DoubleClick Bid Manager testing features to improve digital & TV campaign coordination

Ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, Google has announced two new features in DoubleClick Bid Manager to help advertisers activate campaigns across multiple screens and bridge digital and live TV efforts. Eighty percent of sports viewers say they use a computer or smartphone while watching live sports on TV to do things like searching for player stats and live scores, messaging other fans and watching related videos, according to a Google-commissioned Ipsos study.

Real-time triggers

Real-time triggers allow advertisers to set predefined moments that correspond to a live TV or other event. The triggers then activate display and video campaigns in real time immediately after the event occurs. For example, Super Bowl advertisers using DoubleClick Bid Manager (DBM) can set triggers to activate digital campaigns right after their live television ads air during the big game. From the announcement:

These ads could promote a lower-funnel action like an app download or a store visit, or they could promote the new spot that just aired and drive people to watch it again on YouTube. In this way, the brand can extend the reach and impact of their TV campaign by bringing their message to sports fans who may be engaging on second-screen devices.

DBM has also integrated weather-related data into this workflow, allowing ads to trigger based on real-time weather conditions such as rain, sun or snow. Coming will be sports triggers that allow advertisers to activate ads based on real-time occurrences — like touchdowns, for example — in sporting events. When setting up triggers, advertisers can determine the specific ads for the system to deploy after a trigger is set off. DoubleClick says it has driven serving speed down to just a few seconds from the time a trigger is set off to the ads getting served.

TV Ad Explorer

Last year, DoubleClick began a test to make linear TV inventory available to buyers in Bid Manager. Now, DoubleClick Bid Manager is making linear TV campaign data — purchased through DBM or other platforms — available in a new dashboard called TV Ad Explorer. The aim is to make it easier for marketers to evaluate their linear TV buys alongside the performance of their digital campaigns. From the announcement:

Google collects minute-by-minute ad airings data from standard broadcast sources and partners in a privacy-safe way. This data enables advertisers to see airings data as soon as a day after airing, as well as measure the reach of their TV ads by daypart, demographics, genres, networks and shows.

From the TV Ad Explorer dashboard, advertisers can see how TV campaigns delivered against their intended target audiences and on which shows. The dashboard will also include digital metrics such as Search Lift, which calculates the change in volume of brand searches after a TV ad airs. DoubleClick says it plans to enable media planning across TV and digital in the future. Both of these new features are in beta. Availability will vary across regions depending on the type of data and inventory marketers are using. Advertisers can learn more by contacting their DBM account rep.