The Pontiac Intelligence Platform provides tools for managing Advertisers, Campaigns, Lines, Inventory, Audiences, and Reporting. This guide covers how to navigate the platform and use common interface features, including searching, filtering, customizing table views, and reviewing performance data.

Switching Between Platform Sections

The dropdown in the upper-right corner allows users to switch between the available Pontiac platform sections.

Available options include:

• Bidder: Manage programmatic advertising Sub Seats (if enabled), Advertisers, Campaigns, Lines, Inventory, Audiences, Templates, and Reporting.
• ART: Access audience research and inventory availability tools.
• DOOH: Access digital out-of-home advertising tools.
• Analytics: Access Pontiac’s Analytics Suite for campaign planning, audience analysis, targeting optimization, and incrementality measurement.
• Admin: Access account administration, Billing, Seat Settings, Help Center, Notifications, and Wiki.
• Logout: Sign out of the platform.

Select the desired section from the dropdown to switch between platform tools. Available options may vary based on account access and permissions.

Bidder Navigation Tabs

Within the Bidder section, the top navigation menu provides access to the following:

• Sub Seats: Access and manage Sub Seats, when enabled.
• Advertisers: Create and manage Advertisers, Campaigns, Lines, Creatives, and Pixels.
• Inventory: Manage Site, App, and Deal Lists, and access available and negotiated Deals.
• Audiences: Create and manage Audiences used for targeting.
• Templates: Manage reusable Campaign and Line templates.
• Reporting: Create and manage performance reports.
• Pacing: Monitor Campaign and Line budgets, pacing, and delivery.

Select a tab to access the corresponding features and tools.

Global Search

The Search field in the upper-right corner of the platform allows users to search for Pontiac objects across the current Seat, including Advertisers, Campaigns, Lines, Creatives, and Audiences.

Enter a name or ID to locate an object and select a result to navigate directly to it.

Unlike the Search fields within individual tables, Global Search allows users to find objects without first navigating to their corresponding section.

Notifications and Help

Icons in the upper-right corner provide access to additional platform resources, including:

• Envelope Icon = Help Center: View and manage support requests and communications with the Pontiac Support team.
• Bell Icon = Notifications: View platform updates, new feature announcements, and other notifications.
• Chat Icon = Pontiac Assistant: Access Pontiac’s AI-powered assistant for help navigating the platform, understanding features, and managing Campaigns.

The Admin section also provides access to the Help Center, Notifications, and Wiki.

Pontiac Assistant

The Pontiac Assistant is an AI-powered tool designed to help users navigate the platform, understand available features, and streamline Campaign management.

Users can ask questions in natural language to get assistance with platform functionality, Campaign setup, troubleshooting, reporting, and other common workflows.

To access the Assistant, click the chat icon in the upper-right corner of the platform.

For more information on available capabilities, example prompts, and how to use the Assistant, see Pontiac Assistant.

Footer Navigation and Switching Seats

The footer provides quick access to additional navigation options, including:

• Contact Us: Access Pontiac contact and support resources.
• Switch Seat: Switch between Seats you have access to.

To switch Seats:

1. Click Switch Seat in the footer.
2. Enter the Seat ID or Seat Name you want to access.
3. Select the desired Seat to switch to it.

The footer also displays the current Seat ID and platform version.

Note: Always confirm the selected Seat before creating or modifying Campaigns, Inventory, or other settings.

Navigating Advertisers, Campaigns, and Lines

Pontiac organizes Campaign management into four primary levels:

Seat → Advertiser → Campaign → Line

• Seat: The account-level workspace for shared Inventory, Audiences, Templates, Reporting, and Seat Settings.
• Advertiser: Represents an individual brand, client, or product and contains its Campaigns, Creatives, and Pixels.
• Campaign: Organizes Lines under shared Campaign settings, such as budget, dates, Flights, pacing, and frequency caps.
• Line: Controls how media is purchased, including bidding, Inventory Type, targeting, and other delivery settings.

To navigate between levels:

1. Select Advertisers from the Bidder navigation menu.
2. Click the Advertiser Name to open the Advertiser.
3. Select a Campaign from the Advertiser’s Campaigns table.
4. Select a Line from the Campaign’s Lines table.

Each level provides access to settings, management tools, and performance information relevant to that object.

For a complete overview of the features available at each level, see Hierarchy.

Searching and Filtering Tables

Tables throughout Pontiac include controls for locating records, filtering results, adjusting page size, and customizing displayed information.

The Advertisers table below provides an example of these controls.

• Search bar
• Filter Status
• Page Size
• Total Items
• Page
• Reporting Interval
• Customizing Table Columns

Search

Use the Search field above a table to find specific records.

Enter a name or ID to narrow the results displayed in the table.

Search functionality may vary depending on the page.

Filter Status

The Filter Status dropdown allows users to filter records by their current status.

• All: Displays both Active and Inactive records.
• Active: Displays only Active records.
• Inactive: Displays only Inactive records.

The default status filter may vary by page.

Changing this filter only affects which records are displayed in the table. It does not modify their actual status.

For example, if you cannot find an Advertiser, Campaign, or Line, check the Filter Status dropdown and select All to include Inactive records.

Understanding Status Indicators and Warnings

Pontiac uses status icons and color-coded indicators throughout the platform to help users identify whether objects are Active, Inactive, or require attention.

These indicators appear in areas such as Advertiser, Campaign, and Line tables, Troubleshoot Checks, Reports, and Creative Audits.

Active and Inactive Status

In Advertiser, Campaign, and Line tables, the Status column displays an object’s configured status.

• Green Check Mark (✓) – Active: The object is enabled.
• Red Minus (−) – Inactive: The object is disabled.

An Active status indicates that an object is enabled, but does not necessarily mean it is currently delivering impressions. Delivery also depends on Campaign and Line dates, budgets, targeting, Creative eligibility, and other settings.

An Inactive status indicates that the object is disabled and is not eligible to serve while inactive.

Note: The Status column displays an object’s configured status, while the Filter Status dropdown controls which objects are visible in the table. To see inactive objects, change the Filter Status to All or Inactive.

Validation Results: Pass, Fail, and Warning

Pontiac also displays validation results within tools such as Line-level Troubleshoot Checks and Creative Audits. These checks help identify potential configuration, eligibility, or delivery issues.

• Green Check Mark – Pass: The evaluated requirements were met.
• Red Indicator – Fail: One or more evaluated requirements were not met.
• Yellow Caution Icon – Warning: A potential issue was identified, or the available information is insufficient to verify the check.

For example, within Line-level Troubleshoot Checks:

• Pass: The targeted Exchange is compatible with the targeted Deal.
• Fail: The targeted Exchange does not align with the Exchange associated with the targeted Deal.
• Warning: Insufficient sample request data is available to verify Deal Exchange compatibility.

Review the individual check results and accompanying messages to understand whether any changes or additional verification are needed.

Creative Audits and Publisher Eligibility

Creative Audit tools help users identify whether Creative assets meet technical requirements and publisher-specific specifications.

Depending on the Creative Type and applicable requirements, these checks may evaluate:

• Creative dimensions and aspect ratio
• Video duration
• Resolution and bitrate
• VAST version and compatibility
• Publisher-specific Creative requirements

A failed check indicates that the Creative does not meet an evaluated requirement and may need to be updated before serving on the applicable inventory.

A warning indicates that additional review or verification may be needed.

Review the individual Creative Audit results to identify which requirements passed, failed, or require attention.

Important: Active/Inactive and Pass/Fail/Warning represent different types of information.

• Active/Inactive indicates whether an Advertiser, Campaign, or Line is enabled.
• Pass/Fail/Warning indicates the outcome of a specific validation or eligibility check.

Although these indicators may use similar colors, they serve different purposes. An Active Campaign or Line may still fail a Troubleshoot Check, and a Creative may pass certain technical checks while failing others.

A green check mark does not guarantee that an object will deliver impressions. It only confirms that the specific status or check is satisfied.

Page Size and Pagination

The Page Size dropdown controls how many records appear on each page.

The Total Items field displays the number of records matching the current view, while the Page dropdown allows users to navigate between available pages.

For example, if the table contains 200 records and the Page Size is set to 50, the results will be divided across four pages.

Increase Page Size to display more records at once, or use the Page dropdown to navigate between pages.

Reporting Interval

Many tables include a Reporting Interval dropdown that controls the period used to calculate and display performance metrics.

Depending on the table, available intervals may include Yesterday, Today, 7 Days, 30 Days, Month to Date, Last Month, and Lifetime.

Selecting a different Reporting Interval updates the performance metrics displayed in the table, such as:

• Impressions
• Total Cost
• Revenue
• IP Conversions
• Other available performance metrics

For example, selecting Yesterday displays the previous day’s performance, while selecting 7 Days displays performance for the corresponding seven-day period.

Note: The Reporting Interval changes the reporting period for displayed metrics. It does not modify Campaign settings, budgets, or delivery.

Customizing Table Columns

Many tables allow users to customize which columns and metrics are displayed.

To customize a table:

1. Click the column selection icon (three horizontal lines) in the upper-right corner of the table.
2. A dropdown will display the available columns.
3. Check a column to display it in the table.
4. Uncheck a column to hide it from the table.

Changes to the selected columns update the information displayed in the table.

For example, users reviewing Advertiser performance may choose to display:

• Lines
• Campaigns
• Imps
• Total Cost
• Revenue
• IP Convs
• Clicks
• CPC

Available columns vary depending on the table and platform level.

Selecting Reporting Dimensions and Metrics

Within Pontiac’s Reporting tools, users can select the Dimensions and Metrics included in their reports.

• Dimensions determine how report data is grouped, such as by Advertiser, Campaign, Line, Creative, or Date.
• Metrics determine which performance values are displayed, such as Impressions, Total Cost, Revenue, or Conversions.

The selected Dimensions and Metrics determine both the columns included in the report and their order.

Important: The order in which Dimensions and Metrics are selected determines the order in which their corresponding columns appear in the report. To change the column order, adjust the selection order when configuring the report.

For additional information on generating reports and selecting available Dimensions and Metrics, see Reporting.

Related Documentation

• Hierarchy: Understand Pontiac’s Seat, Advertiser, Campaign, and Line structure.
• How to Launch Your First Campaign: Step-by-step instructions for creating and launching a Campaign.
• Reporting: Learn how to generate and customize performance reports.
• Pacing: Learn how to monitor Campaign and Line budgets and delivery.

This guide walks through the full process of launching a campaign in Pontiac, from setting up your Advertiser and Creatives to creating, launching, monitoring, and optimizing your Campaign and Lines. Links to the full documentation for each step are included throughout the guide for additional setup details and instructions.

1. Set Up Your Advertiser
   • The Advertiser represents an individual brand, product, or client in Pontiac. It serves as the parent level for everything associated with that advertiser, including Campaigns, Lines, Creatives, Pixels, and Audiences.
     • Create an Advertiser
2. Upload Your Creative
   • Upload the creative assets or third party tags that will be used in your campaign. Creatives are created and managed at the Advertiser level and can then be assigned at the Campaign and/or Line level.
     • Creative Upload Process
3. Create Your Campaign
   • Create the Campaign that will house your Lines and define the overall Campaign settings, including dates, budget, Flights (if applicable) and other Campaign level controls.
   Best Practices:
   • Use Campaign level targeting only for settings that should apply universally across all Lines.
   • Use Line level targeting for strategy-specific targeting and optimization.
   • Apply targeting at one level whenever possible, unless the intent is to intentionally narrow eligible inventory through intersection filtering.
     • Campaigns
     • Flights
4. Create Your Line
   • Lines control how your campaign buys media. This is where you will configure settings such as inventory, targeting, bid price, budget, dates, Creatives, and other strategy specific controls.
     • Lines
5. Review Before Launching
   • Review your Campaign and Line settings to confirm that budgets, dates, targeting, Creatives, and other required settings are configured correctly. Use the Line level Performance tab troubleshooting checks to identify any setup or delivery issues.
     • Line Level > Performance Tab Troubleshoot Checks
   • From the Advertiser level, download the full campaign setup to review Campaign, Flight (if applicable), and Line configurations before launch.
     • Download Campaign Setup
   • Confirm that your Creatives meet the specifications for the publishers you plan to target using Creatives > Publisher Spec Eligibility.
     • Publisher Specs Eligibility
6. Launch and Monitor
   • Once your setup has been reviewed, activate your Campaign and Lines and begin monitoring delivery and performance. Use the Pacing tab, reporting tools, and Line level troubleshooting checks to monitor campaign activity and identify issues that may affect delivery.
     • Pacing Tab
     • Reporting
     • Line Level > Performance Tab Troubleshoot Checks
7. Optimize Performance
   • Once your campaign has collected enough performance data, use the Pontiac Analytics suite to identify opportunities for optimization. Run Targeting, Audience, or Incrementality analyses to better understand performance across different variables and audiences. You can also create and upload a User Defined Model to apply your own scoring strategy to campaign optimization.
     • Pontiac Analytics Suite
     • User Defined Models
     • Model Association

As streaming services have become widely adopted and methods for consuming TV content have drastically changed, the terms OTT and CTV have become exceedingly popular in the advertising world. But with this growing popularity the terms have become ambiguous as players in the industry began to use them interchangeably and the lines between them became blurred. This guide is intended to provide clarity into the industry definitions, Pontiac terminology, and best practices for implementing both CTV and OTT campaigns through the Pontiac Platform.

CTV vs OTT vs Video

• OTT (Over-the-Top) is TV content delivered to a device via an internet connection. OTT is defined as a delivery method and content type (premium TV content delivered via internet) and can be streamed on any device type: smart TVs or mobile devices or desktops. OTT is considered premium digital video, and it is the highest-quality format available programmatically, with completion rates as high as 90%. For example, this could be a user watching Hulu on their phone, desktop, OR on their Smart TV.

• CTV (Connected TV) is a sub-set of OTT Video, where the OTT content is delivered specifically on TELEVISIONS connected to the internet. CTV is defined by the device type and includes – Device types: smart TVs, gaming consoles, and set-top boxes. An example of this would be a user watching Hulu on their TV.

• Video is the creative type for all OTT and CTV. All OTT and CTV campaigns are Video, but not all Video is OTT or CTV. Online Video (OLV) can also run across other websites and apps within content that is not considered OTT and on devices that are not considered CTV. For example, a video ad in the Candy Crush app on a mobile device.

Despite the technical definitions above, it is commonly understood in the industry that CTV refers to any OTT across TVs, and ‘OTT’ is typically used to refer to other ‘non-CTV’ OTT content. For this reason and for the purposes of the Pontiac Platform, ‘CTV’ refers to OTT content that runs across connected television devices – Smart TVs, Game Consoles, and Set Top Boxes. The ‘Inventory Type’ ‘OTT’ will refer to all other OTT content that is not CTV, that being content streamed on other devices – Mobile Phones, Tablets, Desktops and Laptops.

Please see the following page for more information on CTV, OTT, and OLV best practices for setups: Setup Guides

Overview

The Pontiac Intelligence DSP offers a wide variety of granular targeting tools that enable Advertisers to better reach their target Audience and subsequently maximize their ad spend. Given how different types of inventories, data, and media interact, there are some complexities as to how targeting parameters and features can be combined and layered on a Campaign and/or Line Item (Inventory, Geo, Audience Targeting). The following Strategies Guide provides insight into creating intelligent and functional targeting on your Line Items according to your media type and KPIs.

Core Framework

Strategies by Media Type

Strategies by Inventory Type

Web Inventory

In-App Inventory

Streaming/CTV In-App Inventory

Combined Inventory

The Pontiac premium video deal catalog can be found in the ‘Inventory’ tab of the platform, under ‘Deals’. When selecting deals that best align with your campaign goals, it is recommended to review all columns in this table to ensure your creatives meet specs, approval processes are completed, and campaigns are correctly configured to drive success. You may also want to review the Deal Landscape Tool, to understand the level of transparency in data shared by each Deal. Sample logs and forecasting reports are also available for each Deal in the ‘ART’ tab.

• ID: The Deal ID assigned from Pontiac.
• Name: The Deal Name that the importer assigns to the Deal.
• Avails: The approximate number of available requests for that deal. This changes based on the Reporting Interval: Yesterday, 7 Days, or 30 Days.
• Deal Provider: The entity with a direct relationship with Pontiac and supplies the external deal ID used to import the deal.
• Brand: The brand or publisher of the content in the deal.
• Content Type: The category of content being streamed when the ad is shown. Run of Network (RON) means all inventory from the publisher or deal provider.
• Media Type: The type of media: Streaming/CTV (TV placements), OLV (online video – in-app/web, not streaming TV), Combined Video, Audio, Display.
• Exchanges: The SSP or platform the deal provider uses to send bid requests to Pontiac.
• Floor Price: The minimum bid price (CPM) required to enter the auction. Hover over the price to see Min, Max, Avg, and Median for Bid insight.
• Recommended Bid: Suggested bids based on factors like inventory variation and competition.
• Livestream: The percentage breakdown of sample requests across live content, video on demand (VOD) content, or unknown environments.
• Duration: Allowed ad unit durations; multiple durations show the percentage of requests for each.
• Sizes: The allowed ad unit sizes; hovering over the size tool shows request percentages per size.
• Auction Type:
  • First Price: The winning bid is the price the advertiser pays.
  • Second Price Plus: The advertiser pays $0.01 above the second-highest bid.
• Device Types: The devices where impressions are served, including Connected Device, Connected TV, Set Top Box, Personal Computer, Phone, and Tablet.
• Countries: The Countries that the Deal is seeing bid requests from.
• Permitted Sensitive Categories: Deals that allow sensitive content to be served.
• Publisher Approval Required: Deals requiring publisher approval for each ad before launch. Submit ads for approval through the Help Center.
• Notes: Any additional deal requirements, restrictions, inventory, or targeting.
• Start Date: When the Deal is eligible.
• End Date: When the Deal is no longer eligible.
• Last Served Date: The most recent date that impressions were served through the Deal.
• Action: Request access to public Deals if needed. Note that all deals will be approved within 24 hours after being requested.
• Creative Types: Shows which creative formats are seen in the bid requests for a specific Deal.
• Inventory Type: Shows what type of inventory is seen in the bid requests for a specific Deal.

Negotiated Deals

If you can’t find the deal you need in the catalog, reach out through the Help Center. The Pontiac Partnership team may be able to negotiate a deal for you or you can bring over your own negotiated deals. Any programmatic guaranteed deals or deals negotiated for a specific advertiser will appear under the ‘Negotiated Deals’ section in the ‘Inventory’ tab. See how to import your own deals documentation here: Import Deal

The Analytics Planning Tool helps users build media plans using LLM-powered research, campaign inputs, and Pontiac marketplace data. Users can provide campaign goals, audience, geography, budget, inventory types, and optional supporting documents. The tool then researches the brand, recommends audience and content strategies, and matches those recommendations against Pontiac sample bid request data to identify relevant inventory and expected scale.

Users can review and refine recommended audiences, content veins, taxonomy selections, geo constraints, impression goals, and line structure before generating the final plan. Plans include projected scale, spend, CPMs, recommended Deals, inventory targeting, and sample availability estimates.

Once generated, the plan can be reviewed in the Executive Summary, Campaign, and Downloads tabs. Users can edit proposed Lines and targeting, download planning and deployment files, and import the completed Planning report directly into a Campaign for final QA and launch.

For complete setup instructions, plan configuration options, output details, and steps for importing a plan into a Campaign, see the full Planning Tool documentation.

The Deal Landscape tool provides transparent insights into the data available for targeting and reporting across the accessible Deals through the Bidder. With great inconsistencies in the information shared by each media owner across the industry, this tool can be leveraged in the research and planning process to align campaign goals and expectations with available targeting and reporting capabilities.

For full documentation, see here: Deal Landscape Tool

Transparency Report

The Transparency Report aggregates bid request data to show how much information each deal provides, including fields such as Title, Series, Channel, Network, and Full IP.

This allows you to understand exactly what data is available for targeting and reporting.

• View all bidder-specific deals your account has access to
• Sort by any field to evaluate transparency levels
• Download the full dataset using the arrow next to the search bar
• Share results via a public link (valid for 30 days)

Deal Sample Logs

Click the Deal Name to view sample logs and see exactly what data is being passed.

This allows you to:

• Analyze content details such as publisher, network, channel, series, and title
• Optimize targeting based on real inventory signals

Custom Reporting

The Custom Reporting tool allows you to generate sample request logs for deeper analysis across one or multiple deals.

1. Navigate to the Custom Reporting section
2. Click New Custom Report
3. Select your deal(s), date range, and dimensions
4. Generate the report

Use the Deal Landscape Tool to understand inventory, evaluate transparency, and make smarter, data-driven decisions before and during campaign execution.

The Inventory Availability Tool is a forecasting tool that provides directional guidance in Campaign planning. If your report returns no data, reach out through the Help Center for more information on the feasibility and potential scale for the selected targeting. By leveraging historical data, delivery trends, sample log data, and Pontiac’s proprietary forecasting formula, the tool helps advertisers:

• Create and refine Inventory targeting lists.
• Assess the feasibility of targeting parameters.
• Optimize bid strategies.
• Estimate potential scale for Campaign planning.

Create an Inventory Availability Report

1. Switch to the ‘ART’ section using the toggle in the top right corner.
   • If the ‘ART’ button is unavailable, contact Pontiac Support via the Help Center.
2. Navigate to the ‘Inventory Availability’ tab.
3. Click ‘New Report’.
4. The start date and end date default to 30 days before today’s date.
5. Select how the report is built:
   • User Defined: Configure the report from scratch. This is great for when you’re gather precampaign insights.
   • Existing Line: Configure the report based on an existing line that is already set up. This is helpful for QAing campaign set up and delivery issues. When selected, the report is generated using the line’s current configuration, including:
     • Inventory type
     • Creative type
     • Advertiser
     • Campaign
     • Line
     • Effective targeting (Intersection of the Campaign and Line)
     • Audiences (only Line level)
       • If audiences are applied to the Campaign level, users can manually add an additional group and then run the report, but it will not be automatically included.
6. Select Inventory Type: In App, Web or Combined.
7. Select the Creative Type: Video, Audio, or Banner.
   • Only one creative type can be selected per report. If you need to run the same report for different creative types, clone the original report and update the creative type.
8. Add Targeting parameters by the follow two methods
   • Edit Targeting: Select parameters for forecasting.
     • Available targeting options for In App include:
       • Deals
       • Exchanges
       • Geo (Country, Regions, DMAs)
       • Zip Codes
       • Livestream
       • App Lists
       • Apps
       • Device Types
       • Channel
       • Network
       • Publisher
       • Genre
       • Series
       • Title
       • Multi Field
     • Available targeting options for Web include:
       • Deals
       • Exchanges
       • Geo (Country, Regions, DMAs)
       • Zip Codes
       • Livestream
       • Publisher
       • Site Lists
       • Sites
       • Device Types
     • Available targeting options for Combined include:
       • Deals
       • Exchanges
       • Geo (Country, Regions, DMAs)
       • Zip Codes
       • Livestream
       • Publisher
       • Deal Lists
       • Device Types
       • Site Lists
       • Sites
       • App Lists
       • Apps
       • Channel
       • Network
       • Publisher
       • Genre
       • Series
       • Title
       • Multifield
   • Inventory Discovery: Due to the inconsistency in how inventory information is structured across the CTV landscape, this tool helps advertisers create well-informed targeting lists and identify variations in formatting for the desired inventory.
     • Search and click to add fields to targeting for the forecast report.
9. Associate Audience Segments
   • Custom Audiences
   • Third Party Audiences
   • Contextual Audiences
   • ART Audiences
   • See Boolean Logic for more details on any and all logic for targeting between groups.
10. Run the report and wait a couple of minutes for results to populate.

Understanding the Results

Summary Metrics

• Forecasted Available Daily Impressions: Range of estimated daily impressions available.
• Total Impressions: Estimated total impressions available over a 30-day period.
• Avg Floor CPM: The average floor CPM for the inventory included in the report.
• Unique IFAs: The estimated number of unique device identifiers available.
• Unique IPs: The estimated number of unique households available, based on IP address.
• Top Networks: Pie chart showing the most popular networks. Hover over each section to view the number of impressions over the 30-day period.
• Top Publishers: Pie chart showing the most popular networks. Hover over each section to view the number of impressions over the 30-day period.
  Top Channels: Pie chart showing the most popular channels. Hover over each section to view the number of impressions over the 30-day period.

The report includes individual sections for the following:

• Exchanges
• Deals
• Channel
• Network
• Publisher
• Genre
• Series
• Titles
• Apps
• Device Types
• Livestream
• Zip Codes
• Sample Requests: Provides deeper insights into impression-level parameter combinations.
  • For example:
    • If a specific Deal ID is selected, charts will display available Networks and Channels.
    • Sample logs will illustrate how specific networks grant access to certain channels within that deal.

