Bidding & Pacing
Part of Programmatic bidding and pacing
Diagnosing underspend in a programmatic campaign
Trace programmatic underspend through supply, targeting, creative eligibility, budget, pacing and auction losses before changing bids.
To diagnose underspend, first confirm the shortfall against the flight plan. Then locate where buying opportunities are lost: available supply, targeting, creative eligibility, budget or pacing limits, bid submission or auction win.
Change only the constraint supported by the evidence. Raising a bid cannot fix a paused insertion order or an ineligible creative.
Confirm the shortfall and serving status
Use the plan’s currency, cost definition, dates and reporting time zone. Record spend to date, remaining authorised budget, serving days left and the daily amount needed to use it.
A quiet day may be recoverable; a larger remaining daily requirement may signal a flight at risk. Compare spend and pacing reports with the planned delivery to assess the shortfall.
Check that the relevant campaign, insertion order and line item are active and within their serving dates. Inspect saved budgets and pacing at each relevant level. Confirm that spending the full amount under the existing brief is still the intended goal.
Key Metrics for Underspend Diagnosis
- Spend to date
- Record actual spend using flight plan currency and reporting time zone.
- Remaining authorised budget
- Confirm total budget allocated and unspent.
- Serving days left
- Count days remaining in campaign flight period.
- Daily amount needed
- Calculate required daily spend to meet full budget by end date.
Follow the delivery path
| Where opportunities fall away | Evidence to inspect | Proportionate response |
|---|---|---|
| Few requests from the selected inventory | Source, market, format and time | Check whether suitable supply is expected during the remaining flight. |
| Targeting filters requests | Saved audience, geography, inventory or suitability rules | Check the rule against the brief; change only discretionary restrictions. |
| Creative is ineligible | Approval, size, format or publisher rejection reason | Correct the affected asset or assignment. |
| Eligible requests hit a limit | Frequency, insertion-order or line-item budget and pacing | Identify the limiting level before adjusting it. |
| Bids lose or fail a price rule | Bid floor and reported auction-loss reason | Assess the inventory’s value before considering a higher bid. |
Use available delivery diagnostics to trace where opportunities are lost. Where reporting exposes these stages, compare eligible opportunity volume, targeting and creative eligibility, bid submission and auction wins; the level of detail varies by platform.
Interpret diagnostic reports in context: reporting coverage and detail vary, so an empty or incomplete panel alone does not establish that no suitable opportunity existed. If needed, check another available report or platform diagnostic.
Where Opportunities Are Lost: Evidence and Response
- Few requests from selected inventoryCheck source, market, format and time; assess if expected supply is available.
- Targeting filters requestsReview saved audience, geography, inventory or suitability rules; adjust only discretionary restrictions.
- Creative is ineligibleCheck approval status, size, format or publisher rejection reason; correct the asset or assignment.
- Eligible requests hit a limitIdentify the limiting level—frequency, insertion order or line item budget/pacing—before adjusting.
- Bids lose due to price rulesAssess inventory value; consider higher bid only if justified by performance.
Correct the identified constraint
If a required exclusion limits the pool, keep it and revise the spend expectation or seek approval for a different brief. If an optional rule is too narrow, change that rule and monitor delivery and outcome. If bids sit below a deal floor, decide whether the inventory is worth its price; a higher bid may improve eligibility while raising cost per useful result.
For automated bidding, check whether target settings are constraining delivery, and consult the strategy’s diagnostics before changing them. Record the diagnosis, decision, owner and review date. Close the issue only when later delivery supports the conclusion and the outcome remains acceptable.
