Best practices on the platform

To ensure the success of your programmatic display campaign, here are the best practices to implement:

• Use the SMART method to define your objectives—whether for brand awareness or online sales development. Don’t hesitate to be precise and granular. For instance, you might aim to gain +20 awareness points among young professionals (ages 25–34) based in Geneva.
• Capitalize on your first-party data to enrich your targeting and structure your audiences to personalize your communication by segment. Use your CRM as well as data from Google Analytics 4 to target cart abandoners. You can go further by segmenting users who reached the checkout page, and retarget them with DCO ads showcasing specific products left in their cart.
• Multiply formats and messages, and A/B test to refine your approach. One of the strengths of programmatic campaigns is that you can use a wide variety of placements—from static banners to bumper videos, native ads, or immersive skins.
• Optimize your campaigns daily by adjusting bids and placements based on observed performance. You can refine settings down to the time of day or the user’s device. You can exclude certain devices or apps from your distribution if results lag behind.

Synergies not to overlook with other channels

• Build on your SEO/SEA strategies by integrating identified keywords into your DV360 targeting. Through custom targeting, you can create a segment with users who have entered specific search queries (e.g., “data processing software”) and re-engage them throughout their browsing activity. This allows you to prioritize high-intent prospects.
• Leverage the complementarity of your approach by retargeting users who interacted with your SEA text ads using display formats.
• Ensure consistency in your messaging by harmonizing your visual and textual content. The user should experience continuity whether they encounter your message via display, on social media, or through an email campaign.

In general, a global vision of your ecosystem is essential when building your media strategies. We can assist you in this endeavor—explore our Media Performance offer.

Most common issues

• Even though Google’s tools are becoming more optimized and intuitive each year, DV360 is not something you can master on the fly. Using and properly handling the platform requires real expertise. A simple setup error can cost you significant time and money. Without setting daily spend caps, your entire budget could be consumed in 24 hours.
• Along the same lines, you should never rely 100% on automation and machine learning, especially in RTB (Real-Time Bidding). Manual bid optimization remains crucial if you want to maintain healthy profitability. To gain volume, the algorithm may favor the wrong audiences and drive poor-quality traffic, at the expense of fewer but more qualified prospects who are more likely to convert. Human control is necessary throughout your campaign.
• Despite the implementation of Brand Safety tools, new questionable sites appear daily, and it’s difficult to maintain an up-to-date blacklist. That’s why setting exclusions correctly and regularly monitoring placements is essential. Partners like Integral Ad Science can help you stay in control with customized exclusion lists.

Our recommendations

• Ensure your teams receive thorough training, or choose the safer route of outsourcing campaign management to a media agency like Eminence, a DV360 expert.
• Be meticulous when configuring your basic settings: frequency caps on your target audience, preferred placements, site or audience exclusions, bid levels, etc. Also, set up a clear naming convention so that you can easily manage interim and final campaign reports.
• Secure your ad placements and ensure alignment with your brand values using third-party verification partners: MOAT, IAS, or DoubleVerify will audit your impressions and filter them in real time so that they are 100% viewable and in brand-safe environments.