Your client team or their creative house says 'let's do DCO!'

First thing's first. Reach out to technology@xmedia.com

The immediate next steps are not included in this KB. This KB will focus on the after a DCO partner is chosen, not the steps to choosing a DCO supplier.

After you reach out to the Tech Team via the above alias, an RFP will be put together to source information from DCO providers.  Once that information is collected, it'll be reviewed amongst the XM and client stakeholders and a provider will be chosen.  

Once the provider is chosen, there must be a kick off call for all parties involved; sometimes this is broken up into smaller meetings: strategy, feed creation and maintenance, creative generation and changes, activation/execution of dco within an ad server, reporting and billing.

1. DCO should be its own campaign in the buying system. 
2. It should have a corresponding campaign in CM360. 
3. DCO should not be blended with standard media buys in one campaign.
   
1. This keeps execution and budgets easy to manage.
   

The DCO Supplier uses Google's Creative Studio

Anything pushed from Creative Studio to CM360 will have a Rich Media ad serving fee applied by Monks. 

Keep this in mind when budgeting so there are no surprises!

Linking a Creatives Studio (GCS) account to an advertiser in CM360

1. Go to the advertiser level in CM360.
   
2. Click properties
   
3. Click associations to expand it.
   
1. If there is already an association present, be sure that is the correct association to be used for this DCO initiative. 
   
2. If there is not, you'll hit 'new association'
   
   
1. If you need to set up a new association, you'll need the trafficking code from the DCO supplier.
   

   

   This code should be provided by the requesting Crossmedia team (Account, Investment, Programmatic...) via ticket; select Integrating or removing a new tech partner

   
   
2. Once the trafficking code is implemented in the ad server, the requesting team should notify the DCO supplier so they may finish the connection.
   
1. There is no email or notification that AdOps has inserted the trafficking code, nor is there a notification that the supplier has finished the connection.  The requesting Crossmedia team will need to steward those conversations.
   
3. The DCO suppliers will push the DCO creatives from GCS to the CM360 Advertiser it is now linked to.
   
1. Creatives must be pushed by the DCO supplier to the CM360 Advertiser.
   

   

   If the creatives are not pushed to the advertiser level, they cannot be used.
1. There is no alert for if the push has or has not been completed.   Push completion must be communicated from the DCO supplier to the Acct/Inv/Prog team, who will then communicate that information on the trafficking ticket to AdOps.

Trafficking creative pushed from Creative Studio to the Advertiser

The creative pushed from GCS is referred to as a shell because it is a shell that calls out to the DFS.  The DFS controls the actual creative shown to the end user based on the controls applied in the schema.

1. Studio only passes the DCO creative.  The requesting Crossmedia team must provide a 1 static backup per dimension to be used as the Default ad/creative.
   
2. The trafficking workbook from the requesting Crossmedia team will provide AdOps the instructions they need to assign the correct 'shell'  to each placement.   
3. The click through URL is controlled by the DFS.  The only url on the tsheet should be the default url.
   

There should be a test conducted prior to full trafficking, to ensure creatives are set up properly and that any 4th party integration is taken into account.  Ideally this is done two weeks prior to launch to allow for adjustments if needed.  Testing would be done on a test campaign, not the live campaign.

Some 4th party integrations may need to be handled in the DFS by the DCO supplier!

Information AdOps needs to accurately set up DCO:
The following should be provided via ticket and tsheet

1. Campaign Name and ID from CM360
   
2. List of the assets that need to be pulled into the campaign from the Advertiser, just as you would list the names of standard creatives.
1. This should be provided on the asset assignment tab of the trafficking workbook.
   
1. statics should not be listed on the tsheet at all unless you want them assigned to be trafficked.
2. Acct/Inv/Prog - ask the DCO supplier for a list of these names.  You'll need these names for the tsheet!
   

1. Acct/Inv/Prog - ensure the DCO supplier knows and complies with the client's naming convention for creatives.  This will help with identification and with reporting.
1. DCO creative will be named more broadly than standard assets.  What is shown to the end user will have it's own granular name in the DFS.  
   
1. To see performance of the granular creative, Acct/Inv/Prog teams will need to review DCO reporting in CM360. <insert DCO report KB here>
3. Jpgs or gifs, 40kb or less, one per dimension to be the Default.
   
1. These should also already be in the appropriate naming convention for the client.
4. Default url
   

Studio DCO Sample Tsheet

note, the naming conventions reflected below may be outdated.  please use the visual sample as a guide for how to communicate the assignment instructions, but always adhere to the most current version of naming conventions for your client.

note, the naming conventions reflected below may be outdated.  please use the visual sample as a guide for how to communicate the assignment instructions, but always adhere to the most current version of naming conventions for your client.

The DCO Supplier uses another DCO tool to provide custom HTML for CM360.

-This work is done by AdOps with information and collaboration from the requesting Crossmedia team and, occasionally, the DCO supplier. 

-The requesting Crossmedian/Crossmedia team is responsible for providing clear, correct assignment instructions - via trafficking workbook - on a trafficking ticket.