Exchanges

This section shows the exchanges included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides exchange-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by exchange. Hover over the chart to view the exchange name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same exchange-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Deals

This section shows the deals included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides deal-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by deal. Hover over the chart to view the deal name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same deal-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Networks

This section shows the networks included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides network-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by network. Hover over the chart to view the network name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same network-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Channels

This section shows the channels included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides channel-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by channel. Hover over the chart to view the channel name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same channel-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Publishers

This section shows the publishers included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides publisher-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by publishers. Hover over the chart to view the publisher name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same publisher-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Series

This section shows the series included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides series-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by series. Hover over the chart to view the series name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same series-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Titles

This section shows the titles included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides title-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by title. Hover over the chart to view the title name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same title-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Genre

This section shows the genres included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides genre-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by genre. Hover over the chart to view the genre name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same genre-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Livestream

This section shows the livestream categories included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides livestream-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by livestream category. Hover over the chart to view the category name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same livestream-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Apps

This section shows the App Bundle ID and Name included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides app-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by app. Hover over the chart to view the app name, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same app-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Device Types

This section shows the device types included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides device type-level details for Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The chart compares total impressions and average floor CPM by device type. Hover over the chart to view the device type, total impressions, and average floor CPM. The table below provides the same device type-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Zip Codes

This section shows the zip codes included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides zip code-level details for City, State, Total Impressions, Avg Floor CPM, Unique IFAs, and Unique IPs.

The map displays inventory availability by zip code, with higher-density areas highlighted. Use the map controls to zoom, adjust the view, or reset the map. The table below provides the same zip code-level data in table format and can be downloaded as a CSV for further investigation.

Sample Requests

This section shows the Deal level Sample Requests included in the Inventory Availability report. It provides Deal Name, Publishers, Network, Channel, Series, Title , Genre, Exchange, Livestream, App Bundle, App Name, Device Type, Zip Code, and Impressions.

The table can be downloaded as a CSV for further review or investigation.

Locate & understand the highest value users to your brand by utilizing the traffic on your website, or a list of U.S. zip codes, to create detailed insight reports, and leverage look-a-like modeling to find new targets that share key characteristics with your existing audience. For more information, please see the full ART Audience Research Tool documentation.

Create your target Audience profile from the desired demographic variables to discover new zip code targets with the highest propensity match to your desired Audience profile. Leveraging the correlation between zip codes and demographics, ADT uses US Census Data to find the zip codes with the largest deviation from the US mean across the selected variables. Leveraging impression data and deep contextual analysis, interest categories can also be evaluated for each zip code to find areas that are over-indexing in content consumption for the selected topics. Audience Discovery data can be exported for targeting across all channels and media types. Additionally, browse our public reports to see if there is a report that fits your campaign needs already. For more information, please see the full ART Audience Discovery Tool documentation.

Pontiac Analytics Suite Overview

Understand > Activate > Prove

Insights are only as powerful as your ability to act on them. With Pontiac’s Analytics Suite, you can move from analysis to optimization instantly by applying model outputs directly to your campaigns with no manual translation or workflow gaps.

No complex integrations. No big lift. Just seamless activation within the same platform where you run your campaigns.

Deep Dive

• Analytics Documentation: Deep dive into each pipeline and how to generate reports
• Planning Documentation: Learn how to build AI-assisted media plans using campaign inputs, audience insights, and Pontiac marketplace data to recommend inventory and expected scale.
• Audience Documentation: Learn how to understand your audience, build personas, and identify high-value and lookalike segments
• Targeting Documentation: Explore how to identify performance drivers and apply optimizations to campaign delivery
• Incrementality Documentation: Understand lift measurement, control vs exposed methodology, and true performance impact

No black boxes. No guesswork. Just transparent models, seamless activation, and results you can stand behind.

What is the Analytics Suite?

The Pontiac Analytics Suite is built around three core pipelines that cover the full campaign lifecycle:

• Planning: Build smarter media plans before launch
  • Uses LLM-powered research and Pontiac marketplace data to recommend audiences, content, inventory, and expected scale
  • Helps align campaign goals, targeting strategy, budget, and available inventory
  • Produces a plan that can be reviewed, refined, and launched directly in the platform
• Audience: Know who converts, what defines them, and where to find more of them before you spend a dollar.
  • Builds personas using privacy-safe, census-based data
  • Identifies high-value ZIP codes and lookalike expansion opportunities
  • Helps guide targeting and messaging strategy
• Targeting: Activate and optimize performance in-flight
  • Surfaces key performance drivers across geo, device, content, time of day, and more
  • Applies insights directly to bidding and delivery
  • Reduces waste and improves efficiency with no manual breakouts
• Incrementality: Prove the true impact of your media
  • Compares exposed vs control groups to isolate true lift
  • Calculates real CPA and statistically validated performance
  • Identifies where to scale, test, or reduce spend, with the ability to automatically apply those optimizations

Every model is fully transparent, showing exactly how decisions are made. And when you’re ready to act, applying those insights takes just a few clicks.

From Analysis to Activation

The Analytics Suite doesn’t just generate insights, it enables immediate action. Follow these simple steps:

1. Generate a Targeting, Audience, Incrementality, or Full Analysis report
2. Navigate to the Targeting section at the Campaign or Line level
3. Select the Custom Model tab
4. Enable Use Custom Models
5. Choose your model from the available list

Once enabled, your model is applied directly to Campaign and or Line delivery.

Bid recommendations vary by media type, inventory source, Deal requirements, targeting, and auction competition.

The recommendations below are intended as starting points. Actual clearing prices may vary, and bids may need to be adjusted based on delivery and available inventory.

For information on configuring Basic Bid, Bid at Total eCPM, Bid at Floor Price, Bid at Floor Price Plus, and Advanced Bid Controls, see Line Setup.

Bid Recommendations by Media Type

CTV

Typical CTV pricing ranges from approximately $28–$40 CPM, with premium inventory often available above $40 CPM.

When targeting a CTV Deal, the publisher will provide a CPM floor. We generally recommend setting the bid approximately 10–20% above the minimum floor to improve auction competitiveness.

CTV inventory may also be available through the Open Exchange at lower CPMs. However, PMP Deals are generally recommended when greater control over publisher and inventory quality is desired.

OTT

OTT PMP Deals operate in real-time bidding environments with a publisher-defined price floor. The price floor represents the minimum CPM required to participate in the auction.

These auctions can be competitive, and clearing prices may be approximately 20–40% above the Deal Price Floor. Closing CPMs commonly fall within the $20–$40 range, although actual pricing varies significantly based on factors including:

• Publisher and inventory quality
• The Deal’s position within the publisher’s waterfall
• Auction competition
• Content format, such as Live or Short Form
• Seasonality and time of year

As a starting point, we generally recommend bidding approximately 10–20% above the Deal Price Floor. If the Line is not achieving the desired scale, gradually increase the bid.

OLV

Bid prices vary depending on the video inventory and Deal. As a starting point, we generally recommend a base bid of at least $5–$10 CPM.

Run an Inventory Availability Report to review average CPMs based on your Campaign targeting and available inventory.

Audio

Audio inventory can be purchased through either the Open Exchange or PMP Deals.

Open Exchange: Typically clears between $7–$13 CPM

PMP Deals: Commonly ranges from $9–$20 CPM

Individual PMP Deals may have their own recommended bid ranges or floor prices.

Display

Display bid prices vary based on targeting criteria and Audience data. A standard starting recommendation is approximately $2–$4 CPM, although recommended bids may increase as targeting becomes more granular.

Native

Native bid prices vary based on inventory, targeting criteria, and Deal requirements. As a starting point, we recommend a bid of approximately $4 CPM. PMP Deals may have specific floor prices or bid recommendations that should be used as guidance.

Bidding Above the Floor

For inventory with a defined floor price, bidding exactly at the floor may reduce auction competitiveness.

As a general starting point, consider bidding approximately 10–20% above the floor, particularly for competitive CTV, OTT, and PMP inventory.

Pontiac’s Bid at Floor Price Plus functionality can also be used to automatically add a CPM amount or percentage above the observed floor while respecting the configured Max Bid Price.

For configuration instructions and examples, see Line Setup.

How Audience and Attribution Fees Affect Cost

By default, Audience, data, and attribution fees are applied separately from the media bid and do not need to be manually added to the Line’s Bid Price.

The Line’s media bid determines how much Pontiac can bid for the inventory, while applicable additional fees are reflected in Total Cost.

For example, if a Line has a $2.50 media bid and targets a third-party Audience with a $1.50 CPM data cost, Pontiac can bid up to $2.50 CPM for the media. The $1.50 Audience fee is applied separately when calculating Total Cost.

As a result:

• Bid Price / Media Cost CPM reflects the cost of the media.
• Total Cost / Total Cost CPM reflects the media cost plus applicable Audience, data, attribution, and other platform fees.

Note: When Bid at Total eCPM is enabled, Pontiac adjusts the media bid to account for certain applicable fees so that the total eCPM remains within the configured Bid Price. See Line Setup for the fees included in this calculation and configuration instructions.

Third-Party Audience Fees

Third-party Audiences may have an associated CPM data cost. This fee is applied separately from the media cost and included in Total Cost.

Examples of third-party Audience costs include:

• LiveRamp CRM segments: Associated Audience CPM
• TransUnion CRM segments: Associated Audience CPM
• OnSpot / Geoframed segments: Associated Audience CPM
• Other Third-Party Audiences: Associated CPM displayed for the Audience

Depending on the Audience and seat configuration, additional data commissions may also be included in Total Cost.

Contextual AI and ART Audience Fees

Contextual AI and ART Audiences may also have associated data fees. These fees are applied separately from the media bid and included in Total Cost.

If no applicable third-party Audience fee is present:

• A targeted Contextual AI Audience may apply the seat’s configured Contextual fee.
• A targeted ART Audience may apply the seat’s configured ART fee.

Foot Traffic Attribution Fees

Foot Traffic Attribution fees are also applied separately from the media bid and included in Total Cost. They do not need to be added to the Line’s bid recommendation.

Foot Traffic Attribution pricing varies based on negotiated pricing and may differ by media type.

For example, a CTV Line with a $15.00 media bid and Foot Traffic Attribution enabled will continue to bid up to $15.00 CPM for media. The applicable Foot Traffic fee is added separately when calculating Total Cost.

If Bid at Total eCPM is enabled, the Foot Traffic fee is instead accounted for when Pontiac adjusts the media bid to remain within the configured total eCPM.

Pontiac provides several tools to help diagnose Campaign and Line delivery issues, including Bid Metrics, Bid/Imp Ratios, the Blockers graph, Troubleshoot checks, Inventory Availability Reports, the Pontiac Assistant, and the Help Center.

Need Help?

For additional assistance, click the Need Help? button in the bottom-left footer of the Pontiac Platform to access the following support options:

• Pontiac Assistant: Get help with Campaign setup, delivery, troubleshooting, and optimization. Click Open the Assistant or use the blue chat icon in the upper-right corner.
• Help Center: Submit a support ticket for further investigation. Click Go to the Help Center or use the envelope icon in the upper-right corner.
• Managed Services: For hands-on Campaign management assistance, contact ebogris@progmechs.com.

For more information, see Need Help? Footer Button.

For Campaign or Line delivery issues, Bid Data is usually the best place to start. Review the delivery funnel to determine where the issue is occurring:

1. Are there Eligible Requests?
2. Are Bids being placed?
3. Are Impressions being won?
4. Is the Campaign or Line pacing to expectations?

Once you identify where delivery is being limited, use the applicable section above to investigate further.

The Need Help? button, located in the bottom-left footer of the Pontiac Platform, provides quick access to support resources and assistance.

Click Need Help? to open a popup with three support options:

• Pontiac Assistant: Click Open the Assistant to get help with Campaign setup, delivery, troubleshooting, optimization, and other platform questions. The Assistant can also automate many platform features.
• Help Center: Click Go to the Help Center to submit a support ticket or request additional assistance from the Pontiac Support team.
• Managed Services: For hands-on Campaign management assistance, contact ebogris@progmechs.com.

The Pontiac Assistant and Help Center can also be accessed directly using the blue chat icon and envelope icon in the upper-right corner of the platform.

Related Documentation

• Pontiac Assistant: Learn about the Assistant’s capabilities, supported workflows, and example prompts.
• Help Center: Learn how to submit and manage support tickets through the Help Center.

Bid metrics are displayed on the Advertiser, Campaign, and Line details pages to provide insight into the bid funnel, near-real-time delivery, auction competitiveness, and potential issues that may be affecting delivery.

Use Bid Data to understand where delivery may be restricted within the bidding process: Eligible Requests → Bids → Impressions → Confirmed Spend

Reviewing these metrics together can help determine whether a delivery issue is related to available inventory and Targeting, whether the platform is submitting bids on eligible requests, or whether submitted bids are successfully winning impressions.

Bid Data Metrics

• Time Frame: Select 15 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, or 1 day. Data is displayed in 5-minute intervals.
• Eligible Requests: Bid requests that meet the applicable Targeting criteria, including Deals, geo Targeting, inventory Targeting, Audiences, and other Targeting restrictions.
  • If there are no Eligible Requests, there may be no inventory matching the complete Targeting configuration or the Targeting may be too restrictive.
  • Review Blockers, Inventory Availability, and Troubleshoot Checks for additional insight.
• Bids: Bids placed on Eligible Requests.
  • If Eligible Requests are present but Bids are low or zero, additional serving requirements may be preventing bids from being placed.
  • These can include budget or pacing restrictions, Frequency & Recency, Creative eligibility, publisher requirements, bid requirements, or other bidder-level conditions.
• Imps: Confirmed impressions served after a submitted bid wins the auction.
  • If Bids are being placed but few or no Impressions are serving, review bid competitiveness, Deal floors, auction competition, and publisher requirements.
  • Creatives may also be subject to additional review outside of Pontiac. Pontiac audits and approves Creatives within the platform, but SSPs and publishers may have their own Creative approval processes that can temporarily or permanently affect winning bids.
• Confirmed Spend: Confirmed spend generated by impressions served during the selected Time Frame.
• Avg Eligible Lines: The average number of Lines across the platform competing for inventory that is also eligible for the Line. Higher values indicate greater competition for the same eligible inventory.
• Competitive Position: Indicates how competitive the Line is relative to other eligible Lines on the platform. Values closer to 1 indicate a stronger competitive position.

Users can hover over the charts to view the timestamp and metric value for a specific point in time.

How to Interpret Bid Data

Use the relationship between Eligible Requests, Bids, and Impressions to determine where delivery may be restricted.

• No Eligible Requests: Review Targeting, Inventory Availability, Deal activity, Creative compatibility, Audiences, and Campaign/Line Targeting intersections.
• Eligible Requests but No Bids: Review budgets, pacing, Frequency & Recency, Creative eligibility, publisher approval, Deal requirements, and bidding configuration.
• Bids but Few or No Impressions: Review bid competitiveness, Deal floors, auction competition, publisher requirements, and external Creative approval status where applicable.
• Impressions are serving but pacing is low: Review available inventory scale, budgets, Budget Multiplier, pacing configuration, Frequency & Recency, and bid competitiveness.

Tip: Bid Data should be read as a funnel. Eligible Requests but no Bids indicates a different type of delivery restriction than Bids but no Impressions. Identifying where the drop-off occurs can help narrow the next troubleshooting steps.

Bid/Imp Ratios

The Bid/Imp Ratios section provides additional insight into how efficiently eligible inventory moves through the bidding and auction process. Bid/Imp Ratios are available on the Campaign and Line Performance tabs.

Available settings and metrics include:

• Time Frame: Select 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, or 48 hours.
• Imps to Bids Ratio: The ratio of impressions delivered to bids placed. This shows how frequently submitted bids result in won impressions.
  • A higher ratio indicates that a larger share of bids are winning and converting into impressions.
  • A lower ratio indicates that many bids are being submitted without winning. This may point to an uncompetitive bid price, auction competition, Deal conditions, or inventory conditions.
• Bids to Eligible Bids Ratio: Shows how frequently the platform places a bid after a request passes Targeting eligibility.
  • A higher ratio indicates that the platform is bidding on a larger share of Eligible Requests.
  • A lower ratio indicates that requests are passing Targeting eligibility but are frequently being filtered before a bid is placed. This may point to budget or pacing constraints, Creative eligibility, Frequency & Recency, bid requirements, or other bidder-level restrictions.

Users can hover over the charts to view the timestamp and metric value for a specific point in time.

If delivery is being limited by pacing or budget allocation, increasing the Budget Multiplier or enabling Catch-up ASAP may help increase bid volume.

• Budget Multiplier: Allows the Line to spend above its calculated daily budget by applying a multiplier to the daily budget target. Increasing the multiplier gives the Line more flexibility to spend when eligible inventory is available. A 1.3 Budget Multiplier is typically recommended as a starting point when additional pacing flexibility is needed.
• Catch-up ASAP: Temporarily allows a Campaign or Line that is behind pace to spend more aggressively. While active, Catch-up ASAP overrides the configured Daily Budget and Daily Pacing Type until pacing returns to 100%, then the normal pacing configuration resumes.

These settings should only be adjusted when pacing or budget allocation is the cause of limited bid volume. They will not resolve delivery restrictions caused by Targeting, Creative eligibility, Deal availability, Frequency & Recency, publisher approval, or other serving requirements.

The Line Performance tab includes an Inventory Availability section that allows users to generate an Inventory Availability Report using the Line’s current setup.

Select Run Report to generate a new report.

The report is generated using the line’s current configuration, including:

• Inventory type
• Creative type
• Advertiser
• Campaign
• Line
• Effective targeting (Intersection of the Campaign and Line)
• Line level Audiences
  • If audiences are applied to the Campaign level, users can manually add an additional group and then run the report, but it will not be automatically included.
  • See Boolean Logic for more details on any and all logic for targeting between groups.

After a report is submitted, it appears in the Inventory Availability report table for that line.

Use Inventory Availability to determine:

• Whether inventory exists for the current setup.
• Whether targeting may be too restrictive.
• Whether selected Deals provide sufficient scale.
• What bid floors are available.
• Whether expanding targeting or inventory may improve delivery.

This is particularly useful when Eligible Requests are low or zero.

The table includes:

• Report Status: Shows whether the report is processing, complete, or has an issue
• Report ID
• Report Name: Generated using the line name and date. When users click on the name, they are taken to the full report.
• Date Submitted

Reports are ordered by Date Submitted, with the newest reports shown first.

Results

Once the report finishes processing, select the Report Name to review the results.

For additional details, see the Inventory Availability Tool

The Blockers section helps identify which types of restrictions are preventing bid requests from becoming eligible for the Line.

The horizontal bar chart groups blocked requests into the following categories:

• Geography: Requests blocked by geographic Targeting requirements.
• Deals: Requests blocked because they do not meet the applicable Deal Targeting or Deal eligibility requirements.
• Inventory: Requests blocked by inventory-related Targeting or eligibility requirements.
• Day Parting: Requests blocked because they fall outside the configured Daypart schedule.
• Audiences: Requests blocked by applicable Audience Targeting requirements.
• Creative: Requests blocked by Creative-related eligibility requirements.

Each blocker category is calculated independently. The chart is not a sequential bid funnel, and the same bid request may be blocked by more than one category.

Hover over a category to view:

• Blocked %: The category’s share of the total blocked counts across the blocker categories currently displayed.
• Total Blocked: The total number of bid requests blocked by that category.

All visible Blocked % values add up to 100%.

Use the legend below the chart to hide or restore individual blocker categories. The chart automatically rescales based on the categories currently displayed.

A larger Blocked % can help identify which part of the Line configuration is contributing most heavily to restricted inventory.

Important: A request can be blocked by multiple categories. Reducing one blocker does not guarantee that the request will become eligible if another Targeting or eligibility requirement still blocks it.

Use Blockers together with Bid Data and Troubleshoot Checks when investigating delivery. Blockers shows where requests are being filtered at a high level, while Troubleshoot Checks provides more specific validation and recommended areas to review.

The Troubleshoot feature runs a series of checks designed to identify common delivery blockers related to Campaign and Line setup, Audiences, Creatives, Deals, Targeting, budgets, bidding, Dayparts, and auction performance. Select the Run All button to see the results of each check.

To access the feature:

1. Open the applicable Line.
2. Navigate to the Performance tab.
3. Review the Troubleshoot section below Bid Data.

Use Troubleshoot Checks together with Bid Data, Blockers, and Inventory Availability to determine where delivery may be restricted.

Troubleshoot Checks can return:

• Pass: The applicable delivery requirement is satisfied.
• Warning: The check cannot be fully verified or part of the configuration requires review.
• Fail: The check identified a condition that may prevent or limit delivery.

Status, Audience, and Auction Checks

• Active Status: Confirms that the Advertiser, Campaign, Line, and current Flight (when Flights are enabled) are all active.
  • Pass: All applicable objects are active.
  • Fail: One or more objects are inactive.
    • The following are inactive: {Object Name} (ID: {object_id}). To resolve this issue, set the inactive object(s) to active.
  • Warning: Flights are enabled, but no Flight covers the current date. This may be intentional if delivery is paused. If delivery is expected, review the Flight dates.
• Associated Audience Valid Records: Confirms that the effective audiences associated with the line have valid records available for targeting.
  • Pass: The associated audience(s) have valid records available for targeting: {audience_1} has {audience_1_records} valid records {audience_2} has {audience_2_records} valid records
  • Warning: The associated audience(s) have partially invalid record availability. The associated audience(s) have valid records available for targeting: {audience_1} has {audience_1_records} valid records. The associated audiences have 0 valid records and will not serve: {audience_2}, {audience_3}. These may limit overall delivery.
  • Fail: All associated audiences have 0 valid records and will not serve: {audience_1}, {audience_2}, {audience_3}
  • A Warning may still allow delivery, but Audiences with no valid records can reduce available scale depending on the configured Audience logic.
• Auction Win Validation: Confirms that the Line has recently won auctions and served Impressions.
  • Pass: The Line is successfully winning auctions.
  • Fail: No qualifying Impressions were found.
  • If the Line is bidding but not yet winning Impressions, the Creative may still be undergoing an SSP or publisher Creative audit or approval process. These external review periods can take up to 24 hours in some cases and may temporarily prevent the Creative from winning inventory even when Pontiac is actively bidding.
  • This check reviews Impressions from the previous 48 hours. Recently won Impressions may appear in Bid Data before this check updates, so use Bid Data for the most current activity.

Bidding Checks

• Bid Price vs Deal Floor Validation: Confirms that the Line’s bid meets or exceeds the floor price requirements of targeted Deals.
  • Pass: The bid meets or exceeds the applicable Deal floor.
  • Fail: The Line bid is below the floor for one or more targeted Deals.

Creative Checks

• Creative Active Status: Ensures at least one creative is active
  • Pass: At least one creative associated with the line is active and eligible to receive bid requests.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because there are no active creatives associated. The failure message identifies the Deal, Deal Floor, and current Bid Price.
  • Passing this check confirms that the bid meets the minimum floor. It does not guarantee the bid is competitive enough to win auctions.
• Creative Active Status: Confirms that at least one Creative associated with the Line is Active.
  • Pass: At least one associated Creative is Active.
  • Fail: No Active Creatives are associated with the Line.
• Creative Approval Status: Confirms that at least one associated Creative is approved in Pontiac for serving.
  • Pass: At least one Creative is approved.
  • Fail: The associated Creative or Creatives are not approved.
• Creative Duration Compatibility: For video and audio inventory, confirms that at least one Creative duration is supported by the targeted Deals.
  • Pass: At least one creative duration(s) is supported by the targeted deal(s).
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because creative durations are not supported by the targeted deal(s).
• Creative Size Compatibility: Validates creative size against deal requirements
  • Pass: At least one creative size is supported by the targeted deal(s).
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because creative sizes are not supported by the targeted deal(s).
• Creative Sensitive Category Compatibility: Confirms that Creatives assigned a sensitive category are targeting inventory that permits that category.
  • Pass: Creative sensitive category is compatible with at least one targeted deal.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the creative(s): {creative_ids} must target a deal that allows for the creative’s sensitive category. If a creative has a sensitive category, it is not eligible to run on the open exchange.

Budget and Dayparts Checks

• Daily Budget: Confirms that the line’s calculated daily budget is greater than $0.
  • Pass: The line has a daily budget of {line_daily_budget} and is eligible to spend.
  • Fail: The line is not eligible to spend because its calculated daily budget is $0.
    • The message identifies the applicable budget setting or settings that may need to be updated.
    • Depending on the line’s budget configuration, this may include:
      • Line Budget Allocation Weight
      • Line Budget Multiplier
      • Current Flight Budget
      • Current Flight Line Budget Allocation Weight
      • Current Flight Line Budget Multiplier
    • Only settings applicable to the line’s current budget and flight configuration are included.
    • The check will also fail when the campaign, flight, or line has no remaining budget.
      • Remaining Budget Fail: The line is not eligible to spend because the remaining budget is $0. If the line should continue delivering, increase the applicable campaign, flight, or line budget.
• Dayparts Status: Confirms whether the line is currently eligible to serve based on its configured dayparting schedule.
  • Pass: The line is currently inside its active daypart window and is eligible to serve based on its dayparting schedule.
  • Fail: The line is currently outside of its active daypart window and is not eligible to serve based on its configured dayparting schedule.
    • A failed result reflects the line’s eligibility at the time the check is run. The line may become eligible when its next active daypart window begins.

