Campaign Setup
Part of Programmatic agency and trading-desk operations
Agreeing on buying responsibilities with a trading desk
Assign budget, inventory, measurement and change authority between an advertiser and trading desk.
Agree on each buying decision by naming its owner, the desk’s permitted range of action and the approval needed outside that range. “The desk manages the campaign” does not settle who may change spend, inventory or suppliers.
Identify who buys
Ask the agency which entity contracts with the advertiser, which operates the buying account and which pays suppliers. An affiliated desk may be involved; confirm the route for this campaign. Record who owns the account and who can retrieve settings, costs and change history. If another group company provides data or verification, state who selects it and what the agreement requires it to disclose.
Assign authority by decision
| Decision | Advertiser settles | Desk acts within agreed limits |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | Authorised amount, included charges and approval threshold | Allocates within that amount and records material changes. |
| Inventory | Required and prohibited supply, including named commitments | Selects eligible opportunities within those boundaries. |
| Audience and suitability | Fixed inclusions, exclusions and brand rules | Adjusts optional controls within the stated range. |
| Bids and pacing | Outcome priority and acceptable delivery trade-off | Changes settings within authorised limits. |
| Measurement | Primary outcome and reporting definition | Monitors the agreed measure and seeks approval to redefine it. |
| Suppliers | Disclosure and approval requirements | Uses services permitted by the agreement. |
This table is a negotiating template, not a platform control. Put the actual limits in the approved operating schedule. Keep the campaign brief’s objective and buying requirements as a separate record. A required exclusion does not become optional because delivery is low.
Write the escalation rule
For a proposed change beyond the desk’s authority, name the approver and request the current constraint, proposed action, likely effect on cost or reach, and decision deadline. State how approval will be recorded. Do not treat silence as approval unless the agreement expressly allows it.
Decide who may pause buying when a material requirement appears to have been breached. Preserve the affected IDs, settings and report period before correcting them, so the later review can distinguish the issue from the fix.
Before launch, compare the authority record with the proposed buying setup. During the flight, record material changes, their approvers and effective times.
Buying platforms may organise controls and history differently; the agency still needs a decision record explaining why a change was made.