-Trafficking is done only once per campaign using GCS as the DCO source, as the creative updates are handled via the DFS that the DCO supplier maintains.

The creative 'shell' created in a tool like RevJet or Jivox.  There is no linking to the ad server, as there is when utilizing Google's Creative Studio.

The DCO supplier will provide custom HTML code for AdOps to traffic to the campaign as 'custom display' creative.  The trafficking workbook from the requesting Crossmedia team will provide AdOps the instructions they need to assign the correct 'shell' to each placement.   

The custom display HTML is called a shell because it calls out to the DFS.  The DFS controls the actual creative shown to the end user based on the controls applied in the schema.

This is considered 3p served DCO, as XM's CM360 is serving the media.

1. The custom HTML should be provided in an excel document separate from the tsheet.  This will be what you link in the creative field on the ticket form.
   
2. The requesting Crossmedia team must provide a 1 static backup per dimension to be used as the Default ad/creative.
   
3. The click through URL is controlled by the DFS.  The only url on the tsheet should be the default url.  

Some 4th party integrations may need to be handled in the DFS by the DCO supplier!

There should be a test conducted prior to full trafficking, to ensure creatives are set up properly and that any 4th party integration is taken into account.  Ideally this is done two weeks prior to launch to allow for adjustments if needed.  Testing would be done on a test campaign, not the live campaign.

Trafficking custom HTML DCO creative

Information AdOps needs to accurately set up DCO:
The following should be provided via ticket and tsheet

1. Campaign Name and ID from CM360
   
2. List the assets that need to be assigned to each placement.  The names of the DCO HTML creative should be provided on the asset assignment tab of the trafficking workbook, just as you would list the names of standard creatives.
1. You'll link the excel sheet with the custom HTML codes in the 'creative assets' field on the ticket form.  The code should not be included in the tsheet.
1. Statics should not be listed on the tsheet at all unless you want them assigned to be trafficked.
2. Acct/Inv/Prog - ask the DCO supplier for a list of these names.  You'll need these names for the tsheet!
   
1. Acct/Inv/Prog - ensure the DCO supplier knows and complies with the client's naming convention for creatives.  This will help with identification and with reporting.

1. DCO creative will be named more broadly than standard assets.  What is shown to the end user will have it's own granular name in the DFS.  
   
1. To see performance of the granular creative, Acct/Inv/Prog teams will need to review DCO reporting in the DCO supplier's platform.  Only shell level performance is available in CM360 reporting.
3. Jpgs or gifs, 40kb or less, one per dimension to be the Default.
   
1. These should also already be in the appropriate naming convention for the client.
4. Default url
   

Custom HTML Sample Tsheet

this is the same format and information you'd provide as if you had GCS-based DCO

note, the naming conventions reflected below may be outdated.  please use the visual sample as a guide for how to communicate the assignment instructions, but always adhere to the most current version of naming conventions for your client.

note, the naming conventions reflected below may be outdated.  please use the visual sample as a guide for how to communicate the assignment instructions, but always adhere to the most current version of naming conventions for your client.

ADOPS - see here for how to traffic custom HTML tags for DCO.

The DCO Supplier Serves the Creatives.

-This work is done by AdOps with information and collaboration from the requesting Crossmedia team and, occasionally, the DCO supplier. 

-The requesting Crossmedian/Crossmedia team is responsible for providing clear, correct assignment instructions - via trafficking workbook - on a trafficking ticket.

-Trafficking may be done multiple times during the lifetime of the campaign, as XM will need to provide tracking tags to be implemented in the DCO supplier's engine.

Alignment on tracking tag needs and cadence should happen before trafficking begins.

The DCO creative is entirely supported by the partner's platform.  There is no linking to the ad server, as there is when utilizing Google's Creative Studio.

There are no default ads in the ad server.

This set up is considered the most customizable from an XM-tagging standpoint. 

1. Tagging may be broad or very granular.  It's entirely dependent on best practices from the DCO supplier, 4th party partner integrations and reporting needs.
   
2. URLs may be controlled at the click tracker or they may be controlled by the supplier.
   
3. Roles and responsibilities may differ from the other two methods of implementing DCO.

  Tagging considerations and requirements must be aligned on prior to any DCO testing or trafficking.

This is considered 1p served DCO, as XM's CM360 is tracking the media and the DCO supplier is serving the media.

Some 4th party integrations may need to be handled in the DFS by the DCO supplier!

There should be a test conducted prior to full trafficking, to ensure creatives are set up properly and that any 4th party integration is taken into account.  Ideally this is done two weeks prior to launch to allow for adjustments if needed.  Testing would be done on a test campaign, not the live campaign.

Trafficking 1p Served DCO creative

Information AdOps needs to accurately set up DCO:
The following should be provided via ticket and tsheet

1. Campaign Name and ID from CM360
   
2. List the names of the 1x1s that need to be assigned to each placement, just as you would for standard site served media.
1. There should be no assets provided to AdOps for site served DCO.

Site Served DCO Tsheet

this is the same format and information you'd provide as if you were trafficking 1x1s on a site served campaign

<insert 1x1 tsheet example here>

ADOPS - see here for how to traffic 1x1s in CM360