Deal Availability and Compatibility Checks

• Deal Bid Request Availability: Confirms targeted deals are sending requests
  • Pass: Targeted deal(s) are actively sending bid requests and eligible inventory is available.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} are not sending bid requests.
• Deal Device Type Compatibility: Validates device targeting matches deal traffic
  • Pass: At least one targeted device type is compatible with device types observed in the targeted deal(s).
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} do not support the targeted device types.
• Deal Exchange Compatibility: Ensures exchange alignment with deals
  • Pass: At least one targeted exchange aligns with exchanges serving the targeted deal(s).
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} and targeted exchanges are not aligned.
  • Warning: Unable to verify exchange compatibility for the targeted Deal(s): {deal_1}: {exchange_1}, {deal_2}: {exchange_2}. Insufficient deal sample log data is available. Please verify exchange compatibility manually.
• Deal Inventory Type Compatibility: Validates that the line’s selected Inventory Type is compatible with the inventory type of its targeted deal(s). A line only needs one compatible targeted deal for this check to pass.
  • Pass: At least one targeted deal matches the line’s selected Inventory Type, and the line is eligible to receive bid requests.
  • Pass – Deal Inventory Type Undefined: The targeted deal(s): {deal_ids} do not have an Inventory Type defined. Compatibility with the line’s Inventory Type: {line_inventory_type} cannot be confirmed. Please review manually.
  • Fail: No targeted deals match the line’s current Inventory Type: {line’s inventory type}. Update the line’s Inventory Type or target compatible deals to enable delivery.
  • Line Inventory Type and Compatible Deal Inventory Type
    • Web: Web or Combined
    • In App: In App or Combined
    • Combined: Web, In App, or Combined
• Deal Media Type Compatibility: Confirms creative type matches deal media type
  • Pass: At least one creative type is compatible with the targeted deal(s).
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} have media types that do not match the associated creatives.
• Deal Publisher Approval Status: Verifies publisher approval requirements
  • Pass: At least one targeted deal has satisfied publisher approval requirements and is eligible for bidding.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} require publisher approval.
• Deal Required Field Presence: Ensures required fields are present in requests
  • Pass: At least one targeted deal is passing the required field(s) in bid requests and is eligible for delivery.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the deal(s): {deal_ids} do not pass the required field(s) in bid requests. Deal {deal_id}: Missing {field_name}

Campaign and Line Targeting Intersection Checks

Campaign- and Line-level Targeting are evaluated together. These checks confirm that settings applied at both levels have an intersection.

• Deal Targeting Intersection: Ensures campaign and line deal targeting overlap
  • Pass: Campaign and line deal targeting settings intersect.
  • Fail: Campaign and line deal targeting parameters have no intersection. Ensures that when targeting is applied to both levels that they match or have an intersection.
• Device Targeting Intersection: Confirms device targeting alignment
  • Pass: Campaign and line device targeting settings intersect.
  • Fail: Campaign and line device targeting parameters have no intersection. Ensures that when targeting is applied to both levels that they match or have an intersection.
• Exchange Targeting Intersection: Confirms exchange targeting alignment
  • Pass: Campaign and line exchange targeting settings intersect.
  • Fail: Campaign and line exchange targeting parameters have no intersection. Ensure that when targeting is applied to both levels that they match or have an intersection.
• Geo Targeting Intersection: Confirms geo targeting overlap
  • Pass: Campaign and line geo targeting settings intersect.
  • Fail: Campaign and line geo targeting parameters have no intersection. Ensure that when targeting is applied to both levels that they match or have an intersection.

Exchange-Specific Checks

• Microsoft Creative Audit Approval: Validates Microsoft exchange approval if targeting Microsoft as an Exchange.
  • Pass: At least one creative is approved for the Microsoft exchange and eligible to receive bid requests.
  • Fail: The line is not showing eligible requests because the creative(s): {creative_ids} are not approved for Microsoft.

Open Exchange Lines

If no Deals are targeted and the Line is using open exchange inventory, Deal-specific checks are treated as not applicable and display:

• No deals targeted; check not applicable for open exchange.

Additional Manual Troubleshooting

Automated checks provide a strong starting point, but some delivery issues require additional investigation.

Before working through the manual troubleshooting steps below, users can also ask the Pontiac Assistant for help reviewing the Line’s configuration and delivery signals. The Pontiac Assistant can help interpret Bid Data, Blockers, Inventory Availability, Troubleshoot Checks, and other Line settings to identify likely causes of limited delivery and recommend areas to review.

For more details, see Ask the Pontiac Assistant.

A useful troubleshooting order is: Eligible Requests → Bids → Impressions → Pacing

No Eligible Requests

If the Line has no Eligible Requests, first determine whether inventory exists that satisfies the full configuration.

Review the following:

• Creative Audit Status: Pending Creatives cannot receive Eligible Requests until Pontiac’s Creative audit is complete. Rejected Creatives cannot serve.
• Inventory Availability: Run an Inventory Availability Report using the Line’s current Targeting. Very low or zero estimated inventory may indicate overly restrictive Targeting.
• Inventory Type Compatibility: Confirm that Web, In App, or Combined aligns with the selected Media Type, Device Type, and Creative Type.
• Campaign and Line Targeting: Confirm that settings at both levels intersect. For example, Campaign Targeting for Florida combined with Line Targeting for Alabama would result in no eligible inventory.
• Publisher Creative Requirements: Review Deal sample logs for Creative size, duration, bitrate, category, protocol, and other publisher requirements.
• Contextual AI: Contextual AI should not be used with In App-only inventory because it relies on web-page content.
• Content-Level Targeting: Confirm that targeted content values match the fields and formatting present in Deal sample requests.
• Require Settings: If options such as Require Network or Require Channel are enabled, confirm that targeted Deals actually pass those fields.
• Deal Activity: Review the Deal’s Last Served date to confirm that it is still active.
• Deal Sample Logs: Confirm Deal floor, Creative requirements, Media Type, and other inventory characteristics align with the Line configuration.

Eligible Requests but No Bids

If Eligible Requests exist but no Bids are being placed, the request has passed Targeting but another serving requirement may be blocking bidding.

Review the following:

• Publisher Approval: Determine whether the targeted Deal requires Creative approval from the publisher.
• Sensitive Categories: Confirm that Deals explicitly permit any sensitive category assigned to the Creative.
• Bid Configuration: Confirm that bids are set correctly for the targeted Deals.
• Basic Bid: The Bid Price must meet the applicable Deal floor.
• Advanced Bid Controls: When targeting multiple Deals, individual Deal bids can be configured independently.
• Max Bid Price: To bid on all targeted Deals, the applicable maximum bid must meet the floor of each Deal.

If these settings appear correct and no Bids are being placed, contact the Help Center for additional investigation.

Bids but No Impressions

If Bids are being submitted but the Line is not winning Impressions, focus on auction competitiveness and publisher requirements.

Review the following:

• Bid at Floor Price: If enabled, the Line bids at the Deal floor even when a higher maximum bid is configured. Disabling this option may allow a more competitive bid.
• Bid Price: Test incremental bid increases to determine whether win rate improves.
• Publisher Requirements: Publishers may have additional Creative specifications or approval requirements that affect whether submitted bids can win.

Deal sample logs and publisher specifications can provide additional detail about bitrate, VAST version, Creative dimensions, duration, and other requirements.

If the Line continues bidding without winning Impressions after these checks, contact the Help Center.

Impressions Are Serving but Delivery Is Low

If the Line is winning Impressions but is not pacing as expected, review whether the Line has enough available scale and enough budget flexibility to increase delivery.

Consider:

• Inventory Availability: Confirm that sufficient estimated inventory exists for the current configuration.
• Additional Deals: Run Inventory Availability without the current Deal restriction to identify other inventory sources that may provide scale.
• Targeting Expansion: Consider adding inventory or expanding applicable Geo or Audience Targeting.
• Bid Floors: Review Inventory Availability and Deal data to understand applicable bid floors.
• Budget Multiplier: Increase the Budget Multiplier when additional daily pacing flexibility is appropriate. A 1.3 Budget Multiplier is typically recommended as a starting point when additional flexibility is needed.
• Budget Allocation Weight: Allocate more Campaign budget to Lines that have available scale and are pacing effectively.
• Catch-up ASAP: Enable Catch-up ASAP when a Campaign or Line is behind pace and should temporarily spend more aggressively. Catch-up ASAP overrides the Daily Budget and Daily Pacing Type until pacing returns to 100%.
• Frequency & Recency: Increase Frequency Caps when the existing limits are unnecessarily restricting scale.
• Bid Price: A low win rate may indicate that the Line’s bid is not competitive. Test incremental increases and review how win rate and delivery respond.

Important: Budget or pacing changes will not resolve a Line that is restricted by Targeting, Deal availability, Creative eligibility, publisher approval, or another serving requirement. Use Bid Data, Blockers, Inventory Availability, and Troubleshoot Checks together to identify the actual point of restriction before making changes.

The Pontiac Assistant can be used as an additional troubleshooting resource when reviewing Campaign and Line delivery.

Users can ask the Assistant questions about platform settings, troubleshooting messages, targeting configuration, pacing, Deals, creatives, and other Campaign setup questions.

For full documentation, see Pontiac Assistant: In Platform Chatbot.

For the most useful response, provide relevant context such as:

• Advertiser ID or Name
• Campaign ID or Name
• Line ID or Name
• Creative ID
• Deal ID
• Troubleshoot error or warning
• Relevant Bid Metrics
• Expected versus actual delivery behavior

Example questions include:

• Why is Campaign ID: 1234 not spending?
• What does this Troubleshoot warning mean?
• Why do I have Eligible Requests but no Bids?
• How do Campaign and Line targeting interact?
• What could be preventing my creative from serving on a Deal?

The Pontiac Assistant can help guide troubleshooting, while the platform’s Bid Data, Blockers, Troubleshoot checks, and Inventory Availability tools provide the underlying delivery information needed for investigation.

Example

Prompt:

Why is Campaign ID: 1234 not spending?

Pontiac Assistant Response:

Here is what is going on with campaign 1234 (“ABC Example”).

Overall status: the campaign itself is active, and it did spend earlier — $100 of its $300 budget, but pacing shows it stopped spending. Looking at the bid funnel, requests and bids were healthy through August 1st at 5pm, then collapsed to essentially zero bids placed since then. So this isn’t “never delivered,” it’s “stopped delivering on the evening of the 1st.”

The cause, from the troubleshoot checks on both active lines (56789 “A” and 24680 “B”):

1. Deal media type mismatch (the big one, and it lines up with the timing). Your change history shows that at 2026-08-15 16:55, a deal list called “CTV Deals” (100 deals) was added to this campaign’s targeting. Pontiac’s check says every one of those deals has a media type that doesn’t match the creatives currently associated with these lines (six html5 banner creatives). That addition is almost certainly what killed delivery — the timestamp matches exactly where your bid volume drops off in the bid-ratio data.

What I’d suggest:

• Review the “CTV Deals” deal list (id 10) against the creatives on these lines. Either swap in creatives whose media type matches those deals, or remove/replace the mismatched deals from the line/campaign’s deal targeting.

The Help Center is the primary way to contact the Pontiac team for platform support, troubleshooting, account questions, and feature requests.

Use the Help Center to submit a support ticket, provide relevant campaign or account details, attach screenshots or videos, and track responses from the Pontiac team in one place.

For the fastest response, include as much relevant information as possible when submitting your ticket, such as applicable IDs, names, screenshots, error messages, and a clear description of the issue.

Create a Support Ticket

Step 1: Navigate to the Help Center

You can access the Help Center in two ways:

1. From anywhere in the platform, select the Messages icon in the top navigation to open the Help Center.
2. Or, navigate to Admin > Help Center.

Step 2: Select Start New Conversation

Then select Start New Conversation to open the support ticket form and submit a new request to the Pontiac team.

1. Click on the Help Center tab.
2. Click the Start New Conversation button to open the support ticket form.
   • Here you will be able to submit a support ticket and the Pontiac team will efficiently and happily assist you with a variety of issues and questions.

Step 3: Fill Out the New Conversation Form

The following fields will appear:

• Title: Provide a brief summary of the issue or request.
• User: Your user name which will be auto-filled.
• Date: The date of submission which will be auto-filled.
• Urgency: Indicate how critical the issue is. Select Normal or Uber Important.
• Status: Current status of the ticket. This is set to Open by default. Once the issue is resolved you or a Pontiac team member will change the status to Resolved to close out the ticket.
• What can we help with?: Select the category that best matches your issue:
  • Product Support: Questions or issues related to the platform’s functionality.
  • Creative Issues: Problems related to creative (incorrect category, upload issue, macro questions, etc.).
  • Audience Onboarding: Requests or questions about importing or targeting audience segments (Liveramp or Transunion account set up, lookalike audience questions, creating custom pixel audiences, etc.)
  • Reporting: Questions or issues with analytics, metrics, or data exports.
  • Billing: Questions related to margin, invoicing, spend, or payment issues.
  • API: Issues or questions about API access, endpoints, or integrations.
  • White Label Issues: Problems specific to branded or custom instances of the platform.
  • Platform Suggestions: Requests for feature enhancements, improvements, or general feedback.
• Message: Provide a detailed description of the issue or question. To help the Pontiac team respond as quickly as possible, include all relevant IDs and/or Names where applicable. Examples include: User ID, the Advertiser ID and Name, Campaign ID and Name, Line ID and Name, Creative ID or Name, Pixel ID or Name, etc. The more specific information you provide, the faster and more accurately the support team can address your request.
• Additional Recipients: Email addresses of anyone who should receive update notifications for this conversation. Important: All responses must be made through the Help Center ticketing interface, not via the email notification, to ensure your updates are properly logged and tracked.
• Attachments: Upload screenshots or videos to support your ticket. This is especially useful for bug-related issues, as visual evidence can help the support team diagnose and resolve problems more quickly.

Step 4: Submit or Save

• Click Save to submit the ticket to the Pontiac team.
• Click Cancel if you do not want to submit.

The Pontiac team will review your ticket and provide assistance as quickly as possible.

View and Manage Support Tickets

After a ticket has been submitted, you can return to the Help Center at any time to view the conversation, review responses from the Pontiac team, provide additional information, or update the ticket status.

View a Response

When the Pontiac team responds to a ticket, the response will be added to the existing Help Center conversation.

1. Open the Help Center by selecting the Messages icon in the top navigation or navigating to Admin > Help Center.
2. Select the conversation you want to review.
3. Review the latest response and the previous conversation history.
4. Add a new response if additional information or follow-up is needed.

If email notifications are enabled for you or any Additional Recipients, an email may also be sent when the conversation is updated. All responses should still be made through the Help Center, rather than replying directly to the notification email, so the complete conversation remains logged in the ticket.

Close a Ticket

Once the issue or request has been resolved, the ticket can be closed by updating the Status from Open to Resolved. Either you or a Pontiac team member may mark the conversation as Resolved once no additional assistance is needed.

Resolved conversations remain available in the Help Center so you can refer back to the discussion if needed.

Reopen a Ticket

If additional assistance is needed after a ticket has been resolved, reopen the existing conversation by changing the Status from Resolved back to Open and adding a new response with any relevant details.

Whenever possible, reopen the existing ticket when your question relates to the same issue. This keeps the previous troubleshooting history, attachments, and responses together and gives the Pontiac team helpful context.

For a new or unrelated issue, select Start New Conversation and create a separate support ticket.

Targeting settings in Pontiac can be applied at either the Campaign level and/or the Line level. Understanding how these interact is key to ensuring your impressions remain eligible.

The Intersection Rule

• Campaign level targeting acts as a global filter for all line items under that campaign.
• Line level targeting applies only to the specific line.
• When targeting is applied at both levels, the effective targeting is the intersection of the two:
  • Effective Targeting = Campaign Targeting ∩ Line Targeting
• This means an impression must satisfy all conditions applied at both levels in order to be eligible.
  

Best Practices

• Use campaign level targeting when the parameter applies universally to all lines (e.g., every line must serve only in the US).
• Use line level targeting when the parameter is unique to a strategy (e.g., one line targets ZIPs in California, another in New York).
• Apply settings at one level only whenever possible, unless the intent is to explicitly restrict eligible inventory via intersection.

Rejected Creatives

Creative audit results will be displayed under ‘Audit Status’ next to the name of the Creative, in the ‘Creatives’ section of the Advertiser, Campaign, or Line. If your Creative is rejected, a red box will appear here. Hover over this symbol to view additional information about the audit status. Pontiac Intelligence is unable to change the audit results of Xandr/AppNexus & RiskIQ. 

Audit results can only be changed by resolving the issue that caused the Creative to be rejected. If you think your Creative was rejected incorrectly, reach out to the Pontiac Team through the Help Center.

• Rejected, Does not display properly: First check to see if there is a preview of the Creative in the green preview box in Pontiac and verify that the Creative fits in the designated area. If it does not fit correctly in the box you may have chosen the incorrect Creative size. You can edit the size then select ‘Save’. The Creative will be sent to audit and this process may take up to one business day to complete.
• Rejected, Fails to render: If you are using an ad server tag, verify that the code you uploaded in Pontiac renders on your end. Check with your ad server that the tag is active and available. Email your Account Manager or reach out through the Help Center for additional help.
• Rejected, Creative brand does not match Creative landing page: The brand displayed in the ad should match the brand of the website that the ad is driving users to. In order for this Creative to be accepted, you must change the brand displayed in the Creative, or change the Click URL to drive to this brand’s website. If you are driving to a third-party marketplace or other page that does not depict your branding, such as Amazon, check the ‘Use Alternative Mobile Click Url’ and enter a URL that contains the same branding represented in your ad. The audit team will use this URL to validate the branding represented in the creative. This will not be used as the landing page for the creative. Once you have edited the Creative details, ‘Save’ and close the Creative upload window. The Creative will be sent to audit and this process may take up to one business day to complete
• Rejected, Creative does not click through properly: Your Creative will be rejected if the Creative is clicked and does not open a landing page, if the Creative is clicked and a landing page opens, but no content loads or if the Creative is clicked and a landing page loads, but an error keeps any content from being displayed. In any of these cases you must either update the landing page and then click ‘Reaudit’ or change the Click URL for the Creative and click ‘save’. The Creative will be sent to audit and this process may take up to one business day to complete.
• Rejected, Malicious: Your account will be suspended, you will be notified in writing and an investigation will take place within three business days. Pontiac clients who upload ads deemed malicious will lose access to the platform and forfeit deposited funds.

Incorrect IAB Creative Category

The IAB category assigned to your creative can be found by clicking on the creative name to open the creative details window. This field is displayed below the creative in the ‘Creative Category’ field:

These categories come from the Open RTB Specs, that can be found here in table 5.1 ‘Content Categories’: Open RTB Specs v2.5

If you believe your creative has been assigned an incorrect IAB category, please submit a ticket through the Help Center. Be sure to include the Advertiser Name and ID associated with the creative in question so we can assist you promptly.

What is Pontiac MCP?

Pontiac MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a secure integration that allows ChatGPT and Claude Code to connect directly to the Pontiac DSP platform.

It enables users to:

• View and manage advertisers, campaigns, and lines
• Pull performance data and pacing insights
• Create and update campaigns, creatives, and targeting
• Explore inventory, deals, and audiences

In short: it lets you operate Pontiac using natural language inside ChatGPT or Claude Code instead of navigating the UI manually.

Once connected, you can ask ChatGPT things like:

• “Show me campaigns that are under pacing”
• “Create a new CTV campaign for $10K in California”
• “What’s my spend this week by campaign?”

This turns ChatGPT into a hands-on campaign management assistant.

What is the MCP Best Used For?

Pontiac MCP is most powerful when used to speed up workflows, reduce manual effort, and surface insights instantly.

Campaign Management

• Quickly create, update, or duplicate campaigns without navigating multiple UI pages
• Make bulk edits or adjustments using simple prompts

Performance Monitoring

• Instantly check pacing, spend, and performance across campaigns
• Identify underperforming or overspending campaigns in seconds

Troubleshooting & Optimization

• Diagnose delivery issues (e.g., under pacing, no eligible bids)
• Quickly adjust targeting, budgets, or creatives

Data Exploration

• Pull reports and break down performance without building manually in the interface
• Ask questions and get answers in real time instead of digging through dashboards

Operational Efficiency

• Reduce time spent on repetitive tasks
• Minimize context switching between tools
• Enable faster decision-making and execution

MCP turns Pontiac into a conversational interface for campaign management, helping you move faster, work smarter, and focus on strategy instead of manual setup.

Follow the instructions below to connect to the Pontiac MCP through ChatGPT:

1. Go to ChatGPT
2. Open ChatGPT Settings
   • Click your profile (bottom left)
   • Select Settings

3. Navigate to Apps / Connectors

4. Select Advance Settings > Create App

5. Input the following information:

• Give the app a name: For example Pontiac DSP
• Enter the MCP Server URL: https://ai.pontiac.media/mcp
• Check the I understand and want to continue checkbox
• Click Create.

6. The screen will then take you to the Pontiac login console page. Enter your Username and Password as normal. Click Login.

7. Ensure MCP connection.

8. Start playing around! Some examples to kick off with:

Connection

Check on active advertisers

Get information about specific advertisers: Number of Lines

This guide covers installing Claude Code on Windows and connecting it to the Pontiac MCP server for programmatic campaign management and data access.

1. Install Claude Code
   • Run in PowerShell: irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
   • Install location: C:\Users\.local\bin\claude.exe
2. Configure PATH
   • Add your User PATH: C:\Users\.local\bin
   • Restart PowerShell
   • Verify installation: claude –help
     • Expected output: CLI help output with commands like mcp, agents, auth, etc.
3. Add Pontiac MCP Server
   • Run: claude mcp add –transport http pontiac https://ai.pontiac.media/mcp
   • Verify MCP registration: claude mcp list
     • Expected output: pontiac: https://ai.pontiac.media/mcp (HTTP) – Needs authentication
4. Launch Claude Code
   • Run: claude
   • Initial setup:
     • Select a theme
     • Confirm workspace access
5. Authenticate Pontiac MCP
   • Inside Claude Code run: /mcp
   • Select pontiac
   • Complete authentication via browser or provided link and enter your pontiac username and password as normal
   • Return to Claude Code
6. Confirm Connection
   • Run: /mcp
   • Expected output:

7. Run prompts to interact with the Pontiac MCP to manage campaigns.

Below are some example natural language prompts to easily start using the Pontiac MCP!

Connection

Prompt: check pontiac dsp connection

Example response:

Please note that periods of inactivity will require you to reconnect and reauthenticate.

ChatGPT Reconnection Steps:

1. Navigate to account settings on the bottom left corner.
2. Select Apps.
3. Click the three dots next to disconnect.
4. Click the Reconnect button.
5. Use Pontiac credentials to authenticate.

Active Advertisers

Prompt: check all active advertisers

Example response:

Creatives Check

Prompt: what type of creatives are uploaded to the papaya king advertiser?

Example Response:

Prompt: what creatives under rock hard ads have been approved?

Performance

Prompt: break down performance by exchange / device / geo for {insert campaign name here}

Example Response:

What is the Pontiac Assistant?

With great power comes great responsibility. – Stan Lee

The Pontiac Assistant brings Pontiac MCP capabilities directly into the Pontiac platform, allowing users to interact with the DSP using natural language without leaving the interface.

Instead of navigating through multiple screens, manually building reports, or searching for individual campaign settings, users can ask the Assistant questions or give it instructions directly within Pontiac.

The Assistant brings Pontiac’s automation, campaign management tools, reporting, and documentation together in one conversational interface. It can perform work in bulk, create and edit campaigns and lines, analyze performance, troubleshoot delivery, and guide you through campaign setup from scratch.

Use the Assistant deliberately. Be specific about what you want it to do and review the information it returns before relying on it.

Beta: The Pontiac Assistant is currently a beta feature. It can make real changes to your Pontiac account and live campaign configurations. Review proposed changes before confirming them and verify completed changes in the platform afterward.

Anything created through the Assistant is inactive by default and will not begin serving automatically. Editing an existing campaign or line also does not change its active status unless activation is explicitly requested.

Where to Find It

The Pontiac Assistant can be accessed directly from the main Pontiac navigation bar. Select the blue chat icon in the upper-right corner of the platform, next to the notifications bell, to open the Pontiac Assistant.

Once opened, enter a question or instruction in the chat. Prompts can be written naturally—you do not need to know API endpoints, database fields, or MCP tool names.

Managing Your Assistant Window and Chat History

• Minimize the Assistant:
  • You can minimize the Pontiac Assistant at any time while continuing to work elsewhere in the platform.
  • Select the minimize icon at the top of the Assistant window to collapse the chat.
  • To reopen it, select the plus icon between New chat and the X.
  • Minimizing the Assistant allows you to move between the conversation and other areas of Pontiac without ending the chat.

• Close the Assistant:
  • Select the X at the top of the Assistant window to close it.
  • Closing the Assistant removes the chat window from your current view, but you can reopen the Assistant at any time by selecting the blue chat icon in the main navigation bar.
• Review Previous Chats:
  • Previously saved conversations can be reopened from the Assistant’s chat history. This allows you to review earlier questions, responses, recommendations, and completed workflows without starting over.
  • Select the arrow button next to the Pontiac Assistant name to view your previous chats.
  • Click each rows x to clear the chat from the history.
  • Chat history is isolated by both user and seat:
    • User: Your conversations are private to your Pontiac user. Other users within the same seat do not see your Assistant chat history.
    • Seat: Chat history is also specific to the seat in which the conversation occurred. If you have access to multiple seats, conversations from one seat will not appear while working within another seat.

• Continuing a Previous Conversation
  • Select a previous chat to reopen it and review the conversation history. You can then continue asking follow-up questions within that same conversation.
  • Keep in mind that campaign settings and performance data may have changed since the conversation originally took place. When returning to an older chat, ask the Assistant to recheck the current setup or performance before relying on previously returned information.

How to Upload a Creative

Creatives can also be uploaded directly through the Pontiac Assistant, either individually or in bulk.

1. Open the Pontiac Assistant.
2. Select the + button next to Send.
3. Choose the creative file you want to upload.
4. Send the file to the Assistant and follow the prompts to complete the creative upload.

The Pontiac Assistant accepts the following creative formats:

• Image
• ZIP
• Video
• Audio

Now that you’ve seen how the Pontiac Assistant works, start experimenting with your own prompts.

