Technology targeting

Use the Technology section of your ad properties or targeting template to target your ad based on technology: the connection, carrier, platform, operating system, and/or browser used to visit sites with your ad.

1. Select one or more criteria from each dropdown.

   • For example, if you select Browser > Firefox 3.5, then your ad will only serve to users if they are on Firefox 3.5. If you choose Firefox 3.5 and Safari, then your ad will serve to users who are on Firefox 3.5 or Safari 4.0.

2. Leave None selected to serve your ad to all types in the dropdown.

   • For example, if you don’t select a connection type, then any connection type is fine. Users can receive your ad whether they use a mobile connection type or broadband/WiFi/other connection types.

Guidelines

• Targeting criteria may limit your audience: As with all targeting criteria, a narrow range means it’s less likely your ad will serve to any given user. So if you only pick one browser from the Browser dropdown, the user has to use that browser to be served the ad. If you select many browsers, then there are more ways for your user to meet your targeting criteria. And if you leave None selected, then users on any browser can be served the ad.

• Make sure your criteria don’t conflict. For example, do not target both a mobile operating system and a non-mobile device. It's impossible for a user to use a mobile OS on a non-mobile device, so your ad will not serve. There are many combinations like this that don’t work, so review your targeting criteria carefully. You’re less likely to have this problem if you select multiple criteria for each category: a wider range of criteria means there’s a better chance users will meet your targeting criteria.

  Two specific examples

  Example 1

  If you only select Broadband/WiFi/other as a connection type, don’t choose a mobile carrier from the Mobile carrier dropdown. No user on a mobile carrier connects via broadband/WiFi/other, so no user will meet both these targeting criteria.(By definition, a user on a mobile carrier (such as AT&T) only connects via the mobile carrier connection type.

  Note that if you target a mobile carrier plus all connection types, your ad will be fine. However, the ad will only serve to the mobile carrier you target: it will never serve to a broadband/WiFi/other connection type because these users don’t use a mobile carrier. So in this case you may as well just choose the Mobile carrier connection type.

  Example 2

  If you only target the Linux operating system, don't target Microsoft Internet Explorer as your browser. Linux doesn't currently support IE. There is no such thing as a user who uses IE on a Linux machine, so no user will meet both targeting criteria.

  However, if you target all operating systems, choosing the IE browser is okay. It just means that your ad will only serve to users who use the IE browser (and therefore use an operating system that allows IE).

Technology categories

Leave these criteria set to Any if you want to include all types. Here are some tips and extra info about these categories.

Connection type

• As discussed above, make sure your connection type is compatible with any other targeting criteria you set. For example, if you target non-mobile operating systems, don't specify "Mobile Carrier" as your connection type. A user will never use a mobile connection while running a non-mobile operating system.

Mobile carriers

• If you target mobile carriers, take a look at the "Connection type" menu and make sure it's set to Any or Mobile Carrier. Do not target mobile carriers and set the connection to "Broadband/WiFi/Other" because this connection type excludes mobile carriers.

Platform type

• Desktop: Targets desktop computers and laptops.

• Smartphone: Targets mobile phones, which have more capabilities than feature phones and connect to the internet. They typically use Android or Apple OS. Examples include the Nexus and iPhone.

• Tablet: Targets mobile touch-screen devices (targeted separately from smartphones). Examples include the iPad and Nexus.

• Connected TV: Targets smart TVs, and devices that enable TVs to connect to the internet. This includes gaming consoles, Apple TVs, Android TVs, Roku, and other similar devices.

Operating system

• If you target the iOS operating system, don’t target a browser. Your ad serves to all browsers that run on iOS, no matter which one you target. It’s better to simply leave it as Any.

• If you target Roku as an operating system, you do not also need to target it as a browser. 

• If you target an operating system, make sure it is compatible with your connection type criteria. For example, do not target a non-mobile OS like Windows 8 and a mobile connection type. No user will use a non-mobile OS on a mobile connection type, so your ad will never be able to serve.

• For mobile operating systems, Campaign Manager 360 offers version targeting as well. After you choose a mobile operating system, check the Select versions checkbox for version options. For example:

  • If you choose Apple iOS and don’t select any particular versions, then all versions of Apple iOS are targeted.

  • If you enable Select versions and select 4.0 and 5.1, then your ad only serves to Apple iOS 5.1 and 4.0, plus any other operating systems you target by clicking Add another.

Browser

• You can target browsers based on version number. As discussed above, if you select a narrow range of browser versions, you'll limit the number of users that could potentially see your ad. 

• If you target Roku as a browser, you do not also need to target it as an operating system.