Ad Manager will bill you depending on whether or not the line item targets both first-party and third-party audience segments and how the line item targets these audience segments. Line items can target audience segments and key-values in one of three ways:
- Either one or another (OR)
- More than one segment or key-value at the same time (AND)
- One or more segments or key-value but not another (is none of)
Segments targeted in an OR relationship
When the line item targets audience segments in an OR relationship, and the visitor is a member of one or more segments, the ad server will pick the least expensive segment. If the line item targets either a segment or a key-value and the visitor matches both, we'll charge you for the segment because we don't know if the segment or the key-value was used in the ad selection process. If multiple segments are tied for least expensive, the ad server randomly selects one of them.
Examples
Let's see what happens in different targeting scenarios:
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The line item targets "Segment A or Segment B" and the visitor belongs to only Segment A: You'll only be charged for Segment A, whether Segment A is first- or third-party.
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The line item targets "First-party segment 1 or First-party segment 2" and the visitor belongs to both: Since all first-party segments cost the same, Ad Manager will randomly pick one and you'll only be billed for that segment.
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The line item targets "Third-party segment 1 or Third-party segment 2" and the visitor belongs to both: Ad Manager will select the less expensive segment.
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The line item targets "First-party segment 1 or Third-party segment 1" and the visitor belongs to both: You'll be charged for First-party segment 1, since first-party segments are always less expensive than third-party ones.
Segments targeted in AND relationships
When the line item targets audience segments in an AND relationship, the user must match all audience segments for a line item to successfully serve. You are only charged if the line item serves. Charges for segments in an AND relationship depend on whether they're first-party or third-party segments.
First-party segments
If a line item serves an ad that targets multiple first-party segments, and a user belongs to more than one of those segments, one segment is chosen at random for billing purposes. Any given impression is only ever attributed to one segment. The CPM rate for first-party segments vary based your contract.
These charges are visible under the "Audience segment (billable)" dimension in reporting.
Third-party segments
If a line item serves an ad that targets multiple third-party segments, and a user belongs to more than one of those segments, all segments to which the user belongs are billed. For any given impression, there may be multiple attributions.
The third-party data provider defines the CPM rate and may include additional fees, depending on your contract or terms. Contact your provider if you're unsure about the rate or other charges.
To view total charges for the use of third-party segments:
Your role must include permission to view billing information to perform the actions below.
- Navigate to Billing
Invoices.
- From the initial "Payments" page, click View invoices to navigate to Payments
- Select an invoice from the table of available invoices.
- Click Download selected.
- From the "Download documents" dialogue, select a format for your download.
- Click Download.
The resulting dowloaded file may have the following line item for third-party segment charges:
AdServing: Audience Third Party Segments
Breakdowns by CPM or impressions is not available since there could be multiple attributions for a single impression. Talk to your third-party data provider for more details about your charges.
First- and third-party segments
If a line item serves an ad that targets both first- and third-party segments, and a user belongs to at least one of each, you'll be charged according to the methods described above.
Segments targeted in is none of relationships
A line item can target one or more first- or third-party segments in a is none of relationship:
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is none of SegmentA: If the visitor is a member of SegmentA, the line item won't serve.
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is none of (SegmentA or SegmentB): If the visitor is a member of either SegmentA or SegmentB, the line item won't serve.
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is none of (SegmentA and SegmentB): If the visitor is a member of both SegmentA and SegmentB, the line item won't serve.
Like AND relationships, if the line item serves, you'll be charged for all targeted segments the user does not belong to, whether the segments are first- or third-party.
Example
If the line item targets "is none of (SegmentA or SegmentB)", this is telling the ad server, "Don't serve any line items that target either SegmentA or SegmentB". If SegmentA and SegmentB are both third-party, and the visitor doesn't belong to either SegmentA or SegmentB, you'll be billed for both.