Ask questions, explore campaign performance, review setup, troubleshoot delivery, or try supported bulk updates. The more specific you are about what you want to accomplish, the more useful the Assistant can be.

A few ideas to try:

• “Show me all active campaigns.”
• “Which campaigns are under pacing?”
• “Summarize the setup for Campaign 14142.”
• “Why is this line not spending?”
• “What creatives are approved for this advertiser?”
• “Show me performance by exchange for the last 7 days.”
• “How does Primetime pacing work?”
• “Walk me through creating a new campaign.”

You can also ask follow-up questions and build on the same conversation rather than starting over.

Start simple, review the results, and keep exploring. The Pontiac Assistant is designed to help you spend less time navigating the platform and more time getting things done.

Not sure where to begin? Ask the Assistant what it can do.

Example Prompt: What capabilities do you have?

Example Output:

I’m your Pontiac RTB assistant — I help manage programmatic advertising campaigns on the Pontiac DSP. Here’s what I can do:

Setting things up

• Create and manage advertisers (brands/clients)
• Create campaigns (budgets, flight dates, targeting)
• Create lines (bid prices, geo/device/inventory targeting)
• Create and associate creatives (video, display, audio, CTV, HTML5)
• Set up conversion tracking pixels and audiences (custom, third-party, or ART/lookalike)

Targeting options

• Geography (countries, states/regions, DMAs, zip codes)
• Device types, browsers, operating systems
• Exchanges, deal lists, site/app lists
• Dayparting, frequency capping
• Private marketplace deals (browse, import, and build deal lists)

Budget and pacing

• Even or ASAP pacing
• Daily budget caps
• Flighted budgets (splitting a campaign’s budget across dated periods, with optional rollover)

Monitoring and optimization

• Performance metrics by campaign, line, creative, geography, device, exchange, deal, or day
• Real-time bid data and pacing reports
• Custom reports (flexible dimensions/metrics, exportable)
• Bulk updates across multiple campaigns or lines
• Cloning a proven campaign as a starting point for a new one

Other useful things

• Searching across all your entities by name or ID
• Reference data lookups (DMAs, regions, exchanges, IAB categories, etc.)
• Templates for quick campaign/line setup
• A guided step-by-step campaign builder for more complex setups
• Wiki search for how-to and conceptual questions about the platform
• Support ticketing if you need to reach the Pontiac team

Bulk Update: Increase the bid price by $1.00 on all active lines under Campaign 14142

Currently, the line has the following bid prices for the following 13 lines.

Example Response:

All 13 lines under campaign 14142 are currently active.

Here’s the current state and the new $1.00 increase:

Group A — currently $24.00 → new $25.00 (4 lines)

• 72751 CTV – Premium Endemic – Channels
• 72752 CTV – Premium Endemic – Series
• 72753 CTV – Premium Endemic – Networks
• 72754 CTV – Premium Endemic – Apps

Group B — currently $25.00 → new $26.00 (7 lines)

• 72755 CTV – Value Endemic – Channels
• 72756 CTV – Value Endemic – Networks
• 72757 CTV – Value Endemic – Apps
• 72758 CTV – Premium Reach – Channels
• 72759 CTV – Premium Reach – Series
• 72760 CTV – Premium Reach – Networks
• 72761 CTV – Premium Reach – Apps

Group C — currently $14.00 → new $15.00 (2 lines)

• 72762 CTV – RON Reach
• 72763 CTV – Open Exchange

Reminder: this bulk update will set all 13 lines to inactive as an enforced side effect of the MCP write — they will stop serving and you’ll need to reactivate them afterward in the Pontiac UI.

Shall I proceed with these three bulk updates?

User Response: Yes

Example Response:

All 13 bid price updates completed successfully:

• Lines 72751–72754: now $25.00 CPM
• Lines 72755–72761: now $26.00 CPM
• Lines 72762–72763: now $15.00 CPM

Result:

Refreshing the page, you can see that the bid prices did increase by $1.00.

Upload A Creative

Example Prompt: Upload this banner under advertiser id: 966

Example Response:

I can upload Pontiac_display_300x250.jpg as a first-party banner creative under advertiser 966 (lily_tests). A couple of things I need to confirm before creating it:

1. Name for the creative — I’ll suggest “Pontiac Display 300×250” unless you’d prefer something else.
2. Click-through URL — where should clicks on this banner land? (I’ll default to the advertiser’s site, https://pontiac.media, if you don’t have a specific landing page.)

Let me know, or just say “go ahead with defaults.”

Proceed with the upload and refresh the page to ensure the creative uploaded successfully! The creative will automatically go through Pontiac’s auditing system and once approved, is ready to begin serving impressions.

Start Exploring

Now that you’ve seen how the Pontiac Assistant works, start experimenting with your own prompts.

Ask questions, explore campaign performance, review setup, troubleshoot delivery, or try supported bulk updates. The more specific you are about what you want to accomplish, the more useful the Assistant can be.

A few ideas to try:

• “Show me all active campaigns.”
• “Which campaigns are under pacing?”
• “Summarize the setup for Campaign 14142.”
• “Why is this line not spending?”
• “What creatives are approved for this advertiser?”
• “Show me performance by exchange for the last 7 days.”
• “How does Primetime pacing work?”
• “Walk me through creating a new campaign.”

You can also ask follow-up questions and build on the same conversation rather than starting over.

Start simple, review the results, and keep exploring. The Pontiac Assistant is designed to help you spend less time navigating the platform and more time getting things done.

A Seat is the top level account structure within Pontiac. It represents the primary workspace through which users access and manage Advertisers, Audiences, account settings, and other platform functionality.

Seat level settings determine items such as:

• Users and access permissions
• Seat timezone and preferences
• LiveRamp and TransUnion addendum acceptance
• GDPR eligibility and configuration
• Access to Sub Seats, when enabled

Advertisers are created within a Seat and contain the Campaigns, Lines, Creatives, and Pixels used for campaign setup and delivery. Audiences are managed at the Seat level and can be applied to eligible Campaigns or Lines.

Seat Hierarchy

For a standard Seat, the Pontiac hierarchy is:

Seat
├── Audiences
└── Advertisers
    ├── Creatives
    ├── Pixels
    └── Campaigns
        └── Lines

Users and Seat level preferences are managed through Admin > Seat Settings and control access and configuration for the Seat.

Master Seat and Sub Seat Hierarchy

Some accounts may be configured as a Master Seat with one or more associated Sub Seats. This allows users to access and manage multiple Seats through one central Master Seat.

Master Seat
├── Audiences
└── Sub-Seats
    ├── Audiences
    └── Advertisers
        ├── Creatives
        ├── Pixels
        └── Campaigns
            └── Lines

Audiences created at the Master Seat level may be made available to associated Sub Seats for targeting while remaining managed by the Master Seat. Sub Seats can also maintain their own audiences.

For more information, see the Sub Seats section below.

Create New Users

1. Navigate to Admin and then to the Seat Settings tab.
2. Click ‘Create New User’ to add a new user.
3. Input the user’s Name and Email.
4. Check the Read-Only box to give the user view-only access, or leave it unchecked to grant full access.

Edit Seat Users

1. Navigate to Admin and then to the Seat Settings tab.
2. Click the ‘Edit’ button on the far right to edit the user’s role.
3. Choose the appropriate role:
   • Seat-admin
   • User
   • Read-only.
   • Note that if user roles are changed, the user will have to log out and log back in before the new role changes take effect.

Special Cases

• If a user is deleted, a new user cannot be added with the same email address as the deleted user.
• If you need to change a username or re-enable a previously deleted user, please create a ticket in our Help Center, and our engineering team will assist with the request.

In order to create new users, the user must be an Admin. Reach out to your Account Manager or through the Pontiac Help Center if you need additional assistance.

Users can accept the LiveRamp and TransUnion addendums here.

Users must sign the applicable agreement before uploading, distributing, or using customer targeting data through LiveRamp or TransUnion in the Pontiac platform.

This ensures the user has confirmed they have the necessary legal rights, permissions, consent, and privacy compliance before Pontiac or the data partner processes the data on their behalf.

Liveramp

Pontiac requires users to confirm they have the legal rights, permissions, consent, and privacy compliance needed before Pontiac or LiveRamp can process customer targeting data on their behalf.

Signing this agreement is required for users who want to upload or distribute customer targeting data through LiveRamp using the Pontiac platform.

Transunion

Pontiac requires users to confirm they have the legal rights, permissions, consent, and privacy compliance needed before Pontiac or TransUnion can process customer targeting data on their behalf.

Signing this agreement is required for users who want to upload or distribute customer targeting data through TransUnion using the Pontiac platform.

Preferences

Choose your Seat’s timezone, which defines when the Seat’s day starts and ends and establishes day boundaries across the platform. Campaign pacing and delivery are controlled separately at the Campaign level and may use a different timezone.

Note: All billing is calculated in UTC, regardless of the Seat or Campaign timezone settings.

Download the full list of supported timezones here or directly in the platform.

We are live with the Bidder in Europe. Due to EU/UK privacy restrictions, all data must be kept in the EU/UK. Therefore, you must register for a separate EU/UK seat to launch campaigns in Europe. Please reach out through the Help Center or to your account executive with questions.

For seats with GDPR enabled, the default country in the targeting section will now be set to United Kingdom (UK) instead of United States (US).

This applies to the country targeting field in both:

• Campaign targeting
• Line targeting

Users can still update the country targeting as needed, but for GDPR-enabled seats, the default selection will be United Kingdom.

The following are the countries that are restricted by GDPR and are only available in GDPR compliant seats.

In the edit Pixel dialog box, two optional GDPR query string macros are available:

• GDPR: GDPR
• GDPR Consent: GDPR_CONSENT

These GDPR macros are also supported as Creative macros where applicable. For the full list of supported Creative macros, see the documentation here: Supported Macros

Work with your web developer to ensure these placeholders are implemented with the appropriate values for your integration.

When adding a third-party tag, Pontiac validates the macros included in the tag before it can be saved. This helps prevent tags containing unsupported or incorrectly formatted macros from being added to a Creative.

1. General Macro Validation

• If a third-party tag contains an unsupported macro:
  • The tag cannot be saved.
  • A warning message is displayed in red beneath the tag field indicating that an unsupported macro was detected.

2. GDPR Macro Handling

• The following GDPR macro formats are supported in third-party Creative tags:
  • ${GDPR}
  • ${GDPR_CONSENT_X}
    • For ${GDPR_CONSENT_X}, the trailing value represents the applicable vendor ID and is dynamic. For example:

If a GDPR macro does not follow a supported format, the tag cannot be saved and a validation message will be displayed. Please contact us through the Pontiac Help Center.

For the full list of supported macros, see Supported Macros

If Sub Seats are enabled for a Master Seat, they can be accessed through the Master Seat. This allows Master Seat users to view, manage, and switch into associated Sub Seats from one central account.

To learn more about enabling Sub Seats for your account, contact your Account Manager or submit a request through the Pontiac Help Center.

The Seat Settings page covers:

• Users
  • Creating and managing Seat users
  • Admin, User, and Read-Only roles
  • User access and special cases
• Addendums
  • LiveRamp and TransUnion addendums
• Preferences
  • Seat timezone configuration

For additional information on Seat Settings, including creating and editing users, user roles, LiveRamp and TransUnion addendums, and Seat-level timezone preferences, see the full Seat Settings documentation here: Seat Settings

The Help Center allows users to submit support tickets and communicate directly with the Pontiac team.

Users can access the Help Center by either:

• Clicking the Messages icon from anywhere in the platform
• Navigating to Admin > Help Center

The Help Center documentation covers:

• Creating a new support ticket
• Selecting urgency and issue type
• Providing relevant Advertiser, Campaign, Line, Creative, Pixel, or User details
• Adding recipients and attachments
• Viewing responses and continuing support conversations
• Closing resolved tickets
• Reopening tickets when additional assistance is needed
• Tracking ticket status and conversation history

For additional information on submitting and managing support tickets, see the full Help Center documentation here: Help Center

The Notifications section displays messages from the Pontiac team that may relate to campaign recommendations, account issues, or other important information.

When there is an active notification, a bell icon will appear in the Admin navigation between the Help Center Messages and Assistant options. This lets users know there is a notification available to review.

Users can open Notifications by either:

• Clicking the bell icon
• Navigating to Admin > Notifications

Use the Filter Status options to toggle between:

• Open: Currently active notifications that may require review or action.
• Dismissed: Notifications that have already been dismissed.
• All: Displays both open and dismissed notifications.

Review this section regularly to stay informed about recommendations, account-related issues, and other updates from Pontiac.

Selecting the Wiki tab will bring you to Pontiac Intelligence’s Full Wiki documentation.

The Wiki is organized into sections so users can browse documentation by topic, including:

• Bidder Documentation
• Platform Updates
• DOOH Documentation
• ART Documentation
• Analytics Documentation
• API Documentation
• Product Offerings
• Video Tutorials
• Case Studies
• Industry Education
• Partnership Programs
• Pontiac Partners
• Pontiac Resellers
• About Pontiac

Select View all pages within any section to browse the articles available in that category.

Search Bar

If you are looking for something specific, use the Search bar at the top of the Wiki and enter relevant keywords, such as campaign setup, creative upload, reporting, or pixels.

Search results will display articles containing those keywords and highlight the matching terms, making it easier to quickly find the most relevant documentation.

Explore the different sections or use Search whenever you need more information about a feature, setup workflow, troubleshooting question, or Pontiac product.

An Audience is a group of users, devices, locations, or content that can be used to refine who or what a Campaign or Line is eligible to target.

Audiences are managed at the Seat level, rather than within an individual Advertiser. Once an Audience is available to the Seat, it can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines for targeting or anti-targeting.

The Audiences section is organized into the following categories:

• Custom Audiences: First-party audiences created directly in Pontiac using data such as IP Ranges, Zips, IFAs, Hashed IPs, Pixel IPs, or Full URLs.
  • Pixel IP Audiences: Remarketing audiences automatically created from qualifying Pontiac Pixels added as a Creative Impression Tracker and displayed within Custom Audiences.
• Contextual AI: Content-based audiences created from example URLs, descriptive text, or Pontiac-curated contextual segments.
• ART Audiences: Public ART Audiences or ART audiences created from Audience Research or Audience Discovery reports.
• Third Party Audiences: Audiences provided through external data partners and integrated audience sources.
  • Third Party: Third-party data segments available through the TransUnion Data Marketplace.
  • Onboarded / CRM Audiences: First-party customer data onboarded through integrations such as LiveRamp or TransUnion.
  • Geo Fencing: Geo Fence Audiences use OnSpot data to identify users who have previously visited a specified geographic area. Geo fences can be configured using a custom Geo Fence Shape or a Latitude/Longitude Radius.

Audience availability, supported inventory, pricing, and setup requirements may vary by Audience type.

Audience Hierarchy

For a standard Seat, Audiences are managed alongside Advertisers at the Seat level:

Seat
├── Audiences
└── Advertisers
    ├── Creatives
    ├── Pixels
    └── Campaigns
        └── Lines

Audiences can then be associated with a Campaign or Line depending on the desired targeting strategy.

For accounts using a Master Seat and Sub Seats:

Master Seat
├── Audiences
└── Sub-Seats
    ├── Audiences
    └── Advertisers
        ├── Creatives
        ├── Pixels
        └── Campaigns
            └── Lines

Audiences created at the Master Seat level may be made available to associated Sub Seats for targeting while remaining managed by the Master Seat. Sub Seats can also create and manage their own Audiences.

The sections below explain each Audience type, how it is created or onboarded, and how it can be used for Campaign or Line targeting.

Custom Audiences are first-party audiences created or generated within Pontiac using data available to the Advertiser or Seat. They can be used to target users, devices, geographic areas, or specific web content.

Custom Audiences are managed under Bidder > Audiences > Custom and can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines for targeting or anti-targeting.

Custom Audiences include:

• IP Ranges
• Zips
• IFAs
• Hashed IPs
• Full URLs
• Lat Long Audiences
• Pixel IP Audiences

Custom Audiences expire 180 days after they are created unless otherwise noted. The expiration date is displayed in the Custom Audiences table. An expired Audience can be reactivated by opening the Audience, selecting Active, and clicking Save.

If an Audience appears in gray and cannot be associated, it may be expired or incompatible with the selected Creative or inventory type.

Create a Custom Audience

To create a new Custom Audience:

1. Navigate to Audiences > Custom.
2. Select New Custom Audience.
3. Enter an Audience Name.
4. Select the applicable Audience Type.
5. Enter the Audience data using the required format for that Audience type.
6. Select Save.

The following Custom Audience types can be created manually:

1. IP Ranges
2. Zips
3. IFA
4. Hashed IPs
5. Full URLs
6. Lat Long

Pixel IP Audiences are remarketing audiences automatically generated from qualifying Pontiac Pixel activity and displayed under Audiences > Custom. See the below section for all of the details.

Enter the Audience data according to the indicated format. These Audiences will automatically be available to associate to any Campaign. To learn how to associate Custom Audience Segments to a Campaign or Line, continue to the following documentation: Associate Segments

1. IP Ranges

Use IP Ranges to target individual IP addresses or ranges of IP addresses.

• Line Format: [IP] or [Start IP],[End IP]
• Line Example: 63.148.81.24
• Range Example: 234.123.0.13,234.123.10.15

2. Zips

Use Zip Audiences to target specific postal areas. A Zip Audience can contain up to 100,000 records.

Enter one Zip Code per line followed by the Country Code. If the Country Code is omitted, Pontiac defaults to the United States.

• Line Format:[Zip Code],[Country Code]
• Example: 03102,US

3. IFA

Use IFA Audiences to target known device advertising identifiers. IFAs may be obtained from Pontiac reporting or log-level data from previous campaigns.

Enter one IFA per line.

• Line Format:[Device IFA]
• Example: 735612e1-d4b9-40ec-83da-9ea0d3c5ceb3

4. Hashed IPs

Use Hashed IP Audiences to target Pontiac-hashed IPs obtained from Pontiac reporting, including:

• IP Path to Conversion reports
• Log Level reports
• IP Pixel Page Visits reports

Only IPs that were hashed by Pontiac can be used.

• Line Format:[IP Hash]
• Example: 225f334d5db5e4c824d49cd7b03fc73ae21d1c715573a7c1a86abb7a11a80364

5. Full URLs

Use Full URL Audiences to target specific page URLs, such as individual articles or content pages. These Audiences can be used for eligible web or OLV inventory.

Enter one URL per line and do not include the URL scheme.

• Line Format:[Full URL]
• Example: www.viki.com/videos/1153464v

6. Lat Long

Use Lat Long Audiences to target geographic areas surrounding specific Latitude / Longitude coordinates.

A single radius is applied to every coordinate included in the Audience.

1. Select Lat Long from the Type dropdown.
2. Select the Radius (meters).
   • Minimum: 150 meters
   • Maximum: 1,000 meters
3. Enter one Latitude / Longitude pair per line using:
   • [Latitude],[Longitude]

Example:

45.5189,-122.6772
45.4958,-122.8192
44.0533,-123.0897

If the radius is set to 500 meters, Pontiac applies that 500-meter radius to each coordinate included in the Audience.

Invalid or improperly formatted records must be corrected before the Audience can be saved.

Common use cases include:

• Retail locations
• Dealerships
• Event venues
• Campuses
• Points of interest
• Other known geographic coordinates

Lat Long targeting is useful when a Campaign requires more precise geographic targeting than broader ZIP, DMA, state, or regional targeting.

Viewing & Managing Custom Audiences

Navigate to Audiences > Custom to view and manage Custom Audiences available to the Seat.

The Custom Audiences table provides a summary of each audience and can be used to search, filter, review audience status, and open existing audiences for additional details or edits.

The following information is displayed for each Custom Audience:

• Status: Indicates whether the audience is currently Active or Inactive.
• Custom Audience ID: Pontiac’s unique identifier for the audience.
• Name: The name assigned to the audience. Select the audience name to open and review its configuration.
• Type: Identifies the type of audience data, such as Zips, Pixel IPs, or Lat Long.
• Expiration Date: Displays the date and time the audience is scheduled to expire, when applicable.
• Records: Displays the number of records currently included in the audience. The meaning of a record depends on the audience type. For example, a Lat Long audience with three coordinate rows will display 3 Records.

Use the table controls to:

• Use the Search field to locate a Custom Audience by name or other searchable table values.
• Use Filter Status to control which audiences are displayed, such as Active, Inactive, or All audiences.
• The Page Size control determines how many Custom Audiences are shown on each page. Use the page selector to move between pages when additional audiences are available.

Edit an Existing Custom Audience

To edit an existing Audience:

1. Navigate to Audiences > Custom.
2. Select the Audience Name.
3. Update the Audience as needed.
4. Select Save.

When editing:

• Type cannot be changed after the audience has been created.
• The audience can be set to Active or Inactive.
• Existing audience records can be updated, added, or removed as applicable for the audience type.
• The Records value will update to reflect the currently saved Audience data.

The Records value in the Custom Audiences table will update to reflect the current number of records saved in the audience.

Because Custom Audiences may already be associated with active Campaigns or Lines, review existing targeting before making significant changes.

Pixel IP / Remarketing Audiences

Pixel IP Audiences are remarketing audiences automatically generated from qualifying Pontiac Pixels and displayed under Audiences > Custom.

They can be built from different types of exposure:

• Website activity: Place a Pontiac Pixel on an Advertiser’s website, such as the homepage, product page, or checkout page, to build an Audience of qualifying visitors.
• Creative exposure: Add a Pontiac Pixel to a Creative as an impression tracker to build an Audience of users exposed to that Creative. These users can later be retargeted, including through a different media type as part of a cross-channel strategy.

Create a Pixel IP Audience

When creating or editing a Pontiac Pixel, the following Audience settings are available:

• Create Custom Audience: Creates a Pixel IP Audience from qualifying Pixel fires.
• Days to Live: Determines the number of days each record remains active in the Audience.
  • The default value is 180 days. Common windows include 30, 60, or 90 days.
  • Updating the Days to Live value applies only to future records added to the Audience.
• Pixel placement on a website or as a Creative Impression Tracker.

Once generated, the Audience automatically appears under Audiences > Custom using the associated Pixel name and ID. The Audience begins populating as qualifying Pixel activity is recorded.

When viewing the Audience, the displayed IP list is limited to a sample of 30,000 records, while the Records field displays the total Audience record count.

Pixel Placement

The Pixel can be implemented in one of two ways:

• Website Remarketing: Place the Pixel on the desired page of the Advertiser’s website, such as:
  • Homepage
  • Product page
  • Checkout page
  • Thank you page
  • Users who generate qualifying Pixel activity can be added to the resulting Pixel IP Audience.
• Creative Exposure Remarketing: Add the Pixel to a Creative as an Impression Tracker. To build an Audience based on Creative exposure:
  1. Navigate to the applicable Advertiser.
  2. Open the Pixel and copy the desired Pixel Image URL, for example, using Pixel ID 1720: https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel?id=1710&type=2
  3. Open the applicable Creative.
  4. Select the Trackers tab.
  5. Add the Pixel URL as an Impression Event Tracker.
  6. Save the Creative.

Once the Pixel begins firing through either method, the resulting Pixel IP Audience will populate under Audiences > Custom, and the Records count will begin increasing as qualifying activity is captured.

View and Manage a Pixel IP Audience

Pixel IP Audiences can be viewed under Audiences > Custom.

The Records field displays the total Audience record count.

When the Audience itself is opened, Pontiac displays a sample of up to 30,000 IP records rather than the complete Audience membership.

Audience membership is primarily managed through:

• Qualifying Pixel activity
• The Pixel’s configured Days to Live
• The Audience’s Active or Inactive status

Updating Days to Live affects only records added after the change.

Associate a Pixel IP Audience to a Campaign or Line

To use a Pixel IP Audience for targeting or anti-targeting:

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Enter Edit mode.
3. Open Audiences and select Associate Segments.
4. Select Custom Audiences.
5. Search for the Pixel IP Audience by Name or ID.
6. Select Add New Group and add the Audience to the desired targeting group.
   • Select the green plus (+) to target the Audience.
   • Select the red minus (–) to anti-target the Audience.
7. Configure any additional Audience or Boolean logic as needed.
8. Close the dialog and select Save.

For more information on combining multiple Audiences or applying Campaign- and Line-level Audience logic, see Associate Segments and Boolean Logic.

Contextual AI allows Advertisers to target web content based on the meaning and context of a page rather than relying only on individual keywords.

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), Contextual AI analyzes the content of webpages to identify topics and concepts and find other contextually relevant content. This helps account for words that may have different meanings depending on how they are used. For example, the word “Apple” could refer to the technology company or the fruit.

Contextual AI can be used in two ways:

• Custom Contextual Audiences: Build an Audience using representative webpage URLs or a written description of the desired content.
• IAB Curated Contextual Segments: Select from more than 300 prebuilt contextual segments curated by Pontiac around IAB content categories.

Contextual AI segments have an additional $0.25 CPM fee that is included in the Total Cost CPM and does not need to be added to the Bid Price. Contextual AI can only be used with Web and Combined inventory types.

Create a Custom Contextual Audience

1. Navigate to Audiences > Contextual AI.
2. Select New Contextual Audience.
3. Enter an Audience Name.
4. Select an Input Type:
   • URLs: Use URLs when you have representative webpages that reflect the type of content you want to target. Enter one full URL per line, including the scheme, subdomain, and complete URL path.
   • Text: Use Text when you want to describe the desired content rather than provide example URLs.
5. Enter the applicable source content.
6. Save the Audience.

