Google announces major reporting updates for DV360 and CM360

Google this week announced a series of important updates to its reporting systems for Display & Video 360 (DV360) and Campaign Manager 360 (CM360), scheduled to roll out between September and October 2024. These changes, which will affect various aspects of digital advertising reporting, were revealed in a recent update to Google's help documentation for these platforms.

The updates, set to begin in September 2024, encompass several key areas of advertising reporting, including exchange naming conventions, metric compatibility, and data format adjustments. These modifications aim to refine the reporting process and address certain limitations in the current system.

One of the initial changes, slated for September 2024, involves the renaming of a sub-exchange in DV360 reporting. According to the documentation, EMX Digital will be rebranded as Cadent Aperture MX. This name change reflects broader industry shifts and partnerships, potentially impacting how advertisers identify and analyze traffic from this particular exchange.

A more substantial update, scheduled for October 2024, concerns the compatibility of certain metrics with YouTube-specific reports in DV360. The documentation states that Regulatory Operating Costs (ROC) and Total Media Cost metrics will become incompatible with reports configured using YouTube-specific metrics or dimensions. This change affects multiple currency versions, including Partner Currency, Advertiser Currency, and USD.

The specific metrics affected by this incompatibility include:

1. Regulatory Operating Costs
2. Total Media Cost
3. Total Media Cost eCPC (effective Cost Per Click)
4. Total Media Cost eCPM (effective Cost Per Mille)
5. Total Media Cost Viewable eCPM

These additions join a list of metrics already incompatible with YouTube-specific reporting:

1. Total Media Cost ePCA (effective Post-Click Attribution)
2. Total Media Cost ePCA (PC) (Post-Click)
3. Total Media Cost ePCA (PV) (Post-View)

The implications of this change are significant for advertisers heavily reliant on YouTube campaigns. Starting October 1, 2024, these metrics will be automatically removed from existing YouTube reports, both saved and scheduled. Furthermore, newly created reports that include YouTube-specific metrics or dimensions will not be able to incorporate these incompatible metrics.

Google suggests using Media cost metrics as an alternative, which can be combined with fees to calculate total costs. This recommendation underscores the need for advertisers to adapt their reporting strategies and potentially reassess how they measure the full cost impact of their YouTube campaigns.

Another critical update, set to take effect in the week starting October 7, 2024, involves changes to how invalid impressions are counted. This modification will impact several Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited metrics in DV360. The affected metrics include:

1. Invalid Active View Eligible Impressions
2. Invalid Active View Measurable Impressions
3. Invalid Active View Viewable Impressions
4. Active View: Impression Distribution (Not Measurable)
5. Active View: Not Measurable Impressions
6. General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) Active View Eligible Impressions
7. General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) Active View Measurable Impressions
8. General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) Active View Viewable Impressions
9. Invalid Begin to Render Impressions
10. General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) Begin to Render Impressions
11. Inactive Impressions

The documentation indicates that more detailed information about these changes will be provided to users through their Display & Video 360 notifications prior to the implementation date. This advance notice aims to give advertisers time to prepare for potential shifts in their performance metrics and reporting workflows.

For Campaign Manager 360 users, a notable change is coming in September 2024 regarding the format of zip codes in reporting. The current integer format for zip codes will be replaced with a string format. While this may seem like a minor alteration, it could have implications for data analysis and integration with other systems that rely on zip code data.

These updates reflect Google's ongoing efforts to refine its advertising platforms and align them with industry standards and technological advancements. The changes to MRC accredited metrics, in particular, demonstrate a commitment to maintaining the integrity and accuracy of advertising measurement in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

As the digital advertising ecosystem continues to evolve, these reporting updates underscore the importance of adaptability for advertisers and agencies. The modifications to YouTube-specific reporting compatibility and the changes to invalid impression counting may require adjustments to existing reporting workflows and analysis methodologies.

While Google has provided advance notice of these changes, the onus is on advertisers to prepare for the upcoming modifications. This may involve reassessing reporting strategies, updating data analysis processes, and potentially exploring alternative metrics to maintain a comprehensive view of campaign performance.

Key facts

• EMX Digital sub-exchange to be renamed Cadent Aperture MX in September 2024
• Regulatory Operating Costs and Total Media Cost metrics to become incompatible with YouTube-specific reports from October 1, 2024
• Changes to MRC accredited metrics, affecting invalid impression counting, to be implemented week of October 7, 2024
• Campaign Manager 360 to change zip code format from integer to string in September 2024
• Affected metrics include various Active View and General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) measurements
• Google recommends using Media cost metrics as an alternative for YouTube reporting
• Detailed information about MRC metric changes to be provided via Display & Video 360 notifications
• Updates aim to refine reporting processes and address limitations in current systems