When your dynamic ad serves, the ad server looks for a matching rule in the feed. If no rule matches, the content row you set as a default serves. Without a default you might serve a backup image, or worse, a blank space, wasting the impression.
Plan default content
If your feed setup is complex, you may need to plan and create multiple default content rows to cover every potential combination of rule and dynamic creative element.
Make sure to:
- Include a "Default" column in your feed and put TRUE in that column in default rows
- Cover all potential rule mismatches, using multiple default rows if needed
- Put TRUE in the "Active" column for each default row
- Select the "Default" column when you add the feed to your profile
Best practices by strategy
When planning default content, review the following tips based on your dynamic strategy.
Date scheduling
- Add default content for each scheduled time
- In case your campaign dates change, add defaults before and after the scheduled times
- You can also create a default row with no start and end date to cover all unscheduled times
Example
Creative dimensions
Add default content for each creative size (for example, 300 × 250, 160 × 600, and so on). This may not be necessary if you have no size limitations for content in different dimensions.
Example
Dependent selection
When you upload child feeds to a Studio profile that uses dependent selection, you won't get a warning if these feeds are missing default rows. Make sure to check that you've added default rows to child feeds before you upload them.
Proximity targeting
Default content works differently with proximity targeting because every row must have a location. If your feed uses proximity targeting, don't use a default column or set default rows. Instead, add some content rows with broader geographic regions outside of the more specific locations in your feed.
Example
How Studio matches feed rules
When your ad serves, Studio checks for rule matches in the following order:
- First Studio tries to find a match the dynamic content filtering based on the criteria set in your profile. If there's a match, the matching row of content serves. For example, if your feed uses scheduling, Studio checks that the current date is between a start date and end date in your feed. If the date matches, a row with the matching date range is selected. If not, Studio moves on to the next step.
- Studio tries to find an active default row. For example, when the current date is before the desired dates in a scheduling feed. If there's a default row, the default row's content serves. If not, Studio moves on to the next step.
- Studio has no content to serve, so Campaign Manager 360 checks if the ad placement has a default ad and serves it. If there's no default ad, the ad serves blank.