URLs

Use URLs when you have representative webpages that reflect the type of content you want to target.

Enter one full URL per line, including the scheme, subdomain, and complete URL path.

For example:

https://example.com/news/article-one
https://example.com/news/article-two

For best results:

• Use at least 3–5 representative pages. Closer to 10 may be useful for broader topics.
• Use more examples when defining a broad topic and fewer examples when defining a narrow or specific topic.
• Select text-rich pages with at least five sentences.
• News articles, blog posts, guides, and other content-heavy pages generally provide stronger source material.
• Avoid pages that are primarily images, interactive content, infinite scroll, or located behind a paywall.

For example, a broad Audience focused on current events may benefit from source articles covering several different current-event topics. A narrowly defined Audience, such as 1960s muscle cars, may require fewer examples because the desired context is more specific.

Text

Use Text when you want to describe the desired content rather than provide example URLs.

Enter a descriptive paragraph explaining the topic, subject matter, or type of content you want the Audience to match.

• Minimum: 50 words
• Maximum: 500 words

The description should provide enough detail for Contextual AI to understand the intended topic and identify contextually relevant webpages.

View and Manage Contextual Audiences

Navigate to Audiences > Contextual AI to review the Contextual Audiences available to the Seat.

The table includes:

• Status: Indicates whether the Audience is Active or Inactive.
• ID: Pontiac’s unique identifier for the Audience.
• Name: The name assigned to the Audience. Select the name to open and review the Audience.
• Expiration Date: Displays when the Audience is scheduled to expire, when applicable.
• Records: Displays the number of records associated with the Audience.
• Valid Records: Displays the number of records successfully validated for use.
• CPM: Displays the applicable Contextual AI data fee.

To view and edit the Custom Contextual AI segments Navigate to Audiences > Contextual AI > Custom.

Edit a Custom Contextual Audience

To edit an existing Custom Contextual Audience:

1. Navigate to Audiences > Contextual AI > Custom.
2. Select the Audience Name.
3. Update the Name, Active Status, or Input Data as needed.
4. Select Save.

Changes to the source URLs or text may change the content identified as contextually relevant to the Audience. Review existing Campaign and Line targeting before making significant changes to an Audience that is already in use.

Associate a Contextual Audience to a Campaign or Line

Once available, Contextual AI Audiences can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines through Audience targeting.

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Enter Edit mode.
3. Open Audiences and select Associate Segments.
4. Select Contextual Audiences.
5. Search for the desired Custom or IAB Curated Contextual Audience.
6. Select Add New Group and add the Audience to the desired targeting group.
7. Select:
   • the green plus (+) to target the Audience
   • the red minus (–) to anti-target the Audience, when applicable
8. Configure any additional Audience or Boolean logic as needed.
9. Close the dialog and select Save.

For additional information on combining Audiences and configuring Any / All logic, see Associate Segments and Boolean Logic.

IAB Curated Contextual Segments

Pontiac provides more than 300 prebuilt Contextual AI segments based on IAB content categories. These Audiences are already available for use across Advertisers and do not need to be created manually. To review a curated segment, select the Audience name. The Audience details include:

• Site List: Displays the source articles used to define the intended content for the segment.
• Example Audience Data: Displays a sample of webpages identified as contextually relevant to the segment.

Example Audience Data is a sample and does not represent the complete set of URLs contained in the Audience.

IAB Curated Contextual Segments:

• Can be associated through Campaign or Line > Audiences > Associate Segments > Contextual Audiences.
• Cannot be edited.
• Are available across Advertisers.
• Have an additional $0.25 CPM fee.

ART Audiences allow users to turn insights from Audience Research or Audience Discovery reports into targetable geographic Audiences. Published ART Audiences use matched ZIP Codes from the ART report and can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines for cookieless targeting.

ART Audiences can be created from:

• Audience Research: Analyze an existing Audience or selected geographies to identify demographic and interest characteristics and build a lookalike Audience.
• Audience Discovery: Define a desired user profile using demographic and interest criteria, then identify geographic markets that best match that profile.

Pontiac also provides Public ART Audiences that are already available for targeting and do not need to be created manually.

Build an ART Report

Before publishing a Custom ART Audience, first create an ART report.

1. Navigate to ART.
2. Select either Audience Research or Audience Discovery.
   • Audience Research: Use Audience Research when you want to build a lookalike model from an existing Audience or geographic area. The source Audience can include data from a Pontiac IP Conversion Pixel placed on an Advertiser’s website, or selected geographies can be used to identify demographic and interest characteristics associated with those areas.
   • Audience Discovery: Use Audience Discovery when you want to define the demographics and interests of an ideal target Audience and identify geographic markets that best match those characteristics.
3. Configure and generate the report.

Publish a Custom ART Audience

Once the Audience Research or Audience Discovery report has been generated, it can be published as an Audience for Campaign or Line targeting.

1. Open the applicable ART Report.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the report and select Publish New Audience.

3. Enter an Audience Name
4. Select the matched ZIP Code threshold:
   • All Results
   • Top 10%
   • Top 20%
   • Top 50%
5. Select Save.

The Audience will appear in the following locations:

• ART > Audience Research or Audience Discovery Report > Published Audiences and is editable. The Audience Name and threshold can be adjusted.

• ART > Audiences > ART Audiences > Custom Audiences

• Bidder > Audiences > ART Audiences > Custom Audiences

• Bidder > Advertiser > Campaign or Line > Associate Segments > ART Audiences > Custom Audiences

View and Manage ART Audiences

Custom ART Audiences are tied to the ART report used to generate them.

The Auto Refresh setting on the source ART Report determines whether the report is refreshed as new data becomes available. Interest and Inventory data are updated every 30 days, and updated report results may change the matched ZIP Codes.

If Auto Refresh is enabled and the matched ZIP Codes in the report change, published Audiences associated with that report will automatically update to reflect the refreshed results.

To make changes to the underlying Audience definition, review the source Audience Research or Audience Discovery report and its refresh settings.

Because changes to an ART report may affect published Audiences already being used by Campaigns or Lines, review existing targeting before making significant changes to the source report.

Public ART Audiences

Pontiac also provides prebuilt Public ART Audiences.

To view available Public Audiences, navigate to the ART Audience selection area and expand Public Audiences.

Public ART Audiences:

• Do not need to be created or published manually.
• Are available for use through Audience targeting.
• Can be reviewed and selected under ART Audiences > Public Audiences.

Associate an ART Audience to a Campaign or Line

Once a Custom ART Audience has been published, or when using an available Public ART Audience, it can be associated with an eligible Campaign or Line.

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Enter Edit mode.
3. Open Audiences and select Associate Segments.
4. Select ART Audiences.
5. Search for the desired Custom ART Audience, or expand Public Audiences to browse available Pontiac audiences.
6. Select Add New Group and add the Audience to the desired targeting group.
7. Select:
   • the green plus (+) to target the Audience
   • the red minus (–) to anti-target the Audience, when applicable
8. Configure any additional Audience or Boolean logic as needed.
9. Close the dialog and select Save.

For additional information on creating ART reports, see ART Documentation. For additional information on combining Audiences and configuring targeting logic, see Associate Segments, and Boolean Logic.

Third Party Audiences include audience segments provided through external data partners as well as first-party CRM audiences that have been onboarded for targeting in Pontiac.

These audiences can be used to extend targeting beyond data created directly within Pontiac and may include demographic, behavioral, interest, lifestyle, purchase, household, and other audience attributes.

Within this section, users can:

• Browse and activate prebuilt audiences from the TransUnion Data Marketplace
• See onboarded first-party CRM data through TransUnion
• See onboarded first-party CRM data through LiveRamp
• Review onboarding requirements, file formats, processing timelines, and audience availability

Once processed, applicable audiences become available under Audiences > Third Party and can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines for targeting.

Third-party Audience fees are applied as a CPM and included in the Line’s Total Cost. If multiple paid Audiences are targeted or anti-targeted on the same Line, only the CPM of the highest-priced segment is applied.

TransUnion Data Marketplace

The TransUnion Data Marketplace provides prebuilt third-party audience segments that can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines.

Available audiences span categories such as:

• Demographics
• Interests and lifestyles
• Purchase behavior
• Auto intenders
• Political and consumer attributes
• Other behavioral and household characteristics

For assistance finding or activating a TransUnion Audience, reach out through the Pontiac Help Center.

CRM / Onboarded Audiences

Clients can also onboard their own first-party CRM data to create targetable audience segments. Once processed, these audiences appear under Audiences > Third Party and can be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines. CRM audiences may be onboarded through integrations such as TransUnion or LiveRamp, depending on the desired workflow.

For CRM onboarding, processing requirements and timelines vary by provider. TransUnion onboarding is typically completed within 3–5 business days, while LiveRamp workflows may require additional time for upload, mapping, distribution, and matching.

TransUnion CRM Onboarding

1. Email formatted file to protected@pontiac.media.
   • We cannot handle CRM data in any way other than in this protected inbox.
   • Files must be at minimum 1,000 customer contacts otherwise the segment cannot be created, and will not be accepted.
2. The Pontiac team will upload the file to TransUnion, receive the matchback, and push the resulting segment into Pontiac.
3. Once available, the Audience will appear under Audiences > Third Party.

The typical processing time is 3–5 business days, but we encourage early activation so the segment is ready well before the launch date.

Files should be formatted according to the required TransUnion structure:

LiveRamp

LiveRamp is a data management platform (DMP) that allows you to upload personally identifiable information (PII) that you have about your audience. This can include:

• Name and postal addresses (NAP)
• Email addresses
• Phone numbers
• Client customer IDs (your internal customer IDs)
  • This functions as an audience key that allows LiveRamp to delete duplicates in an uploaded file. If there is no customer ID, LiveRamp will use either the email addresses or NAPs provided.

Turn your CRM data into targetable audience lists in the Pontiac platform to digitally reach users from previous email lists and/or mailing campaigns on the open web.

MEDIA TYPE:
Banner, Video

INVENTORY TYPE:
Web, Mobile-Web, Mobile In-App

DEVICE TYPES:
Desktops & Laptops, Mobile Phones, Tablets

PRICING:
$2.00 CPM for Audience Data

You can upload a csv, tsv, or txt file containing information into LiveRamp, which will match the submitted information with cookies and allow you to target these individuals across the Internet through Pontiac.

We recommend clients allow for a two-week lead time when working with LiveRamp. The maximum number of records allowed per seat at any given time is 300,000. Please do no not send any files or screenshots of files containing PII through the Help Center or to anyone on the Pontiac team. 

Estimated Schedule:

• 1-2 days to upload the files:
  • Once you upload the file there will be a delay in this file showing up in the Audience folder, it may take up to 48 hours to appear.
• 5-8 days for the files to be mapped:
  • This is a manual process, so this stage can take some time. Typically, this takes 5-8 days for the first file in an Audience, but it is usually quicker for subsequent files.
• 1-2 days for distribution to Microsoft:
  • Once mapping is completed you will get a notification email to distribute the audience. Select the file(s) that you wish to send to Microsoft. After you have selected your desired files, select ‘Add to Distribution’ at the bottom of the page and notify your Account Manager. It will take 1-2 days for the segment to appear in Microsoft.
• 1-2 days for the file to be onboarded, matched & fully populated in Pontiac:
  • Once the segment appears in Xandr, your Account Manager will onboard the audience to Pontiac. While the audience will be available to associate to a Line, it may still be in the matching stage and could take an additional 1-2 days to fully populate in Xandr/Pontiac.

Terminology

• File: A set or list of PII uploaded to LiveRamp as a CSV, TSV or TXT file. Each file uploaded will be converted into an Onboarded audience in Pontiac.
• Audience: In the LiveRamp dashboard, an ‘Audience’ is a folder to which files with the same type of PII and column headers can be uploaded. Your first Audience folder will be created for you when the account is created. The folder will be ‘mapped’ based on the column headers of the first file uploaded. All subsequent files uploaded to an Audience will need to contain the same column headers. Notify your Account Manager if you need a new Audience folder created for a different type of data.
• Mapping: This process is done manually by the LiveRamp team to determine which PII identifiers are in each column of the file, allowing the data to be properly ingested.
• Matching: The process of matching personally identifiable information (PII) to the cookies for that individual, allowing them to be targeted on the open web.
• Distribution: The publishing process through which data is delivered to Xandr and subsequently made available for targeting in Pontiac.
• Records: The number of unique individuals in a file. There is a maximum of 300,000 distributed records per LiveRamp account at any given time.

Account Setup

1. To start using a LiveRamp account, all Pontiac users will need to sign a LiveRamp user agreement. This agreement can be found in the ‘Admin’ tab under ‘Seat Settings’ in the ‘Addendum’ section. To sign this agreement, check the ‘Accept LiveRamp Addendum’ box at the bottom of the contract and click ‘Submit’. By checking this box, you are agreeing to the terms of the agreement.
2. Once you have completed these steps, reach out through the Help Center with the email address you would like to be used for the account. The Pontiac Team will create an account on your behalf using the email address provided.  Once your account is set up, you will receive an email from LiveRamp asking you to follow a link for creating a Password. After establishing your Password, you will be able to sign into LiveRamp with your email address and new password.

You can download and review the LiveRamp addendum here: LiveRamp Addendum

File Format

Files uploaded to LiveRamp must be 500MB or smaller and a CSV, TSV or TXT with no spaces in the File Name. There are 3 types of PII that can be uploaded:

1. Emails
2. Phone numbers
3. Name and Postal address

You can include one, two, or all three of these. But if you want to use Name and Postal address you must include all of the columns listed under ‘Name and postal address’ below (full name and full address).
Use the following column headers to identify the type of PII in your file:
Name and postal address:

• FIRSTNAME
• LASTNAME
• ADDRESS1
• ADDRESS2 (optional)
• CITY
• STATE
• ZIP
• ZIP4 (optional)

Plaintext email address:

• EMAIL1
• EMAIL2
• EMAIL3

MD5 hashed email address:

• MD5EMAIL1
• MD5EMAIL2
• MD5EMAIL3

SHA-1 hashed email address:

• SHA1EMAIL1
• SHA1EMAIL2
• SHA1EMAIL3

SHA-256 hashed email address:

• SHA256EMAIL1
• SHA256EMAIL2
• SHA256EMAIL3

Plaintext phone number:

• PHONE1
• PHONE2
• PHONE3

SHA-1 hashed phone number:

• SHA1PHONE1
• SHA1PHONE2
• SHA1PHONE3

Customer ID (used to de-duplicate rows):

• CCID

See a sample 100 rows of fake data here: Sample File

Uploading Files to LiveRamp

(1-2 Days)

1. Once you have signed into your account, you should be brought to this page:

2. You are now ready to upload data files into the audience your AM created for you. From the Homepage (which you can access by clicking on the triangle symbol next to ‘Connect’ in the upper-left corner, pictured above), select ‘Upload a File’ and follow the prompt.
3. Within the File Upload page, select the name of your audience from the drop-down ‘Upload to an Audience’ menu. Your first Audience folder will be created for you when the account is created. Each file uploaded to an Audience must contain the same data columns, as this is mapped for matching with the first file. If you need to upload files with different columns, your Account Manager can create additional Audience folders for you.

4. Once you have selected the audience, a box will appear prompting you to either drag in or select the appropriate file. You should proceed to upload the desired csv, tsv, or txt.
5. Once you select your file, click ‘Upload File’ in the ‘Upload Status’ window to begin processing.
6. Once ‘Upload Status’ says the file upload is complete, you will have the option to select a button that says, ‘Go to Audience’. If you click this immediately after uploading, another tab will open in your window to bring you to the ‘Manage’ page for that audience. You will likely not see any segments listed within the audience as can take 24-48 hours for the newly uploaded segment to appear.

Mapping Process

(5-8 Days)

The first file uploaded to each audience is mapped to determine which data points are in each column of the document so that the PII can be properly ingested. This is a manual process completed by LiveRamp and it can take up to 5-8 days.

LiveRamp will send you an email when your file has been mapped and is ready for distribution. If you see delays in this process that exceed 8 days, let your Account Manager know and they will contact LiveRamp support to try to expedite this process.

Distributing Files to Xandr

 (1-2 Days)

1. In order to publish your segment(s), you must configure Xandr as a destination. This only needs to happen once.  From the menu, select ‘Data Out  – ‘Active Destinations’ ‘New Destination Account’.
2. You will be brought to a page listing many possible destinations. Use the search bar to look up ‘Xandr Invest’.

3. When you hover over the icon, you will be prompted to ‘Activate’ the destination.

4. You will be brought to a page titled ‘Configure Properties’. In the ‘Destination Specific Settings’, enter the client ID ‘3344’.
5. After you have set up Xandr as a destination, you will be able to push your audience segment to distribution. Select ‘Active Destinations’ from ‘Data Out’ in the sidebar.

6. Select ‘Manage’ from within the Xandr box
7. Select the file(s) that you wish to send to Xandr. After you have selected your desired files, select ‘Add to Distribution’ at the bottom of the page. From distribution, it will take 1-2 days for the segment to appear in Xandr.

Audience Onboarding & Matching

 (1-2 Days)

1. Once you have added a segment to distribution for Xandr, reach out to the Pontiac Team through the Help Center to say that you have pushed a segment. Please provide the segment name.
2. The Pontiac Team will inform you when the file has been onboarded to your Pontiac seat.
3. You will now have access to your audience Segment within the Pontiac console. Your audience will be located within the Audiences tab under ‘On Boarded.’

Note, while the segment may be available in Pontiac rather quickly, the file may still be in the matching process and the segment may take 1-2 days to fully populate in Xandr/Pontiac.

Removing Segments that are no longer in use

Any segments that are no longer being used in the Pontiac console or in LiveRamp should be removed from distribution. Your Account Manager will send a friendly reminder at the end of each month, reminding you to remove the segments that are no longer being used. The maximum number of records allowed per seat at any given time is 300,000.

To remove the segments from distribution, click on the out section in LiveRamp, and then click the ‘Manage’ button in Xandr Invest. There you will see all your segments that have been uploaded. Click the box next to the segment that you wish to remove from distribution. At the bottom, there will be a green button that states, remove from distribution. Once you click ‘remove,’ the process will be complete.

Geo Fencing Audiences allow users to build location-based audiences using visitation data from defined geographic areas using OnSpot data. Geo Fencing is useful for reaching users based on historical visits to real-world locations such as retail stores, dealerships, event venues, campuses, competitor locations, or other points of interest.

Geo Fencing Audiences are available under Audiences > Third Party Audiences > Geo Fencing and can be created using one of two location methods:

• Geo Fence: Draw a custom geographic shape directly on the map.
• Lat/Long: Define a location using latitude, longitude, and a radius in meters.

Both methods support Rolling and Static Audience types.

View and Manage Geo Fencing Audiences

Navigate to Audiences > Third Party Audiences > Geo Fencing to view existing Geo Fencing Audiences.

The table includes:

• Name: The name assigned to the Audience.
• Record Count: The number of qualifying records currently included in the Audience.
• Start Date: The beginning of the Audience’s applicable date range.
• End Date: The end of the applicable date range.
• Expiration Date: Displays when the Audience is scheduled to expire, when applicable.
• Type: Indicates whether the Audience is Rolling or Static.

Create a Geo Fencing Audience

1. Navigate to Audiences > Third Party Audiences > Geo Fencing.
2. Select New Geo Fence to create a new audience.

3. Enter the audience Name.
4. Select one of the following audience types:
   • Rolling: A Rolling audience continuously refreshes based on a selected lookback period.
     • Lookback: Select a lookback period of up to 90 days. The default value is 30 days.
     • Refresh: Choose whether the audience should refresh weekly or monthly.
     • The audience will be updated as new qualifying location data becomes available.
   • Static: A Static audience is created using a fixed date range.
     • Start Date
     • End Date: Must be on or before yesterday (UTC); ex. if today is 2025-05-08 the end date must be on or before 2025-05-07.
     • Static audiences expire 90 days after they are created.
5. Enter your Lookback window: the number of days of historical location data to include. The maximum lookback is 90 days.
6. Define the Geo Fence Audience.
   • Geo Fence Shape
   • Lat Long

Geo Fence Shape

• Geo Fence is selected by default and allows users to define a custom geographic area by drawing a shape on the map.
• To define the Geo Fence:
  • Use the Search bar to enter a location name or address.
  • Use the map controls to draw the boundaries of the desired area.
  • If needed, use the delete shape option to clear the current shape and start over.
  • Once the desired area has been defined, select Submit.
• The Audience will then be submitted for processing using the selected shape and Rolling or Static settings.

Latitude / Longitude Radius Geo Fencing

• The Lat/Long option allows users to define a geographic area using a specific latitude, longitude, and radius instead of drawing a custom shape.
• When Lat/Long is selected, the map shape controls are replaced with the following fields:
  • Latitude: Decimal latitude value, for example 40.7128
  • Longitude: Decimal longitude value, for example -74.0060
  • Radius in Meters: The radius around the selected coordinate, for example 250
• Latitude and longitude accept decimal values, and the radius is entered in meters.
• The selected coordinates, radius, Audience type, and other settings are saved with the Audience and used when it is submitted for processing.

Edit and Manage a Geo Fencing Audience

Once created, Geo Fencing Audiences can be reviewed from Audiences > Third Party Audiences > Geo Fencing.

Use the Audience table to monitor the Audience’s:

• Record Count
• Date range
• Expiration Date
• Rolling or Static type

Associate a Geo Fencing Audience to a Campaign or Line

After the Geo Fencing Audience has been created, it becomes available for Audience targeting and can be associated.

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Enter Edit mode.
3. Open Audiences and select Associate Segments.
4. Select Third Party Audiences and locate the applicable Geo Fencing Audience.
5. Search for the Audience by Name or ID.
6. Select Add New Group and add the Audience to the desired targeting group.
7. Select:
   • the green plus (+) to target the Audience
   • the red minus (–) to anti-target the Audience
8. Configure any additional Audience or Boolean logic as needed.
9. Close the dialog and select Save.

The Geo Fencing Audience is now applied to the Campaign or Line.

For additional information on combining Audiences and configuring Any / All logic, see Associate Segments, and Boolean Logic.

The Associate Segments window allows users to apply Audience Targeting to a Campaign or Line by selecting Audience segments and configuring Boolean logic. Multiple Audiences can be combined into groups to define which Impressions are eligible to serve.

UI Location: Campaign or Line > Audiences > Associate Segments

Available Audience Types

The Associate Segments window provides access to the following Audience types:

Associating Audiences

To associate Audience segments with a Campaign or Line:

1. Create a new Campaign or Line, or open an existing one in Edit mode.
2. Navigate to the Audiences section and select Associate Segments.

3. Select an Audience type and use the search functionality to find the desired segments.
4. Select Add New Group to create an Audience group.
5. Drag the desired Audience segments into the group.
6. Configure the Any / All Boolean logic to define how the selected Audiences should be evaluated.
7. Add additional groups as needed and configure the logic between them.
8. Review the full Audience configuration.
9. Save the Audience configuration and submit the Campaign or Line changes.

Audience Groups and Boolean Logic

Audience groups allow multiple segments to be combined using Boolean targeting rules. Each group can contain one or more Audience segments, and additional groups can be added to create more complex targeting configurations.

The Any / All options determine how the selected segments or groups are evaluated:

• Any (OR): An Impression is eligible if it satisfies at least one of the specified Audience conditions.
• All (AND): An Impression must satisfy every specified Audience condition to be eligible.

For example, selecting Any between Audience A and Audience B allows Impressions that match either Audience. Selecting All requires Impressions to match both Audiences.

You can combine multiple groups to build more specific targeting requirements. Review the Boolean logic between and within groups to ensure the final configuration matches your intended targeting strategy.

Important: Boolean logic can significantly affect scale. Using All across Audiences that do not meaningfully overlap can greatly reduce eligible inventory or prevent delivery entirely.

For additional examples and guidance, see Boolean Logic .

Audience Type Compatibility

Audience types may rely on different underlying targeting signals. When multiple Audience types are combined, make sure their targeting requirements are compatible.

For example:

• ART Audiences are ZIP Code-based. Combining an ART Audience with ZIP targeting requires the applicable ZIPs to overlap.
• Contextual Audiences are based on eligible sites and content. Combining a Contextual Audience with a restrictive Site Allow List requires the eligible sites to overlap.
• Other Audience types may depend on identifiers such as IP, IFA, geography, or inventory context. Layering incompatible requirements can reduce or eliminate eligible inventory.

Important: Adding more Audience types does not automatically broaden targeting. Depending on the configured Boolean logic, additional Audiences may further narrow eligibility.

Campaign and Line Audience Targeting

Audience Targeting can be configured at both the Campaign and Line levels.

• Campaign level Audiences: Apply shared Audience requirements across all Lines within the Campaign.
• Line level Audiences: Apply additional Audience requirements to an individual Line.

Campaign and Line Audience Targeting are evaluated together. An Impression must satisfy the applicable requirements from both levels to be eligible to serve.

If Audiences are associated at both the Campaign and Line levels, the Line does not replace the Campaign Audience configuration. Instead, the Audience requirements from both levels are combined.

For example, if a Campaign targets Audience A and a Line targets Audience B, an Impression must satisfy the applicable Audience requirements from both Audience A and Audience B to be eligible for that Line.

Example Scenario:

• Campaign Audience A: A ZIP Code Audience containing ZIP codes in New York City.
• Line Audience B: A Lat Long Audience containing Joe’s Pizza locations in New York City.

