Campaign Setup
Part of Programmatic campaign setup
Grouping line items without fragmenting the budget
Decide which programmatic buys need separate line items and check how a shared insertion-order budget affects them.
Split a line item when a buying rule or result must be controlled separately. Keep buys together when they can share the same settings and decision criteria. Check whether every required split has plausible delivery under its complete targeting and flight.
Test each proposed split
Start with the approved media plan. A private deal and an open-auction buy may need separate controls because their inventory and price conditions differ. Two Australian regions may need separate budgets or schedules if the brief requires them.
Different creative messages that can use the same eligible buy do not automatically need separate line items.
For each proposed item, ask:
- Which saved setting must differ?
- Which later decision needs a separate result?
- Which formats and flight dates must it support?
- Does it overlap another item's intended inventory or audience?
If no distinct control or decision exists, simplify the initial structure. If a required split creates a small pool, keep the requirement and revise the delivery expectation rather than widening the audience without approval.
Check the shared budget
In Display & Video 360, an insertion order contains line items that share its budget; line items can also carry their own budgets. When an insertion order's daily budget is below the sum of its line items' daily budgets, their combined targets exceed the available shared amount.
Before activation, check whether each line item's share of the available amount still supports its intended role. Adjust or regroup targets only where the approved plan allows.
| Structure | When it may fit | Check |
|---|---|---|
| One insertion order with a few line items | One authorised budget with meaningful buying differences | Does the shared amount support each item's role? |
| Separate insertion orders | Independently approved budgets or flights | Is the separation authorised? |
| Many narrow line items | Each split has a required rule or separate decision | Does each item have a required control or decision? |
When to use one vs multiple insertion orders
- One insertion order with a few line itemsWhen there is one authorised budget with meaningful buying differences (e.g. private deal vs open auction)
- Separate insertion ordersWhen budgets or flights are independently approved (e.g. regional campaigns with distinct authorisations)
- Many narrow line itemsOnly if each split has a required rule or separate decision (e.g. unique KPIs per market)
Review the structure before activation
Compare the combined authorised amount with insertion-order and line-item settings. Check dates, targeting and inventory source after duplicating an item. Record where items overlap and how their results will be interpreted.
For example, six small regional items given equal portions of one modest national budget could each have limited room to deliver. That is a hypothetical planning risk, not a forecast.
Combining regions may be sensible if the brief allows a shared rule and combined reporting answers the decision. Keep a separate item where the regional obligation is real.
