DV360: Flight ASAP pacing to be removed in November 2024

Google this week announced it will remove Flight ASAP pacing at the insertion order level in November 2024 for its Display & Video 360 platform, affecting how advertisers manage their campaign budgets and pacing strategies.

The removal impacts advertisers using Flight ASAP pacing, who will be migrated to Flight Ahead pacing by default, with changes aimed at optimizing budget management and spending consistency.

What is Flight ASAP Pacing and Why is it Being Removed?

Flight ASAP pacing is a budget pacing option available in Display & Video 360 that allows advertisers to spend their campaign budget as quickly as possible, without considering pacing consistency over time. This setting can be particularly useful for campaigns with narrow targeting or urgent spending goals, as it prioritizes immediate budget allocation to maximize visibility in the short term.

According to Google, the Flight ASAP pacing option will be removed from the insertion order level by November 2024, while it will still remain available at the line item level. This adjustment is part of a broader effort to streamline pacing strategies and ensure more controlled spending behaviors for advertisers at higher campaign levels.

Insertion orders in Display & Video 360 function as the broader budget containers for campaigns, housing multiple line items that can have their own pacing and targeting settings. Removing Flight ASAP pacing at this level ensures that the overall campaign does not exhaust its budget too rapidly, which can lead to inefficient spending or budget mismanagement.

What Changes Will Advertisers See?

With the removal of Flight ASAP pacing at the insertion order level, existing campaigns using this setting will be automatically transitioned to Flight Ahead pacing. Flight Ahead pacing, recommended by Google for general purposes, aims to distribute spending slightly faster than an even pace—up to 120% of the prorated target—while preventing underspending across the campaign flight.

To closely replicate the rapid spending behavior of Flight ASAP pacing, advertisers can still use Daily ASAP pacing at both the insertion order and line item levels. Daily ASAP pacing focuses on quick daily budget expenditure, making it suitable for campaigns that need immediate exposure but with a more controlled daily spend limit.

The following pacing options will remain available for insertion orders and line items in Display & Video 360:

• Flight Ahead: Spends slightly faster than evenly paced campaigns, ensuring the budget is fully utilized by the end of the campaign flight.
• Flight Even: Distributes the remaining budget evenly across the days left in the campaign, adjusting for inventory availability.
• Daily ASAP: Spends the daily budget as quickly as possible, suitable for high-priority or narrow-target campaigns.
• Daily Even: Paces daily spend evenly according to inventory availability and competition.

Budget Configuration and Control

Display & Video 360 allows advertisers to configure budgets in both insertion order and line item settings. Budgets can be defined either in terms of monetary amounts or by the number of impressions. However, it is crucial that both the insertion order and its line items use the same type of budget; for instance, if the insertion order budget is set in terms of dollars, the line items within it cannot have budgets defined by impressions.

Pacing settings directly influence how budgets are spent over time. Advertisers can choose between pacing their budget over a single day, a budget segment, or an entire flight, depending on the goals of their campaign. The pacing choice—such as ASAP, Even, or Ahead—affects how much is spent each hour or day.

Understanding Pacing in Display & Video 360

Pacing in Display & Video 360 refers to the rate at which a campaign's budget is expended over a set period. The platform offers various pacing settings to cater to different campaign objectives, from aggressive spending to controlled, even distribution of budget.

• ASAP Pacing: Ideal for advertisers who need to spend quickly without reserving budget for later days. It is especially effective when targeting limited inventory.
• Even Pacing: Suited for consistent daily spend when inventory availability is steady. It balances expenditure throughout the campaign, although it may underspend if inventory diminishes or competition rises.
• Ahead Pacing: Optimized to prevent underspending by spending slightly faster than an even distribution, adjusting in real-time to ensure the budget is fully used by the campaign’s end.

Technical Implications and Factors Affecting Pacing

The removal of Flight ASAP pacing at the insertion order level and its migration to Flight Ahead pacing come with several technical considerations. The pacing behavior is determined by multiple factors, including daily targets, hourly pacing behavior, and the interplay between insertion orders and line items.

• Daily Target and Hourly Pacing Behavior: For example, Flight Ahead pacing sets the daily target at 1.2 times the “Flight Even” daily target, distributing budget at an even rate scaled to inventory availability.
• Budget Cap Management: Insertion orders act as budget caps for all line items within. Even if line items have larger individual budgets, the insertion order’s budget sets the overall limit on expenditure.
• Budget Allocation: In cases where the insertion order’s daily budget is lower than the combined daily budgets of the line items, Display & Video 360 allocates budget proportionally across line items based on their respective daily targets.
• Handling Overspending and Underspending: Display & Video 360 adjusts pacing targets dynamically to align with historical spending patterns and inventory availability, recalculating targets daily to minimize risks of both overspending and underspending.

Managing Potential Risks and Common Issues

There are various risks and operational issues associated with different pacing settings:

• Rapid Spending: Even paced line items may spend aggressively on the first day to learn optimal pacing behavior, leading to quick bursts of expenditure.
• Overspending: High bids or broad targeting can lead to overspending, as multiple impressions may be won faster than the budget system can respond.
• Insertion Order Budget Constraints: Insertion order budgets effectively cap the combined spending of line items, influencing how funds are allocated across a campaign’s different components.
• Daily Targets and Dayparting: Pacing can be adjusted based on daypart targeting, influencing how spend is distributed within a day’s specific hours.

Key Facts

• Change Date: Flight ASAP pacing at the insertion order level will be removed by November 2024.
• Automatic Migration: Campaigns using Flight ASAP will migrate to Flight Ahead pacing.
• Remaining Options: ASAP pacing will remain available at the line item level and as Daily ASAP at both levels.
• Budget Settings: Budgets must be aligned between insertion orders and line items; mismatched settings are not allowed.
• Pacing Types: Options include ASAP, Even, Ahead, and Flight pacing, each suited to different campaign needs.