Because the geographic areas overlap, impressions may still be eligible to serve when they satisfy both Audience requirements.

However, if the Line Audience B instead used a Lat Long Audience containing Domino’s locations in Texas, the geographic requirements would not overlap with the Campaign’s New York City ZIP Code Audience. In that case, there would be no impressions that could satisfy both Audience requirements, preventing the Line from serving.

Important: Review the complete Campaign and Line Audience configuration together. Layering Audiences at both levels can significantly narrow eligible inventory, especially when the selected Audience types or underlying targeting signals do not overlap. A Line may appear to have broad Audience targeting on its own but still be restricted or prevented from serving by Audiences applied at the Campaign level.

Audience Groups allow users to create, name, save, and reuse Audience targeting configurations across multiple Campaigns and Lines.

A saved Audience Group retains the selected Audience segments, grouping structure, and Any / All Boolean logic, allowing users to quickly reuse common Audience strategies without rebuilding the configuration each time.

Audience Groups can include Audiences from:

• Custom Audiences
• Third Party Audiences
• Geo Fencing
• Contextual Audiences
• ART Audiences

Saved Audience Groups function as templates. When an Audience Group is applied to a Campaign or Line, the configuration is copied into that Campaign or Line and can be edited independently.

View Audience Groups

Navigate to:

Audiences > Audiences > Audience Groups

The Audience Groups section displays saved Audience Groups in a table containing:

• Audience Group ID
• Name

Use the table controls to search and navigate through saved Audience Groups and create new audience groups using the New Audience Group button.

Create an Audience Group

1. Navigate to Audiences > Audiences > Audience Groups.
2. Select New Audience Group.
3. Enter the Audience Group Name.
4. Use the Active checkbox to set the Audience Group as Active or Inactive.
5. Search for and select the Audiences you want to include.
6. Add additional Audience groups within the configuration as needed.
7. Use the existing Any / All options to configure Boolean logic between and within groups.
8. Remove or rearrange selected Audiences as needed.
9. Select Save.

When saved, Pontiac assigns the Audience Group a unique Audience Group ID and stores the selected Audiences, group structure, Boolean logic, Name, and status.

The Audience Group is then available for reuse across Campaigns and Lines when associating segments.

Edit an Audience Group

To edit an existing Audience Group:

1. Navigate to Audiences > Audiences > Audience Groups.
2. Select the Audience Group Name.
3. Update the Name, status, selected Audiences, groups, or Boolean logic as needed.
4. Select Update to save the changes, or Cancel to exit without saving.

Updates to a saved Audience Group apply only when the template is used for new associations.

Campaigns and Lines that were previously populated from the Audience Group retain their existing Audience configuration and are not automatically updated.

Associate an Audience Group with a Campaign or Line

Saved Audience Groups can be applied through the existing Audience targeting workflow.

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Open the Audiences section.
3. Select Associate Segments.
4. Expand Audience Groups in the selection window.
5. Search for the saved Audience Group by Audience Group ID or Name.
6. Select the green + next to the Audience Group.

The saved Audience Group configuration will populate on the right side of the window as though the Audience targeting had been configured manually.

The populated configuration retains:

• Selected Audience segments
• Audience groupings
• Any / All Boolean logic

Once added, the configuration can be edited for that Campaign or Line.

Changes made at the Campaign or Line level do not update the saved Audience Group template.

Boolean Logic Warning

If the saved Audience Group uses different Boolean logic than the logic currently configured in the Associate Segments window, a warning will appear before the Audience Group is added.

Users can:

• Select Accept to add the Audience Group while retaining the current Boolean logic.
• Select Cancel to close the warning without adding the Audience Group.

After the Audience Group is added, the resulting configuration remains fully editable for that Campaign or Line.

Save Campaign or Line Targeting as an Audience Group

Users can also create a reusable Audience Group from an Audience configuration that has already been built on a Campaign or Line.

1. Navigate to the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Open Audiences > Associate Segments.
3. Configure the desired Audience targeting.

4. Select Save As Group.
5. Enter an Audience Group Name.

6. Select Save.

The current configuration is saved as a new Audience Group, including:

• Selected Audience segments
• Audience groupings
• Any / All Boolean logic

The new Audience Group is assigned an Audience Group ID and becomes available under:

• Audiences > Audiences > Audience Groups
• Campaign and Line level > Audiences > Associate Segments > Audience Groups

It can then be reused on other Campaigns and Lines.

If you are targeting multiple Audience segments they can be layered together in groups through Boolean logic. To choose ‘Any’ or ‘All’ between groups read the following descriptions of each.

‘All, between segment groups’

If you only have one segment group, the internal group logic will default to OR, meaning that if ANY of the conditions within the group are met the impression will be eligible to serve. For example, below is targeting users found in the ‘Female’ Audience OR ‘Age 20 to 30′.

If you have created multiple segment groups, the intergroup logic will automatically default to AND, meaning that at least one condition must be met in ALL segment groups. For example, below a user would need to be found in one of the two segments in the first grouping AND would need to be found in one segment in each of the other segment groups associated.

‘Any, between segment groups’

If you only have one segment group, the internal logic will default to AND, meaning that ALL the conditions within the group must be met for the creative to be eligible to serve. For example, a user must be found in ‘Female’ AND ‘Age 20 to 30’ for an impression to be served.

If you have created multiple segment groups, the intergroup logic will automatically default to OR, meaning that the conditions of one segment group are to be met OR the conditions of the second group are to be met.

Anti-Targeting: ‘All, between segment groups’

By selecting the ‘All’ between segment groups and using the ‘exclude’ feature with multiple Audiences the internal group logic will default to OR. For example, below an impression could server to any user found in the ‘Female’ OR NOT FOUND in the ‘Age 20 to 30’ Audience 

Anti-Targeting: ‘Any, between segment groups’

By selecting the ‘All’ between segment groups and using the ‘exclude’ feature with multiple Audiences, the internal logic will default to AND, meaning that ALL the conditions within the group must be met for the creative to be eligible to serve. For example, a user must be found in ‘Female’ AND NOT FOUND in ‘Age 20 to 30’ to be served. 

An Advertiser represents an individual brand, product, or client within Pontiac. It serves as the primary organizational level for the campaigns and advertising assets associated with that brand or client.

Within an Advertiser, users can:

• Create and manage Campaigns and Lines
• Upload and manage Creatives
• Create and manage Pixels
• Review Advertiser-level delivery and performance
• Access detailed Campaign, Line, Creative, Pixel, and reporting information

In the Pontiac hierarchy, the Advertiser sits between the Seat and Campaign levels:

Seat
└── Advertiser
    ├── Creatives
    ├── Pixels
    └── Campaigns
        └── Lines

After creating an Advertiser, select its name to open the Advertiser Setup and Advertiser Performance tabs, where you can manage setup and review performance from one centralized location.

The Advertiser level in the Pontiac platform represents an individual brand, product or client. This Advertiser will house all of the Campaigns and Line Items for this brand or product and the associated Creatives, Pixels and Audiences. Follow the steps to below to create a new Advertiser.

1. On the Bidder tab > Advertisers tab > Select the New Advertiser button.

2. Name: Give the Advertiser a name.
3. Active: The ‘Active’ box will be selected by default, setting the Advertiser as live. Unselect this box if you want to create the Advertiser with an Inactive status.
4. Advertiser Margin: Enter an Advertiser Margin percentage if you want Pontiac to calculate client-facing Revenue from Total Cost. This can be used to account for an agency fee or other markup directly in Pontiac rather than calculating it separately.
   • Revenue = Total Cost / (1 − Advertiser Margin)
   • If no Advertiser Margin is entered, Pontiac will not apply an additional Advertiser-level margin to calculate Revenue.
   • Applicable platform, ad serving, data, and other fees contribute to Total Cost as applicable before the Advertiser Margin is applied.
5. Advertiser URL: Add the URL of the Advertiser’s website. The Google Privacy Sandbox will track visits to this URL if the pixel is implemented on the site.
6. Code: This is optional and used for reporting purposes only.
7. Political Content: Choose ‘No’ or ‘Yes’ depending on whether the Advertiser is running ads related to any elections, ballot initiatives, or political candidates in the United States.

Once you have created an Advertiser, you can click on it’s name to open the Advertiser menu. This is where you will be able to upload Creatives, create Pixels, and create Campaigns and Line Items.

See the following links to learn more about these topics: Creatives, Pixels, Campaigns, and Lines.

1. On the Bidder > Advertisers tab > Select the Advertiser’s name that you would like to edit.
2. Next to Advertiser Details, click the ‘Edit’ button.

3. Make edits to the following:
   • Name
   • Active Status
   • Advertiser Margin
   • Advertiser URL
   • Political Content
4. Click the ‘Save’ button to apply the edits.

By default, the Advertiser tab displays a list of all Active Advertisers, ordered by Advertiser ID. Users can customize their view using the following filers:

• Filter Status: Display All, Active, or Inactive Advertisers.
• Page Size: Select how many advertisers to display per page, from 5 to 500.
• Total Items: Shows the number of advertisers currently displayed on the page.
• Page: Shows the current page number and the total number of available pages.
• Reporting Interval: Set to Yesterday by default and affects the metrics shown in the table. Users can select different time ranges, including Today, Yesterday, 7 Days, 30 Days, or Lifetime.
  • All intervals with the exception of yesterday include metrics from today. Today’s metrics update hourly and have a 3 hour delay.

To change the sorting order of the Advertiser list, users can click on any column heading. Clicking once sorts in ascending order, while clicking twice sorts in descending order. This functionality applies to all column headers. For example, to sort Advertisers by number of Lines in descending order, users should click the Lines column heading twice.

Under the Advertiser tab you will see a list of all of the Active Advertisers in your seat with their associated quick metrics. Metrics are displayed in seat timezone. To see Inactive Advertisers filter status to All or Inactive. These metrics are updated hourly, with a 3 hour delay, except for the IP Convs, which are updated once a day for the previous day.

Choose your Reporting Interval and evaluate the following metrics at a glance:

• Lines: The number of Lines associated to the Advertiser.
• Campaigns: The number of Campaigns associated to the Advertiser.
• Imps: The number of impressions served under this Advertiser during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Cost: The total dollar amount this Advertiser has spent across all Campaigns and Lines during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Revenue: The total dollar amount this Advertiser has generated across all Campaigns and Lines during the selected Reporting Interval.
• IP Convs: The number of conversions registered by the IP Conversion Pixel across all Campaigns and Lines during the selected Reporting Interval. Note that IP Conversion data is not available for the ‘Today’ interval. This metric is updated once a day for the previous day.

Overview

The Advertiser Setup tab provides a centralized view of everything associated with an Advertiser. From this page, users can review advertiser-level settings and performance, manage Campaigns and Creatives, create and monitor Pixels, and access reporting metrics across each section.

Users can also create new Campaigns, Creatives, and Pixels directly from the Advertiser, edit existing configurations, activate or deactivate Campaigns and Creatives, and use reporting intervals, filters, searches, and customizable table columns to review performance and manage setup from one place.

Advertiser Tiles

After selecting an Advertiser, users can adjust the Reporting Interval to update the summary metrics displayed at the top of the page. Select from today, yesterday, 7 days, 30 days, month to date, last month, lifetime, or input a custom range.

The following metrics are available:

• Report Date
• Impressions
• Total Cost
• Revenue
• Total Cost CPM

Advertiser Details

Users can view the following Advertiser settings:

• Name
• Active Status
• Advertiser Margin
• Advertiser URL: The URL of the Advertiser’s website. The Google Privacy Sandbox will track visits to this URL if the pixel is implemented on the site. The URL must be secure (https://).
• Political Content:
  • No, I am not running ads related to any elections, ballot initiatives, or political candidates in the United States.
  • Yes, I am running ads related to an election, ballot initiative, or political candidate in the United States.

Advertiser Edit Button

Users are brought into edit mode and can change the following Advertiser settings:

• Name
• Active Status
• Advertiser Margin
• Advertiser URL: The URL of the Advertiser’s website. The Google Privacy Sandbox will track visits to this URL if the pixel is implemented on the site. The URL must be secure (https://).
• Political Content:
  • No, I am not running ads related to any elections, ballot initiatives, or political candidates in the United States.
  • Yes, I am running ads related to an election, ballot initiative, or political candidate in the United States.

Campaigns

The Campaigns section allows users to create, import, view, and manage campaigns associated with the Advertiser.

New Campaign

Select New Campaign to create a campaign from scratch.

Campaign Templates

Saved Campaign Templates are displayed here and can be used to create a new campaign using previously configured settings. Select the desired template to begin campaign creation.

For more information, see Campaign Templates.

Plan Import

Select Import to create a campaign from a media plan generated using the Planning tool.

For more information, see Planning.

View and Manage Campaigns

The Campaigns table allows users to search, filter, download, and customize campaign information and performance metrics.

Use the Search bar to find campaigns by keyword or ID. Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Filter Status: Toggle between Active, Inactive, and All Campaigns.
• Page Size: Adjust the number of campaign rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of campaigns included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Reporting Interval: Updates the performance metrics displayed in the table. All reporting intervals except Yesterday include data from the current day. Today’s metrics update hourly and are subject to an approximately three-hour reporting delay.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Campaign Table Columns

The Campaigns table can include the following campaign settings and performance metrics:

• Status: The current active or inactive status of the Campaign.
• ID: The unique Pontiac Campaign ID.
• Name: The Campaign name.
• Pacing: Indicates how the Campaign is pacing against its expected budget delivery based on the Campaign’s dates and pacing settings.
• Start Date: The Campaign start date.
• End Date: The Campaign end date.
• Budget: The Campaign’s configured budget.
• Budget Type: Indicates whether the Campaign budget is based on spend or impressions.
• Line Count: The number of Lines associated with the Campaign.
• Clicks: The number of recorded clicks during the selected Reporting Interval.
• CPC: Cost per Click, calculated using Total Cost divided by Clicks.
• Imps: The number of confirmed impressions served during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Cost: The total cost incurred during the selected Reporting Interval and includes all fees.
• Revenue: The total cost plus advertiser margin generated during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Cost CPM: Total Cost per 1,000 impressions.
• IP Convs: The number of attributed IP-based conversions during the selected Reporting Interval.
• CTR: Click-Through Rate, calculated as Clicks divided by Impressions.

Campaign Edit Button

Enter Edit mode and quickly activate or deactivate campaigns quickly using the status checkbox and then submitting the changes.

Creatives

The Creatives section allows users to upload new creatives and view, edit, and manage existing creatives associated with the Advertiser.

New Creative Button

Users can upload new first-party creative assets or add third-party creative tags to the Advertiser. Once created, creatives can be associated with Campaigns or Lines for delivery.

For more information on supported creative types, specifications, and the upload process, see the Creative Upload Process.

View and Manage Creatives

The Creatives table allows users to search, filter, download, and customize creative information and performance metrics.

Use the Search bar to find creatives by keyword or ID. Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Filter Status: Toggle between Active, Inactive, and All Creatives.
• Page Size: Adjust the number of creative rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of creatives included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Reporting Interval: Updates the performance metrics displayed in the table. All reporting intervals except Yesterday include data from the current day. Today’s metrics update hourly and are subject to an approximately three-hour reporting delay.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Users can select an existing creative to view or edit its configuration.

Creative Table Columns

The Creatives table can include the following creative settings and performance metrics:

• Status: The current active or inactive status of the Creative.
• Audit Status: The Creative’s current audit or approval status.
• ID: The unique Creative ID.
• Name: The Creative name.
• Creative Type: The format and hosting type of the Creative, such as hosted or third-party video, display, audio, or native.
• Sizes: The creative dimensions associated with the Creative.
• Weight: The Creative’s configured delivery weight when multiple creatives are eligible to serve.
• Imps: The number of confirmed impressions served during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Clicks: The number of recorded clicks during the selected Reporting Interval.
• CPC: Cost per Click, calculated using Total Cost divided by Clicks.
• Total Cost: The total media cost associated with the Creative during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Revenue: The total advertiser revenue associated with the Creative during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Flights Enabled: Indicates whether the Creative uses scheduled flights or is always available to serve.
• CTR: Click-Through Rate, calculated as Clicks divided by Impressions.
• Tag: The third-party creative tag associated with the Creative, when applicable.
  • Only available when the table is downloaded.

Pixels

The Pixels section allows users to create new pixels and view and manage existing pixels associated with the Advertiser. Pixels are used to track site activity and conversions and can support campaign optimization, measurement, attribution, and audience creation.

New Pixel

Select New Pixel to create a new pixel for the Advertiser. Pixels can be used to track actions on the Advertiser’s site, measure campaign performance, attribute conversions, build audiences, and provide conversion data that can be used to optimize campaign delivery toward desired outcomes.

For more information, see Pixels.

View and Manage Pixels

The Pixels table allows users to search, download, and review pixel information and performance metrics.

Use the Search bar to find pixels by keyword or ID. Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Page Size: Adjust the number of pixel rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of pixels included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Reporting Interval: Updates the performance metrics displayed in the table. All reporting intervals except Yesterday include data from the current day. Today’s metrics update hourly and are subject to an approximately three-hour reporting delay.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Users can select an existing pixel to view or edit its configuration.

Pixel Table Columns

The Pixels table can include the following pixel information and performance metrics:

• ID: The unique Pixel ID.
• Name: The Pixel name.
• Attributed Imps: The number of impressions attributed to conversions recorded by the Pixel during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Convs: The total number of conversions recorded by the Pixel during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Loads: The total number of times the Pixel loaded during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Uniques: The number of unique users or devices recorded by the Pixel during the selected Reporting Interval.

Overview

Switching to the Advertiser Performance tab, you can filter the Reporting Interval to adjust the top tiles section. Note that all intervals with the exception of yesterday, include metrics from today. Today’s metrics update hourly and have a 3 hour delay. The metrics include:

• Report Date: Shows the selected report date or date range.
• Impressions: The total number of impressions Advertiser served within the selected reporting interval.
• Total Cost: The total Advertiser spend, including media costs and any applicable fees.
• Revenue: The total Advertiser cost plus any additional advertiser margin.
• Total Cost CPM: The total cost per thousand impressions for the Advertiser, calculated as (Total Cost / Impressions) x 1,000.

This tab provides dropdown insights into Bid Data, Campaign Performance, Advertiser Daily Performance, and Completion Events. See the sections below for more details on each.

Advertiser Tiles

After selecting an Advertiser, users can adjust the Reporting Interval to update the summary metrics displayed at the top of the page. Select from today, yesterday, 7 days, 30 days, month to date, last month, lifetime, or input a custom range.

The following metrics are available:

• Report Date
• Impressions
• Total Cost
• Revenue
• Total Cost CPM

Full Report Link

The Full Report link opens the Reporting > Standard Reporting section and automatically populates the report with the Advertiser you are currently viewing. This allows users to quickly access more detailed reporting for that Advertiser without manually selecting it again.

For more details, see Standard Reporting

Bid Metrics

Bid metrics are displayed on the Advertiser, Campaign, and Line details pages to provide insight into the bid funnel, real-time delivery, and potential issues that may be affecting delivery.

• Time Frame: Select a time frame such as 15 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, or 1 day. Data is displayed in 5-minute intervals.
• Eligible Requests: Bid requests that meet the targeting criteria for the Line or Campaign, including settings such as deals, geo targeting, inventory targeting, audiences, and other targeting restrictions. If there are no eligible requests, the selected targeting criteria may be too restrictive or there may be no available inventory matching all criteria. See the Blockers graph and Troubleshooting delivery section below for more information.
• Bids: Bids placed on eligible requests. If a Line or Campaign has eligible requests but is not bidding, additional requirements or settings may be preventing bids from being placed. See the Troubleshooting delivery section below for more information.
• Imps: Confirmed impressions served by the Line or Campaign after winning an auction.
• Confirmed Spend:Confirmed spend generated by impressions served during the selected time frame.
• Avg Eligible Lines: Shows how many lines on average across the platform compete for impressions available to this line. Higher numbers indicate a lot of compeition of eligible inventory.
• Competitive Position: Shows how competitive is this line in the platform. Higher numbers near 1 means that this line’s bid price is very competitive.

Bid/Imp Ratios

Below the Bid Data section there is the Bid/Imp Ratios data.

• Time Frame: Select different time options such as 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours.
• Imps to Bids Ratio: The ratio of impressions delivered to the number of bids placed. This provides insight into how frequently submitted bids result in won impressions.
  • A higher ratio indicates that a larger share of bids are winning and converting into impressions.
  • A lower ratio indicates that many bids are being submitted without winning, which may point to factors such as an uncompetitive bid price, auction competition, or deal/inventory conditions.
• Bids to Eligible Bids Ratio: The ratio of bid requests seen which match targeting to the number of bids placed. This provides insight into how frequently the platform bids after a request passes targeting eligibility.
  • A higher ratio indicates that the platform is bidding on a larger share of eligible requests.
  • A lower ratio indicates that requests are passing targeting eligibility but are frequently being filtered out before a bid is placed. This may point to additional serving requirements such as budget or pacing constraints, creative eligibility, frequency caps, bid requirements, or other bidder-level restrictions. If delivery is being limited by pacing or budget allocation, increasing the Budget Multiplier or enabling Catch Up ASAP may help increase bid volume.

Campaign Performance

The Campaign Performance section provides a campaign-level view of delivery, performance, costs, conversions, and fees for the Advertiser. Use the Reporting Interval to adjust the time period reflected in the table.

Use the Search bar to find campaigns by keyword or ID. Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Filter Status: Toggle between Active, Inactive, and All Campaigns.
• Page Size: Adjust the number of campaign rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of campaigns included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Reporting Interval: Updates the performance metrics displayed in the table. All reporting intervals except Yesterday include data from the current day. Today’s metrics update hourly and are subject to an approximately three-hour reporting delay.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Campaign Performance Table Columns

The Campaign Performance table can include the following campaign information and performance metrics:

• Status: The current active or inactive status of the Campaign.
• ID: The unique Pontiac Campaign ID.
• Name: The Campaign name.
• Imps: The number of confirmed impressions served during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Media Cost: The cost of media purchased during the selected Reporting Interval, excluding additional fees.
• Total Cost: The total cost incurred during the selected Reporting Interval, including applicable fees.
• Total Cost CPM: Total Cost per 1,000 impressions.
• IP Conversions: The number of conversions attributed using IP-based attribution during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Chrome Convs: The number of Chrome-attributed conversions recorded during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Clicks: The number of recorded clicks during the selected Reporting Interval.
• CTR: Click-Through Rate, calculated as Clicks divided by Impressions.
• CPC: Cost per Click, calculated using Total Cost divided by Clicks.
• Transparency Score: The Campaign’s transparency score for the selected Reporting Interval.
• Foot Traffic ‘Attributed Visitors’: The number of visitors attributed to campaign exposure through Foot Traffic measurement.
• Revenue: The Total Cost plus Advertiser Margin generated during the selected Reporting Interval.
• Media Cost CPM: Media Cost per 1,000 impressions.
• Data Cost: Costs associated with data used for campaign targeting.
• Foot Traffic Cost: Costs associated with Foot Traffic measurement.
• Credit Card Fee: Credit card processing fees associated with campaign spend, when applicable.
• Hosting Fee: Costs associated with creative hosting, when applicable.
• ART Fee: Costs associated with ART audience usage, when applicable.
• Contextual Fee: Costs associated with contextual targeting, when applicable.
• Chalice Fee: Costs associated with Chalice optimization, when applicable.
• VCR: Video Completion Rate, representing the percentage of video impressions that were viewed to completion.

Advertiser Daily Performance

The Advertiser Daily Performance section provides a day-by-day view of the Advertiser’s delivery, performance, costs, conversions, and fees. Expand the section to view both the Daily Performance Chart and Daily Performance Table.

Daily Performance Chart

The chart allows users to compare two selected performance metrics over time to identify trends and changes in Advertiser performance.

Use the metric dropdowns in the upper-right corner of the chart to select the two metrics you want to compare.

The chart can also be filtered by:

• Only Days with Data: Displays only dates where performance data was recorded.
• All Days: Displays all dates within the selected Reporting Interval, including dates with no recorded activity.

Daily Performance Table

The Daily Performance table provides the same Advertiser performance data broken out by individual day.

Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Page Size: Adjust the number of daily performance rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of dates included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Daily Performance Table Columns

The Advertiser Daily Performance table can include the following daily performance metrics:

• Date: The date associated with the performance metrics.
• Imps: The number of confirmed impressions served on that date.
• Media Cost: The cost of media purchased on that date, excluding additional fees.
• Total Cost: The total cost incurred on that date, including applicable fees.
• Total Cost CPM: Total Cost per 1,000 impressions.
• IP Conversions: The number of conversions attributed using IP-based attribution.
• Chrome Convs: The number of Chrome-attributed conversions recorded.
• Clicks: The number of recorded clicks.
• CTR: Click-Through Rate, calculated as Clicks divided by Impressions.
• CPC: Cost per Click, calculated using Total Cost divided by Clicks.
• Transparency Score: The Advertiser’s transparency score for that date.
• Foot Traffic ‘Attributed Visitors’: The number of visitors attributed to advertising exposure through Foot Traffic measurement.
• Revenue: The Total Cost plus Advertiser Margin generated on that date.
• Media Cost CPM: Media Cost per 1,000 impressions.
• Data Cost: Costs associated with data used for campaign targeting.
• Foot Traffic Cost: Costs associated with Foot Traffic measurement.
• Credit Card Fee: Credit card processing fees associated with spend, when applicable.
• Hosting Fee: Costs associated with creative hosting, when applicable.
• Art Fee: Costs associated with ART audience usage, when applicable.
• Contextual Fee: Costs associated with contextual targeting, when applicable.
• Chalice Fee: Costs associated with Chalice optimization, when applicable.

