RESOURCE DESK
Upfront activation guide
With the shift from linear TV to Connected TV (CTV) gaining momentum, you now have more options for the execution of your CTV media buys. You can choose to transact either directly with publishers or programmatically through a demand-side platform. If you opt for the latter, you must then decide whether to execute via programmatic guaranteed or decisioned campaigns. We’ve made a video summarizing the differences between these two options.
This article will focus on decisioned CTV campaigns. We’ll give you step-by-step guidance to help you take advantage of tools and insights made to simplify campaign management — from planning to setup to execution.
Lean into decisioning
This comprehensive resource covers both strategic and tactical activities. Share this with your teams so they have a clear understanding of all the necessary steps for a successful setup.
Pre-launch planning and forecasting
Forecasting on decisioned buys may be new to you and your team, but fear not, we have tools to help you. We offer custom CTV forecasting based on your target audience, publishers, and budget. These insights can help you work toward maximizing reach across premium CTV inventory available through the open internet. If you already have your own planning tools, we’re happy to share any additional CTV publishing data that you may be missing.
Use the questionnaire below to find out what insights and forecasting data you need.
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What options are available to me if the forecast falls short of my upfront agreement?
If your forecast is falling short, connect your inventory partners with your team at The Trade Desk. Fortunately for all parties, decisioning provides a flexibility that can help you get ahead of scalability concerns. You can try:
Setting up your campaign
Next, set up your campaigns in our platform. You should clearly communicate key details with your team at The Trade Desk, including information about your audience, inventory preferences, and creative assets. The CTV Activation Guide above offers a rough guide of how to allocate your time and efforts.
Pacing and troubleshooting
Once your campaign is live, maintain a clear cadence to stay aligned with both your inventory partners and your team at The Trade Desk. Our Commitment Manager can help you clearly understand pacing directly in the platform, as well as help you prioritize spend toward your deals without requiring manual budget shuffling. Additional calls can be set up between partners as needed to stay aligned.
Thanks for reading through this guide. Remember, we’re always here to help you with custom insights, campaign setup, and troubleshooting!
The Trade Desk provides this information for the general knowledge of its clients or prospective clients and does not make any representations or guarantees of any kind with regards to the future performance of the information set forth.