• Introduction to advanced features and troubleshooting techniques
• Interactive scenarios (and suggested solutions) that users are likely to encounter
• A multiple choice final test that knowledge of important concepts
• Introductions to brand new features such as DFA Verification and Multi-Channel Funnels
• A personalized certificate of completion once the user has completed the program

Sign your team up today.

How does DFA Personal Trainer for Advanced Users fit into our other offerings?
DFA Personal Trainer for Advanced Users is a perfect follow up to DFA Basics for Traffickers. This interactive course puts the user in the role of a new hire at an ad agency, creating a foundation for deeper understanding of DFA and online ad serving.  

What Constitutes an ‘Advanced User?’
Anyone that has completed DFA Basics for Traffickers and all those who’ve been working in DFA for 6 months or more. The program is also great for supervisors who want to get a sense of common issues to look out for and advanced features to leverage.

What can Managers do to Encourage Participation?
As a manager, the key is to make time for the program and to reward completion.

Motivate your team

• Have your senior-level sponsor email your staff to encourage participation.
• Underscore the importance of expertise during career conversations.
• Develop a way to publicly acknowledge those who complete the program successfully.

Help your team to make time for the program

• Find ways to lighten their load while they’re going through the program.
• Put reminders on participants’ calendars.

Enable your team to help each other

• Schedule a recurring weekly meeting for those who are participating (make the meeting fun!).
• Lead the team in reviewing the content and solving the scenarios and quiz questions.
• Assign training buddies, pair someone more experienced with someone more junior.

Track their progress

• Ask each person to keep you updated on their progress when they’ve completed each step of the

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10 Resolutions to Reach Programmatic Zen in 2013

‘Tis the season to make our resolutions for 2013. But instead of making ones that you know you won’t keep, how about trying our countdown of 10 resolutions to make your programmatic display campaigns more effective this year? Just think of it—all the satisfaction of accomplishing your goals, and no wasted gym memberships. Here’s to your best year yet!

10. I will be kind to others.
But being truly kind is a big step. So why not start by being kind with your ad placements Use precise, contextual targeting layered with audience data to pinpoint the most relevant moments for your ads. You’ll be surprised by how much the right people appreciate hearing from you at the right times. And remember to say “please” and “thank you”.

9. I will open myself up to new experiences.
Order something new off the menu. Choose somewhere you’ve never been for your next vacation. Or get really crazy and add mobile and video campaigns to all your display buys in order to better reach your audience. After all, studies have shown that cross-screen campaigns are more effective, and let’s face it, you’re not getting any younger.

8. I will discover my true self.
Self-discovery is a lifelong journey. Take the first step by seeking to better understand your ad campaigns. Learn more about where your ads are showing and how they’re performing. Insist on full transparency in reporting and the accurate and actionable insights you need to fully know your campaigns.

7. I will take control of my destiny.
Repeat this phrase: “I am strong. I am smart. And, gosh darn it, I will take control of my display buys!” Give yourself the ability to act on the metrics that matter most in your campaigns. Surround yourself with partners and technologies that give you the control to customize your buys and optimize to meet your unique goals. You deserve it.

6. I will develop deeper, more meaningful relationships.
Step 1: Call your mother. She misses you. Step 2: Deepen your relationships with publishers by using private exchanges and preferred deals to combine the best of programmatic buying with direct publisher contact. This way you get access to the right inventory and the right audiences.

5. I will stop punishing myself.
Are your destructive, subconscious thoughts driving you to compete against yourself and pay more for the same impressions? Stop the cycle by becoming more strategic about buying audiences across platforms and consolidating wherever possible.

4. I will live in the moment.
Breathe deeply. Hold it. Release. Each moment in your ad campaign is unique and precious, so find systems that can generate up-to-date reports and optimize your budgets, and bids in real time. Make buying decisions that are right for your campaign at that particular time. It’s a close second to true inner peace.

3. I will get serious about my future.
401(k)s, your kid’s college fund, that marathon you always say you’ll run? Sure, add those to your list this year, but also include finding technologies that will grow your business. Align yourself with partners who are both effective now and are planning for the future—with technology and infrastructure that will scale with the pace of your business.

2. I will give credit where credit is due.
Being in the limelight may feel good, but it’s important to recognize those who have helped you along the way. The same is true for your ads. Give all your impressions their appropriate credit by moving beyond the last-click attribution model. And don’t forget to thank your family and the academy.

1. I will listen to Thoreau.
Thoreau tells us to simplify. But don’t abandon your possessions just yet. Instead, as the display ecosystem gains in complexity and fragmentation, look for solutions that streamline the buying process and make insights and analysis faster and easier. See, no pond necessary.

Happy New Year from DoubleClick Bid Manager! And be sure to check back with us on Friday for five resolutions for better search management in 2013.

Posted by Emily Wright, Product Marketing Manager

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