Completion Events

The Completion Events dropdown section provides detailed completion performance for video and audio campaigns with creatives that have a duration. The table shows how users progress through the creative, from the start through completion, and can be used to evaluate engagement and completion efficiency.

Select the Download button to export the table as a CSV.

• Page Size: Adjust the number of rows displayed on each page.
• Total Items: Displays the total number of rows included in the current view.
• Page: Displays the current page and total number of available pages.
• Columns: Select the three-line menu to choose which columns are displayed in the table and customize the view based on your needs.

Completion Events Table Columns

• Date: The date associated with the completion event metrics.
• Imps: The number of confirmed impressions served.
• Spend Per Complete: The average spend for each completed creative.
• Starts: The number of times the creative began playing.
• 25% Complete: The number of plays that reached 25% of the creative duration.
• 50% Complete: The number of plays that reached 50% of the creative duration.
• 75% Complete: The number of plays that reached 75% of the creative duration.
• 100% Complete: The number of plays that reached the end of the creative.
• Completion Rate: The percentage of started plays that reached 100% completion.

On the Advertiser Details screen, below the Setup and Performance subtabs, the Download Campaign Setup button allows you to export the advertiser’s active campaign, flight, and line configurations into an Excel workbook.

The export provides a consolidated view of campaign setup information, making it easier to compare configurations, audit campaign launches and settings, and perform QA.

Downloading the Campaign Setup

1. Navigate to the applicable Advertiser Details screen.
2. Locate Download Campaign Setup below the Setup and Performance subtabs.
3. Click Download Campaign Setup to download the Excel workbook.

The workbook includes all active campaigns under the advertiser and their active lines.

Export Structure

Depending on the advertiser’s campaign configurations, the workbook contains the following tabs:

• Campaigns: Includes one row for each active campaign and its applicable campaign level settings, including budget, pacing, frequency, targeting, creatives, audiences, pixels, and other configured controls.
• Flights: Included when one or more active campaigns have Enable Flights enabled. This tab displays the campaign’s flights and the lines associated with each flight, including flight dates, budgets, rollover settings, and line budget allocation information.
• Lines: Includes one row for each active line and its applicable line level settings, including inventory type, dates, budgets, bid settings, frequency, targeting, creatives, audiences, pixels, and other configured controls.

Columns that are not applicable to the configurations included in the export are omitted to keep the workbook focused on relevant setup information.

Campaign Managed Settings

When a setting is managed at the campaign level, the applicable configuration is displayed on the Campaigns tab rather than repeated for each line.

For example, if Manage Dayparts is enabled for a campaign, the applicable pacing and daypart settings are included on the Campaigns tab and are not repeated on the Lines tab. If the setting is managed independently by each line, the applicable values are instead included for the individual lines where they are configured.

Flight Based Line Settings

For campaigns using flights, certain line settings can vary by flight, including:

• Budget Allocation Weight
• Budget Multiplier

The Flights tab provides the values associated with each campaign flight and line combination. The Lines tab displays the effective value based on the current active flight. If there is no active flight, the next upcoming flight is used. If there is no upcoming flight, the most recently completed flight is used.

A Creative is the advertisement asset or third-party ad tag that is served as part of a Campaign. Creatives are created and managed at the Advertiser level and can then be associated with eligible Campaigns or Lines for delivery.

Pontiac supports creatives across multiple media types, including:

• Banner / Display
  • Hosted Banner
  • Third-Party Banner
  • HTML5
• Native
• Audio
  • Hosted Audio
  • Third-Party Audio
  • Companion Banners
• Video
  • Hosted Video
  • Third-Party Video / VAST

Creatives can be uploaded by navigating to the applicable Advertiser and selecting New Creative. Creative settings can only be edited from the Advertiser level.

Once saved, Creatives are submitted through the applicable creative audit process before they are eligible to serve. Creatives may also be subject to additional SSP, publisher, media owner, or other third-party approval requirements depending on the inventory being purchased.

The sections below cover supported Creative types, technical specifications, upload and configuration workflows, macros, trackers, auditing, and other Creative-related features.

Creative Hierarchy

Creatives are owned and managed at the Advertiser level:

Seat
└── Advertiser
    ├── Creatives
    ├── Pixels
    └── Campaigns
        └── Lines

Although Creatives belong to the Advertiser, they can be associated with a Campaign or Line depending on how Creative management is configured.

Advertiser
└── Creative
    ├── Campaign Association
    └── Line Association

When Creatives are managed at the Campaign level, the Campaign’s associated Creatives are inherited by its Lines. When Creative management is handled independently at the Line level, eligible Creatives can be associated directly with individual Lines.

This allows a single Advertiser to maintain a centralized Creative library while controlling which assets are eligible to serve across different Campaigns and Lines.

For setup instructions, see:

• Campaign Creatives
• Line Creatives

The Creatives documentation itself confirms that Creatives are managed at the Advertiser level and then used at Campaign or Line level.

Creatives can be uploaded in the Advertiser details screen by selecting the ‘New Creative’ button. At this time the platform supports the following Creative Types:

• Banner/Display:
  • Banner: Hosted
    • First Party Banner
  • Banner: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Banner
  • HTML5
• Native
• Audio
  • Audio: Hosted
    • First Party Audio
  • Audio: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Audio
  • Companion Banners
    • First Party Audio or Third Party Audio
    • First Party Banner
• Video
  • Video: Hosted
    • First Party Videos. Pontiac hosting fee will be applied and VAST tag will be created using Kevel.
  • Video: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Video (VAST) tags from reputable Ad Servers

For a comprehensive walkthrough of each creative type, see here: New Creative Tab

Creatives Table

On the Advertiser, Campaign, and Line level, users can download the Creatives table. By default the following columns are included:

• Status: Active or Inactive
• Audit Status: Approved, Pending, or Rejected
• ID: Creative ID
• Name: Creative Name
• Creative Type: The creative’s type: Banner: Hosted, Banner: 3rd Party, Native, Audio: Hosted, Audio: 3rd Party, Video: Hosted, and Video: 3rd Party.
• Weight: The creative’s weight.
• Imps: The amount of Impressions the creative has served and is dependent on the selected Reporting Interval.
• Clicks: The number of Clicks the creative has and is dependent on the selected Reporting Interval.
• Total Cost: The total cost of serving the creative and is dependent on the selected Reporting Interval.
• Revenue: The total cost, including any of the advertiser’s margin, of serving the creative and is dependent on the selected Reporting Interval.
• Flights Enabled: Always on or the flights that the creative is active for.
• CTR: The click through rate of the creative and is dependent on the selected Reporting Interval.
• Tag: The creative’s tag

Creatives can be uploaded in the Advertiser details screen by selecting the ‘New Creative’ button. At this time the platform supports Video: 3rd Party (VAST tags from reputable Ad Servers), Videos: Hosted, Audio: 3rd Party, Audio: Hosted, Banner: 3rd Party, Banner: Hosted, HTML5, and Native (Format A) creatives. If you do not have access to an ad server to create VAST tags, Pontiac Bidder offers hosting services at an additional charge via Kevel. This additional CPM fee is applied to the Line Item for each impression served and is a part of the total line and campaign budgets. Reach out through the Help Center or your account manager for more information.

To upload a Creative, go to the Advertisers tab and click on the name of the Advertiser under which you would like to upload the Creative. Select ‘New Creative’ and select the type of Creative that you will be uploading. A preview of the Creative should appear in the green ‘Preview’ box. Ensure that the Creative does not extend outside this preview box and loads as expected. Complete all relevant fields, then click ‘Save’.

Please note that Creatives can only be edited at the Advertiser Level. Please navigate to the Advertiser Level to modify your creatives.

For detailed documentation, see here: New Creative Tab

Please thoroughly review all Creative Policies before uploading Creative. All Creative units uploaded will be subject to the Pontiac Intelligence creative audit process as well as any additional SSP, publisher, media owner or other creative approval processes that may apply in the acquisition of ad space.

Pontiac Intelligence reserves the right to reject any creative unit at its discretion, and subsequently suspend the account without advanced warning. If your account is suspended, you will be notified in writing and an investigation will take place within three business days.  If at any point your ad tags are flagged as malicious, your account balance will be forfeited to Pontiac and will not be refundable.

In addition to Pontiac Intelligence’s content policies, certain sellers have additional policies that apply to buyers of those sellers’ inventory and certain data providers have additional policies that apply to buyers of those data providers’ data. Pontiac Intelligence clients wishing to purchase such inventory or data are responsible for understanding and adhering to any such additional policies. Pontiac shall have no liability or responsibility of any kind if a third-party declines to serve any Ads proposed by a Pontiac user, regardless of whether the ads meet the Pontiac Ad Standards or are approved by Pontiac, and users agree to indemnify and hold harmless Pontiac from any losses arising from a third-party’s decision not to serve a user’s ads. 

Creatives are managed on the Advertiser level. Navigate to the desired Advertiser and select the New Creative button to upload and configure creatives across video, display, audio, and native formats.

Getting Started

1. Click New Creative.
2. Select a Creative Type:

• Banner/Display:
  • Banner: Hosted
    • First Party Banner
  • Banner: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Banner
  • HTML5
• Native
• Audio
  • Audio: Hosted
    • First Party Audio
  • Audio: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Audio
  • Companion Banners
    • First Party Audio or Third Party Audio
    • First Party Banner
• Video
  • Video: Hosted
    • First Party Videos. Pontiac hosting fee will be applied and VAST tag will be created using Kevel.
  • Video: 3rd Party
    • Ad Server Tag Video (VAST) tags from reputable Ad Servers

4. Enter a Creative Name.
5. Set the creative to Active or Inactive (default is Active).

Continue below for detailed setup instructions and examples for each creative type.

For more details on creative specifications by type, see the Creative Specs documenation.

Video: Hosted

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: First Party Video
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s duration. The default value is 30 seconds.
   • Supported Durations:
     • 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90.
5. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
6. Click URL: The Click URL will automatically populate with the Advertiser’s URL. The field remains editable if it needs to be edited.
   • If previously audited, editing the Click URL will force a reaudit of this creative and the creative will stop serving until the reaudit is completed.
7. Select the Aspect Ratio: 16:9 is selected by default.
   • 16:9 is the most common aspect ratio for CTV video creatives. When selected, the uploaded creative will serve to standard sizes like 1920×1080 and 1280×720, along with additional sizes sharing the same aspect ratio.
   • All Supported Aspect Ratios:
     • 16:9: Best for CTV and most desktop/mobile video placements. Standard for long-form and streaming content.
     • 1:1: Square and common for feeds and mobile as it takes up more screen space than horizontal video.
     • 9:16: Ideal for mobile, full screen experiences and OLV placements.
     • 4:5: Common for mobile feeds.
8. Serve to all sizes with similar aspect ratio (recommended, enabled by default): When enabled, creatives run across more placements that support the same aspect ratios, increasing available inventory and campaign scale without distortion or cropping.
9. Click the Choose File button and upload the creative video file.
10. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
11. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Banner: Hosted

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: First Party Banner
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
5. Click URL: The Click URL will automatically populate with the Advertiser’s URL. The field remains editable if it needs to be edited.
   • If previously audited, editing the Click URL will force a reaudit of this creative and the creative will stop serving until the reaudit is completed.
6. Select the Size: 300×250 is selected by default.
   • Common sizes: 300×250, 728×90, 160×600
   • Supported Banner Sizes:
     • 88×31, 120×24, 120×60, 120×90, 120×160, 120×240, 120×600, 125×60, 125×125, 160×600, 180×150, 180×500, 200×200, 250×250,250×300, 300×50, 300×60, 300×100, 300×200, 300×250, 300×300, 300×400, 300×600, 300×1050, 320×50, 320×100, 320×250, 320×320, 320×360, 320×400, 320×480, 336×280, 400×300, 414×125, 468×60, 468×80, 580×400, 600×315, 600×600, 640×480, 640×720, 728×90, 728×200, 728×300, 732×610, 750×750, 900×1600, 930×180, 960×1200, 960×1600, 970×90, 970×250, 980×120, 980×150, 980×300, 980×500, 980×600, 1024×768, 1080×1080, 1080×1920, 1200×600, 1200×628, 1200×675, 1200×1200, 1280×720, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
7. Click the Choose File button and upload the creative banner file.
8. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
9. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Audio: Hosted

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: First Party Audio
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s duration. The default value is 30 seconds.
   • Supported Durations:
     • 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90.
5. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
6. Click URL: The Click URL will automatically populate with the Advertiser’s URL. The field remains editable if it needs to be edited.
   • If previously audited, editing the Click URL will force a reaudit of this creative and the creative will stop serving until the reaudit is completed.
7. Click the Choose File button and upload the creative audio file.
   • MP3 audio file
8. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
9. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Video: 3rd Party

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: Ad Server Tag Video (VAST)
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s duration. The default value is 30 seconds.
   • Supported Durations:
     • 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90.
5. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
6. Enter the Video VAST Tag URL
   • VAST 2, 3, and 4 are currently accepted
7. Select how the creative’s sizes are uploaded:
   • Automatically Detect Sizes
     • All sizes detected from the VAST tag will populate the box.
   • Manually Set Sizes
     • Select sizes from the right hand side drop down menu.
8. Serve to all sizes with similar aspect ratio (recommended, enabled by default): When enabled, creatives run across more placements that support the same aspect ratios, increasing available inventory and campaign scale without distortion or cropping.
9. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
10. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Audio: 3rd Party

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: Ad Server Tag Audio
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s duration. The default value is 30 seconds.
   • Supported Durations:
     • 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90.
5. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
6. Enter the Audio VAST tag URL: Vast versions 2, 3 and 4 are currently accepted.
7. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
8. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Companion Banners

Companion Banners are optional display assets that can be delivered alongside Audio creatives when supported by the available inventory. They are supported for both First Party Audio and Third Party Audio creatives. Companion Banners are uploaded directly as image files and are hosted and prepared for delivery by Pontiac.

Upload Steps:

A First Party Audio or Third Party Audio creative must first be uploaded and saved before Companion Banners can be added.

1. Navigate to the Advertiser level and upload a new First Party Audio or Third Party Audio creative using the applicable upload steps.
2. Once the Audio creative has been saved, open the creative. A new Companion Banners tab will be available.

3. Navigate to the Companion Banners tab and click Add New Companion.
4. Select and upload the desired Companion Banner image file.
5. Select the correct size for the companion banner.
6. Once uploaded, a preview of the Companion Banner will appear.
7. Additional Companion Banners can be added as needed by selecting the Add new companion button. Existing Companion Banners can also be removed using the X button located in the top right corner.

Pontiac will automatically prepare the uploaded Companion Banners for delivery alongside the Audio creative.

Supported Sizes

• 300×250 – Medium Rectangle
• 728×90 – Leaderboard
• 160×600 – Wide Skyscraper
• 320×50 – Mobile Banner
• 300×600 – Half Page

Supported File Types

• PNG
• JPG
• JPEG
• GIF

Creative Audit

Adding, replacing, or removing a Companion Banner after the Audio creative has been audited will return the creative to Pending status. The updated creative must complete the audit process again before it is eligible to serve.

Note: Companion Banners are currently supported for Audio creatives only. While they can be associated with both First Party and Third Party Audio creatives, the Companion Banner itself is always uploaded and hosted as a First Party asset.

Banner: 3rd Party

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: Ad Server Tag Banner
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the creative’s weight. The default value is 1.
5. Select the Size: 300×250 is selected by default.
   • Common sizes: 300×250, 728×90, 160×600
   • Supported Banner Sizes:
     • 88×31, 120×24, 120×60, 120×90, 120×160, 120×240, 120×600, 125×60, 125×125, 160×600, 180×150, 180×500, 200×200, 250×250,250×300, 300×50, 300×60, 300×100, 300×200, 300×250, 300×300, 300×400, 300×600, 300×1050, 320×50, 320×100, 320×250, 320×320, 320×360, 320×400, 320×480, 336×280, 400×300, 414×125, 468×60, 468×80, 580×400, 600×315, 600×600, 640×480, 640×720, 728×90, 728×200, 728×300, 732×610, 750×750, 900×1600, 930×180, 960×1200, 960×1600, 970×90, 970×250, 980×120, 980×150, 980×300, 980×500, 980×600, 1024×768, 1080×1080, 1080×1920, 1200×600, 1200×628, 1200×675, 1200×1200, 1280×720, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
6. Enter the Third-Party HTML Tag.
7. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
8. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Native: Format A

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: Native
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Native Creative Type: Format A is selected by default and currently the only supported version.
5. Enter Alternative Brand URL for Audit (if applicable): Applicable if you are using a Click URL to a site that does not represent your branding, such as Amazon, enter a URL that contains the same branding represented in your ad. The audit team will use this URL to validate the branding represented in the creative. This will not be used as the landing page for the creative.
6. Creative Specs: Expand this section to view the Native Format A requirements.
   • Title: 25 Character Maximum
   • Body: 140 Character Maximum
   • Icon: 1:1 aspect ratio, at least 50×50 pix, no more than 200×200
   • Image: width cant exceed 1200 and aspect ratio has to be 1:1, 4:3 or 1.91:1
   • Click URL: URL to the page you are driving to (matches “sponsored by” brand)
   • Sponsored By: 25 Character maximum (Brand of advertisement)
   • Format A placements excel on the following exchanges: Triplelift, Sharethrough, Microsoft
   • 200kb max file size, overage fees will apply for larger files
7. Enter the required fields: Title, Sponsored By, Call to Action, and Body.
8. Click URL: The Click URL will automatically populate with the Advertiser’s URL. The field remains editable if it needs to be edited.
   • If previously audited, editing the Click URL will force a reaudit of this creative and the creative will stop serving until the reaudit is completed.
9. Upload the Icon.
10. Upload the Image.
11. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.
12. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

Example Preview:

HTML5

Upload Steps:

Start by clicking New Creative, then:

1. Select Creative Type: Html5
2. Name the creative.
3. Choose Active or Inactive. Creatives are automatically set to Active.
4. Select the Size: 300×250 is selected by default.
   • Common sizes: 300×250, 728×90, 160×600
   • Supported Sizes:
     • 88×31, 120×24, 120×60, 120×90, 120×160, 120×240, 120×600, 125×60, 125×125, 160×600, 180×150, 180×500, 200×200, 250×250,250×300, 300×50, 300×60, 300×100, 300×200, 300×250, 300×300, 300×400, 300×600, 300×1050, 320×50, 320×100, 320×250, 320×320, 320×360, 320×400, 320×480, 336×280, 400×300, 414×125, 468×60, 468×80, 580×400, 600×315, 600×600, 640×480, 640×720, 728×90, 728×200, 728×300, 732×610, 750×750, 900×1600, 930×180, 960×1200, 960×1600, 970×90, 970×250, 980×120, 980×150, 980×300, 980×500, 980×600, 1024×768, 1080×1080, 1080×1920, 1200×600, 1200×628, 1200×675, 1200×1200, 1280×720, 1920×1080, 1920×1200
5. Click URL: The Click URL will automatically populate with the Advertiser’s URL. The field remains editable if it needs to be edited.
   • If previously audited, editing the Click URL will force a reaudit of this creative and the creative will stop serving until the reaudit is completed.
6. Enter Alternative Brand URL for Audit (if applicable): Applicable if you are using a Click URL to a site that does not represent your branding, such as Amazon, enter a URL that contains the same branding represented in your ad. The audit team will use this URL to validate the branding represented in the creative. This will not be used as the landing page for the creative.
7. Creative Specs: Expand this section to view the html5 requirements.
   • Hosted HTML5 (Gif):
   • URL to the page you are driving to
   • Upload the entire zip file
   • Cannot animate after the 3rd rotation, and cannot exceed 30 seconds
   • 150kb max file size, overage fees will apply for larger files
   • Sufficient branding
8. Click Choose File to upload the zip file.
   • The zip file must contain an index.html, specifically called index.html, which much reside in the root of the zip file and not in a subfolder. Index.html should be complete and valid HTML document and not an HTML fragment. All external resources must be secure (https).

9. Preview the creative to ensure it is rendering correctly and there are no issues.

10. Click Save, which will send the creative to audit.

You could add a general note like this:

File Type Validation

When uploading an HTML5 creative ZIP, each file inside the ZIP must have a file extension that matches its actual file type.

If a file is mislabeled, for example, a file with a .ttf extension that is actually an OpenType font (.otf)- the upload may fail with the following warning:

The file extension does not match the detected file content. Please upload a file with the correct extension.

If you receive this warning, review the files inside the ZIP and confirm that each file’s extension correctly reflects its content type before uploading again.

1×1 third party trackers can be added to creatives in Pontiac on upload or in the edit creative screen. In the creative window, open the Tracker tab and click Add New Tracker to enter the third-party tracking URL.

Pontiac supports the following tracker types:

• Impressions
• Start
• First Quartile
• Second Quartile
• Third Quartile
• Completion

Supported Tracker Types:

• Image (Img): For image pixel tracker URLs.
  • Example: https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel?id=18419&type=2
  • Image trackers are simple pixel URLs that fire when the creative loads. They are usually preferred because they are lightweight, broadly compatible, and less likely to be blocked by creative environments.
• JavaScript (JS): For script based tracker URLs.
  • Example: https://pix.pontiac.media/js-pixel?id=1516&type=2
  • JavaScript trackers are used when the tracking provider requires script logic to run, such as setting additional parameters, firing multiple calls, or supporting more complex measurement behavior.
• For most standard impression tracking, Image is the better default.

Additional Information:

• Banner ads support impression trackers only.
• Video and audio ads support all tracker types.
• Third-party click trackers should be configured in your ad server as the creative’s click URL.
• Please refer to the Pontiac Macros here: Creative Macros which can be used to pass additional information when the tracker fires.
• Pontiac macros must be implemented using the exact macro format within the tracker URL to pass data correctly. Incorrect formatting will result in missing data.
• For additional assistance, please reach out to your account manager or the Help Center.

Using Trackers for Audience Building:

In addition to measurement, trackers can be used to support audience creation.

By adding a Pontiac pixel img as a tracker to a creative, you can capture exposed users and automatically build a custom audience based on IP data when the tracker fires.

Follow the following setups:

1. Create a pixel and check the Create Custom Audience feature and set days to live.

2. Add the Pixel URL Img to your desired creative (CTV, Display, Audio, etc.) to the trackers tab as an impression tracker.

3. Check that the audience has started collecting records in the Audience tab > Custom section. If there are records proceed to the next step. If not, ensure that the campaign has been live long enough to collect data.

4. On the Campaign or Line level associate the custom audience.

This enables workflows such as:

• Building audiences from users exposed to ads
• Applying those audiences to future campaigns
• Retargeting across different media types (e.g., video, display, audio)

This approach allows you to extend campaign impact across channels and scale retargeting strategies.

The Specs tab displays technical details for supported creative types, including creative size, bit rates, MIME type, aspect ratio, and duration where applicable.

Creative types without a Specs tab

The following creative types do not have a Specs tab because their details are available in the main creative dialog window:

• Banner: Hosted
• Banner: 3rd Party
• HTML5
• Native

Video: 3rd Party

• Size
• Bit Rate (Video and Audio Combined)
• Mime
• Aspect Ratio

Video: Hosted

• Size
• Bit Rate (Video)
• Audio Bit Rate
• Mime
• Aspect Ratio

Audio: 3rd Party

• Bit Rate (Audio)
• Mime
• Duration

On the Flights tab, choose to have the Creative Always On or Active for a specific Flight.

Flight dates can be applied on each creative to easily schedule and facilitate creative swaps on a Line or Campaign. For example, if you have a new creative for each week of a Campaign, you can associate all of the creatives to the Campaign, and set flight dates accordingly so that you do not have to edit the Campaign and swap creatives each week. The creative will only be eligible to serve during the date intervals selected unless the creative is set to ‘Always On’, in which case it will be eligible to serve whenever it is assigned to a Line or creative with current flight dates.

In the creative upload or edit window, under the ‘Flights’ tab, you can change the creative dates setting to ‘Flights’ then configure the dates when you would like the creative to serve. To add multiple flights, select the ‘Add Flight’ button.

To remove a flight, click the red circle next to the selected dates. If a creative is switched from ‘Flights’ to ‘Always On’, all existing flights will be removed.

The Publisher Specs Eligibility tab is available in the Creative window for:

• Video: Hosted
• Video: 3rd Party
• Audio: Hosted
• Audio: 3rd Party

This tab evaluates whether a hosted creative appears to meet the technical requirements of supported publishers and SSPs.

Publisher Specs Eligibility is a technical specification check only. A Pass result means the creative appears to meet the listed requirements, but it does not indicate final approval by Pontiac, the publisher, or the SSP. Publisher requirements are controlled by each publisher and are subject to change. Audio bitrate cannot be validated for 3rd party video creatives. Contact your ad server to confirm that the audio bitrate meets the publisher’s specifications.

For more information about publisher specific approval processes, contact your Account Manager or reach out through the Help Center.

Video Tests Check the Following:

• Aspect Ratio
• Duration
• Sizes
• Video Bitrate
• Audio Bitrate (except 3rd party videos unable to check automatically and must be checked manually)

Video Publisher Test Requirements:

• Disney
  • Disney+, DisneyXP, Hulu
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 6, 15, or 30 seconds
    • Sizes: 1920×1080 (preferred) or 1280×720
    • Video Bitrate:
      • Minimum Bitrate: 10,000 Kbps
      • Maximum Bitrate: 40,000 Kbps
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • ESPN
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 15 or 30 seconds
    • Sizes: 1920×1080 and 1280×720 required
    • Video Bitrate:
      • 1920×1080: Minimum Bitrate: 10,000 Kbps and Maximum Bitrate: 40,000 Kbps
      • 1280×720: Bitrate: 1,500 Kbps or less
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • ABC News
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 6, 15, or 30 seconds
    • Sizes: 1920×1080 and 1280×720 required
    • Video Bitrate:
      • 1920×1080: Minimum Bitrate: 10,000 Kbps and Maximum Bitrate: 40,000 Kbps
      • 1280×720: Bitrate: 1,500 Kbps or less
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
• NBCU
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Duration: 6, 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds
  • Sizes: All sizes required in the VAST tag
    • Mezz – 1920×1080 HD
    • High – 1920×1080 HD or 1280x 720 HD
    • Medium – 960×540 or 640×480
    • Low – 640×360 or 416×234
  • Video Bitrate
    • Mezz – 10,000-30,000 Kbps
    • High – 3,250-5,000 Kbps
    • Medium – 1,000-1,500 Kbps
    • Low – 340-460 Kbps
  • Audio Bitrate
    • Mezz – Minimum 192 kbps
    • High – Minimum 96 kbps
    • Medium – Minimum 96 kbps
    • Low – Minimum 96 kbps
• Paramount
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Duration: 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds
  • Sizes: All sizes required in the VAST tag
    • 1920×1080
    • 1024×576
    • 960×540
    • 768×432
    • 640×360
  • Video Bitrate
    • 1920×1080:10,000 Kbps – 40,000 Kbps
    • 1024×576: 2,100 kbps +/- 50 kbps
    • 960×540: 1,500 kbps +/- 50 kbps
    • 768×432: 750 kbps+/- 50 kbps
    • 640×360: 375 kbps+/- 50 kbps
  • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
• WBD
  • CNN, League Sports, MLB, NHL
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 15 or 30 seconds
    • Sizes: All sizes required in the VAST tag
      • Mezz – 1920×1080
      • High – 1280x 720
      • Medium – 854×480
      • Low – 640×360
    • Video Bitrate
      • 1920×1080: 15,000-30,000 Kbps
      • 1280×720: Less than 15,000 Kbps
      • 854×480: Less than 1,500 Kbps
      • 640×360: Less than 1,000 Kbps
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • NCAA
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 15 or 30 seconds
    • Sizes: 1920×1080
    • Video Bitrate: 18,000 – 30,000 Kbps
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • TBS, TNT, truTV
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 15, 30, or 60 seconds
    • Sizes: All sizes required in the VAST tag
      • Mezz – 1920×1080
      • High – 1280x 720
      • Medium – 854×480
      • Low – 640×360
    • Video Bitrate
      • 1920×1080: 15,000-30,000 Kbps
      • 1280×720: Less than 15,000 Kbps
      • 854×480: Less than 1,500 Kbps
      • 640×360: Less than 1,000 Kbps
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • Discovery
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 6, 15, 30, or 60 seconds
    • Sizes: All sizes required in the VAST tag
      • Mezz – 1920×1080
      • High – 1280x 720
      • Medium – 854×480
      • Low – 640×360
    • Video Bitrate: 10,000 Kbps minimum
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher
  • HBO Max, WBD Stream
    • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
    • Duration: 15, 30, 45, or 60 seconds
    • Sizes: All 5 sizes required in the VAST tag
      • Mezz – 1920×1080 x 2 (2 1920×1080 sizes present in VAST tag)
      • High – 1280x 720
      • Medium – 854×480
      • Low – 640×360
    • Video Bitrate: 10,000 Kbps minimum
    • Audio Bitrate: 192 Kbps or higher

Audio Tests Check the Following:

• Format
• Audio Bitrate
• Duration

Audio Publisher Test Requirements:

• Triton
  • Format: MP3, MPEG, WAV
  • Audio Bitrate: 128 kbps minimum
  • Duration: up to 60 seconds
• Spotify
  • Format: 3MPEG or MP3
  • Audio Bitrate: 192 kbps minimum
  • Duration: up to 30 seconds
  • Note: All elements within VAST must make secure calls via https. All third-party tags and tracking URLs need to be in HTTPS format. Javascript, OMID, and VPAID are not supported. Serves on desktop, mobile, and tablet. Ads may serve on connected devices and CTV, but these platforms cannot be targeted at this time, only excluded.

Failed checks will display the identified value in the creative and then the requirement for that test for easy comparison and updating.

This page outlines the technical requirements for creatives across all supported media types in Pontiac and general recommendations.

Pontiac Hosted Creatives

Video: Hosted

Video Hosted 16:9 Kevel Template Specs

• 1920 × 1080 at 20,829 Kbps
• 1920 × 1080 at the original uploaded media file bitrate if it is less than 20,829 Kbps and not already included.
• 1920 × 1080 at 19,963 Kbps
• 1920 × 1080 at 15,000 Kbps
• 1920 × 1080 at 10,000 Kbps
• 1920 × 1080 at 4,006 Kbps
• 1280 × 720 at 10,000 Kbps
• 1280 × 720 at 5,000 Kbps
• 1280 × 720 at 1,994 Kbps
• 1280 × 720 at 1,000 Kbps
• 1024 × 576 at 2,100 Kbps
• 1024 × 576 at 1,799 Kbps
• 960 × 540 at 1,219 Kbps
• 854 × 480 at 714 Kbps
• 768 × 432 at 750 Kbps
• 720 × 406 at 486 Kbps
• 640 × 360 at 1,101 Kbps
• 640 × 360 at 907 Kbps
• 640 × 360 at 397 Kbps
• 640 × 360 at 300 Kbps
• 480 × 270 at 390 Kbps

The platform does not upscale uploaded video files. If the original uploaded media file does not meet a listed size and bitrate combination, that rendition will not be generated or included.

For example, if a 1920 × 1080 video with a bitrate of 6,000 Kbps is uploaded, the 1920 × 1080 at 4,006 Kbps rendition can be generated, but the 10,000 Kbps, 15,000 Kbps, and higher-bitrate 1920 × 1080 renditions will not be included.

Banner: Hosted

For additional macros see here: Creative Macros

Audio: Hosted

Companion Banners

Companion Banners are optional display assets that can be delivered alongside First Party Audio or Third Party Audio creatives when supported by the available inventory.

A First Party Audio or Third Party Audio creative must be uploaded and saved before Companion Banners can be added.

Companion Banner delivery is dependent on the inventory supporting the associated Companion Banner size and format.

HTML5

Native: Format A

General Recommendations

Ad Server Tag

CTV

OTT

VPAID is not supported for OTT placements, and FLV, WebM and VPAID media types will not be eligible to serve on OTT inventory.

Spotify Audio File

Specs may vary by publisher & media owner. Sample bid requests that contain the min & max duration, bit rate and other creative requirements can be found in the Deal Landscape report by Deal. Click on the Deal name to review this information for 50 sample impressions.

At this time all creatives are required to be uploaded as VAST tags. If you do not have access to an ad server to host your creatives, Pontiac offers hosting via DCM at an additional cost. Reach out via the Help Center for more information.

Creative Rotation on Tags Ad Tags

Tags uploaded to the Pontiac platform must not rotate brands or advertisers. Tags may rotate through various ads for the SAME brand, but all creative attributes (size, duration, brand), must be the same for all versions of the creative.

We automatically search each tag for malicious activity (including for malware and other viruses that can be distributed through ad tags), but you are solely responsible for any tags that you upload or any damage that they cause. If at any point your ad tags are flagged as malicious, your account will be suspended pending an investigation and the remaining account balance will be forfeited to Pontiac and will not be refundable.

Overview

The Creative audit process takes one business day from the time you upload a Creative. Before uploading any Creatives read the Pontiac Intelligence Creative Acceptance Policy here: 

Pontiac Intelligence reserves the right to reject any Creative unit at its discretion, and subsequently suspend the account without advanced warning. If your account is suspended, you will be notified in writing and an investigation will take place within three business days. Pontiac Intelligence is unable to change the audit results of Xandr/AppNexus & RiskIQ. Audit results can only be changed by resolving the issue that caused a Creative to be rejected or flagged as sensitive.

Audit Status

Creative audit results will be displayed under ‘Audit Status’ next to the name of the Creative, in the ‘Creatives’ section of the Advertiser, Campaign or Line. Audit status will be indicated by a symbol; a yellow triangle for ‘audit pending’, a green check box for ‘passed audit’, a green triangle for ‘marked as sensitive’ and a red box for ‘rejected’. Hover over this symbol to view additional information about the audit status.

More Resources

For more information about Creative issues see the below links:

• Sensitive Categories
• Creative Flagged as Sensitive
• Rejected Creatives
• Creative Re-Audit

Pontiac Intelligence reserves the right to reject any Creative unit at its discretion, and subsequently suspend the account without advanced warning. If your account is suspended, you will be notified in writing and an investigation will take place within three business days. Audit results can only be changed by resolving the issue that caused a Creative to be rejected or flagged as sensitive.

Audit Status

Creative audit results will be displayed under ‘Audit Status’ next to the name of the Creative, in the ‘Creatives’ section of the Advertiser, Campaign or Line. Audit status will be indicated by a symbol; a yellow triangle for ‘pending’ audit, a green check box for ‘approved’, a green triangle for ‘marked as sensitive’ and a red box for ‘rejected’. Hover over this symbol to view additional information about the audit status.

At the Advertiser, Campaign, and Line levels, the Creatives table displays all creatives associated with that level, along with their current audit status.

When a creative is rejected, users can hover over the Audit Status to view the rejection reason. This allows users to quickly understand why the creative did not pass audit.

In the Creative audit process, all ad units uploaded to the Pontiac platform will be assigned an IAB category and a brand using the Advertiser’s web domain or click URL if applicable. Both parameters are used by the publishers in the bid request to control the types of ads.

The IAB category assigned to your creative can be found by clicking on the creative name to open the creative details window. This field is displayed below the creative in the ‘Creative Category’ field:

These categories come from the Open RTB Specs, that can be found here in table 5.1 ‘Content Categories’: Open RTB Specs v2.5

If you believe the incorrect IAB category has been assigned to your creative, create a ticket in the Help Center for assistance.

Creatives that are flagged as ‘Sensitive’ will display a green triangle in the ‘Audit status’ column. Hover over this symbol to review the sensitive category the creative was assigned to. You can also see the category and sensitive attributes by opening the creative window. These are also displayed under the preview of the creative:

Permitted Sensitive Categories by Deals

Sensitive creatives will only be allowed to run on the platform through deals that explicitly accept content in the specified sensitive category. In the ‘Deals’ section of the ‘Inventory tab’ there is a column that lists sensitive categories that are accepted on each deal.

For inquiries regarding inventory that may be available for a sensitive category search here or reach out to our team through the Help Center.

List of Allowed Sensitive Categories

The following sensitive categories are allowed on the Pontiac platform, but ads will be restricted to deals, exchanges, and publishers or venues that have explicitly approved this content. Pontiac makes no guarantee that inventory will be available for any of the following categories or that creatives will be approved by SSP or publisher partners. As a platform user, it is your sole responsibility to ensure compliance with all applicable local and national laws, restrictions, or regulations, including licensing and/or registration and targeting requirements in each market where the content is serving.

• Political
• Gambling
• Religion
• Pharma
• Liquor
• Beer & Wine
• Cannabis
• CBD
• Tobacco
• Firearms & Weapons
• Lawyer Advertising

Political

Political advertisements require additional actions as prompted within the platform. When creating an Advertiser ensure that for the Politicial Content field: Yes, I am running ads related to an election, ballot initiative, or political candidate in the United States is selected and the following information is filled out.

Cannabis

Index Exchange has the following cannabis specific creative guidelines. Cannabis ads are required to meet the following standards to be eligible to participate on the exchange. Their specialized quality control team will review all cannabis ads against these standards, and will reject any advertisements that contain prohibited content.

Cannabis-related advertisements are prohibited from containing the following content:

• Depictions or promotion of underage consumption of cannabis
• False, misleading or deceptive content
• Medical claims;
• Depictions or promotion of excessive consumption
• A design, representation, picture or illustration that is obscene or indecent

Applicable laws, rules, and regulations may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Each Advertiser is responsible for ensuring compliance with the laws, rules and regulations of the jurisdictions in which it chooses to serve cannabis-related advertisements.

Lawyer Advertising

This sensitive category is blocked by Paramount and NBC.

All Political Creatives must run under an Advertiser with the ‘Political’ box checked and the disclosure form completed. If the disclosure form has not been filled out and a creative is marked as political in the audit, the Advertiser and all associated Campaigns will be disabled until the required information has been entered.

Pontiac Intelligence permits political advertising on the Bidder platform (advertising relating to elections, ballot initiatives, or political candidates) in the United States, but requires that such advertising comply with applicable law. We also require that you certify certain information about the ads and the political organization that purchased them for certain political advertising on the state or local level, as legally required.

All necessary information must be entered directly into the Pontiac platform when creating the Advertiser. The platform will guide you through a series of questions. The below exemplifies the nature of the information that must be provided, but is subject to change. Failure to supply all applicable information into the platform could prevent your ads from serving.

Political creatives will only be allowed to run on the platform through deals that explicitly accept political content. Depending on the Partner or Publishers, there may also be additional creative approval processes in order to run on these deals.

This information can be found in the ‘Deals’ section of the Inventory Tab. Deals that allow political content will have ‘Political’ listed in the ‘Permitted Sensitive Categories’. If additional publisher approvals are required, this will be noted in the ‘Publisher Approval Required’ field. To request publisher approval for a deal, reach out through the Help Center.

The following content is prohibited across all Pontiac products. Any ad unit flagged under one of these categories will be blocked from serving on the platform and may result in account suspension or forfeiture.

• Profanity, Hate Speech or Defamatory Language
• Graphic or excessive violence
• Pornography, Nudity, Obscenities, or other ‘Adult’ Content
• Inappropriate content (at our discretion)
• Sale of, or instructions for creating, guns, bombs, ammunition, or weapons
• Discussing or promoting sale of federally illegal drugs, including marijuana, illegal pharmaceuticals, and other schedule 1 drugs.
• Malware, privacy and security violations
• Broken Ads or blank creative
• Enabling or Permitting Piracy
• Charging for government forms and services
• Misappropriation of Copyright, Trademark, Trade Secret, or Patent
• Executes or Downloads Files without User Interactions
• Causing degradation of site performance (ex: excessive animation, weight)
• Illegal Material or Content
• Misleading or sensationalized messaging, content, or images
• Pop ups or any ad or landing pages that spawn them.
• Content that intends to, or does, induce user action through misleading appearance or behavior, including, but not limited to, creatives that mimic video players, functional buttons, errors or warnings about viruses, missing codecs, and corrupt disks.
• Displaying fake errors to induce user action, or messaging that implies knowledge of a user’s computer or operating system.
• Creatives must not rotate brands or advertisers.
• The landing page must match brand of the advertisement.
• The landing page must contain a privacy policy.

All creatives uploaded to the CTV platform, and advertiser landing pages when applicable, are subject to the Pontiac audit process. This process may take up to 1 business day and Pontiac reserves the right to deny any creative, even if they are compliant with listed standards and policies. Any ads deemed malicious or inappropriate at Pontiac’s discretion will result in your account being suspended.

Pontiac macros can be used in supported third-party Creative tags and tracker URLs to dynamically pass available Campaign, Line, Creative, inventory, device, geographic, content, and auction data.

Macros must be implemented using the exact supported format. Incorrect formatting may prevent the macro from being replaced or result in missing data. Macro values are populated when the applicable data is available for the request.

Third Party Creative Example

Creative Tracker Example

See the complete list of available supported macros and descriptions here: Supported Macros

For additional assistance, contact your Account Manager or the Help Center.

Creative Macro Implementation Recommendations & Examples

Click Tracking: For Pontiac to track clicks properly when utilizing third-party creative tags, the Click Macro will need to be properly inserted into the tag. Below are examples for the common ad servers. If your ad server is not included here, contact your third-party server for the location where the macro should be placed. The macro is either ${CLICK_URL} or ${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}.

Pontiac Commonly Uses:

• DCM Example:
  • data-dcm-click-tracker=’${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}’>
• Kevel Example:
  • setRedirectUrl(‘${CLICK_URL}’)

Cache-busting: ${CACHEBUSTER} inserts a unique value into the request to help prevent a cached ad response from being reused. This helps ensure that a new request is made to the third-party ad server for each eligible ad serve and can help reduce reporting discrepancies.The required placement of ${CACHEBUSTER} varies by ad server and tag format. Confirm the appropriate placement with the provider that generated the tag.

Third-party ad server requirements may change. The examples below were provided by Xandr or Pontiac clients and are included for reference only. Pontiac cannot guarantee that they reflect the current implementation required by each third-party provider. Confirm macro placement, encoding requirements, and tag syntax with the applicable third-party ad server before implementation.

Third-Party Banner Tag Examples by Ad Server

AdForm:

<script language="javascript" src="http://track.adform.net/adfscript/?bn=123456;click=${CLICK_URL}"></script>
<noscript>
<a href="${CLICK_URL}http://track.adform.net/C/?bn=123456;C=0" target="_blank">
<img src="http://track.adform.net/adfserve/?bn=123456;srctype=4;ord=${CACHEBUSTER}" border="0" width="930" height="180" alt=""/>
</a>
</noscript>

AdGear:

<script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">
(function() {
ADGEAR_SOURCE_CLICKTRACKER = "${CLICK_URL}";
ADGEAR_SOURCE_CLICKTRACKER_EXPECTS_ENCODED = false;
ADGEAR_SOURCE_CLICKTRACKER_IS_ENCODED = false;
ADGEAR_SOURCE_CLICKTRACKER_IS_DOUBLE_ENCODED = false;
var randomnum = "${CACHEBUSTER}";
var agref = "";
var proto = "http:";
if (!agref.match(/^https?/i)) agref = "";
if (window.location.protocol == "https:") proto = "https:";
if (randomnum.substring(0,2) == "__") randomnum = String(Math.random());
document.writeln('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/ja' + 'vascr' + 'ipt" s' + 'rc="' +
proto + '//d.adgear.com' + '/impressions/ext/p=' +
'1234' + '.js?AG_R=' + randomnum +
(agref === "" ? "" : ("&AG_REF=" + encodeURIComponent(agref))) +
'"></scr' + 'ipt>');
})();
</script>

AdInterax:

<SCRIPT>adx_U_555555="";adx_D_55555="${CLICK_URL}";adx_I_555555="";</SCRIPT>

<SCRIPT
SRC="http://mi.adinterax.com/js/denvernp,atencio_300X_seren,C=XXXXX,P=XXXXX/ad2.js?q=55555555" LANGUAGE="JavaScript"></SCRIPT>

<NOSCRIPT><A HREF="${CLICK_URL}http://tr.adinterax.com/re/denvernp,atencio_300X_seren,C=XXXXXX ,P=XXXXX/0/0/tc,c:noscript/http://www.johnatencio.com/search?q=new+heart&x=16&y=9"><IMG SRC="http://tr.adinterax.com/re/XXXXXX,atencio_300X_seren,C=John_atencio,
P=Scott/0/0/in,ti/http://mi.adinterax.com/customer/XXXXXXX/0/300x250_FL_newart.jpg?adxq=1282775581" BORDER=0></A></NOSCRIPT>

Adition:

<!-- BEGIN ADITIONTAG -->
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://imagesrv.adition.com/js/adition.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad1.adfarm1.adition.com/js?wp_id=12345&kid=12345&clickurl=${CLICK_URL}"></script>
<noscript><a href="${CLICK_URL}http://ad1.adfarm1.adition.com/click?sid=12345&ts=${CACHEBUSTER}">
<img src="http://ad1.adfarm1.adition.com/banner?sid=12345&kid=12345&ts=${CACHEBUSTER}" border="0"></a></noscript>
<!-- END ADITIONTAG -->

AdShuffle:

<iframe allowTransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"
marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" width="728"
height="90"
src="http://this.content.served.by.adshuffle.com/p/kl/01/234/r/56/7/8/abdef/ghijkl/view.html?${CACHEBUSTER}&ASTPCT=${CLICK_URL}"></iframe>

Adtech:

<!--IFRAME Tag (General Redirect) // Page: 728x90 //  -->
<IFRAME WIDTH="728" HEIGHT="90" SCROLLING="No" FRAMEBORDER="0" MARGINHEIGHT="0" MARGINWIDTH="0" SRC="http://adserver.adtech.de/adiframe|3.0|1234|1234|0|1234|ADTECH;AdId=1234;BnId=-1;;target=_blank;misc=[timestamp];rdclick=${CLICK_URL}"><script language="javascript" src="http://adserver.adtech.de/addyn|3.0|1234|1234|0|1234|ADTECH;AdId=1234;BnId=-1;;loc=700;target=_blank;misc=[timestamp];rdclick=${CLICK_URL}"></script><noscript><a href="http://adserver.adtech.de/adlink|3.0|1234|1234|0|1234|ADTECH;AdId=9479763;BnId=-1;;loc=300;misc=[timestamp]" target="_blank;AdId=9479763;BnId=-1;"><img src="http://adserver.adtech.de/adserv|3.0|1234|1234|0|1234|ADTECH;loc=300;misc=[timestamp]" border="0" width="728" height="90"></a></noscript></IFRAME>
<!-- End of IFRAME Tag --> 

Atlas (New):

<script src='http://ad.atdmt.com/i/a.js;p=11002201227900;cache=${CACHEBUSTER}?click=${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}'></script><noscript><iframe frameborder='0' scrolling='no' marginheight='0' marginwidth='0' topmargin='0' leftmargin='0' allowtransparency='true' height='250' width='300' src='http://ad.atdmt.com/i/a.html;p=11002201227900;cache=${CACHEBUSTER}?click=${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}'></iframe></noscript>

Previous:

<iframe src="http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/iview/1234567890/direct;wi.160;hi.600/01${CACHEBUSTER}?click=${CLICK_URL}" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"
marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" allowtransparency="true" width="160" height="600">
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"> document.write('<a href="${CLICK_URL}http://clk.atdmt.com/CNT/go/1234567890/direct;wi.160;hi.600/01/"
target="_blank"><img src="http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/view/195860978/direct;wi.160;hi.600/01/${CACHEBUSTER}"/></a>');
</script><noscript><a href="${CLICK_URL}http://clk.atdmt.com/CNT/go/195860978/direct;wi.160;hi.600/01/" target="_blank"><img border="0"
src="http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/view/1234567890/direct;wi.160;hi.600/01/${CACHEBUSTER}" /></a></noscript></iframe>

DoubleClick:

<script language="JavaScript" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/1234.567.890/;net=123456;sz=728x90;click=${CLICK_URL};ord=${CACHEBUSTER}?"
type="text/javascript"></script><noscript><a href="${CLICK_URL}http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/1234.567.890/;net=123456;sz=728x90;ord=${CACHEBUSTER}?"
target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/1234.567.890/;net=123456;sz=728x90;ord=${CACHEBUSTER}?" width="728" height="90" border="0"
alt=""></a></noscript>

DoubleClick (New Ins Tag):

Note: The DoubleClick ‘ins’ type tag will not need the Cachebuster macro.

<ins class='dcmads' style='display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px'
   data-dcm-placement='N3241.163472.EXAMPLEAD/B8852666.112976410'
   data-dcm-rendering-mode='script'
   data-dcm-https-only
   data-dcm-click-tracker=${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}>
 <script src='//www.googletagservices.com/dcm/dcmads.js'></script>
</ins>

EyeReturn:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://voken.eyereturn.com/?144857&click=${CLICK_URL}&params=${CACHEBUSTER}"></script>

Fetchback:

<script language='javascript' type='text/javascript' src='http://imp.fetchback.com/serve/fb/adtag.js?tid=47476&type=widesky&clicktrack=${CLICK_URL_ENCODED}'></script>

Flashtalking:

<script language="Javascript1.1" type="text/javascript">
var ftClick = "${CLICK_URL}";
var ftX = "";
var ftY = "";
var ftZ = "";
var ftContent = "";
var ft160x600_OOBclickTrack = "";
var ftRandom = Math.random()*1000000;
var ftBuildTag1 = "<scr";
var ftBuildTag2 = "</";
var ftTag = ftBuildTag1 + 'ipt language="javascript1.1" type="text/javascript" ';
ftTag += 'src="http://servedby.flashtalking.com/imp/55555;55555;201;js;MediaIQ;Sky160x600/?click='+ftClick+'&ftx='+ftX+'&fty='+ftY+'&ftadz='+ftZ+'&ftscw='+ftContent+'&cachebuster='+ftRandom+'" id="ftscript_160x600" name="ftscript_160x600"';
ftTag += '">' + ftBuildTag2 + 'script>'; document.write(ftTag);
</script>
<noscript>
<a href="${CLICK_URL}http://servedby.flashtalking.com/click/55555;55555;0;209;0/?url=232492" target="_blank">
<img border="0" src="http://servedby.flashtalking.com/imp/55555;55555;205;gif;MediaIQ;Sky160x600/?CB=${CACHEBUSTER}"></a>
</noscript>

Kevel:

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://static.adzerk.net/ados.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
  var ados = ados || {};
  ados.run = ados.run || [];
  ados.run.push(function() {
    /* load placement for account: pontiac-dev,
                          site: Web,
                          ad: Ad_2BrainFreeze-300x250png,
                          size: 300x250 - Medium Rectangle */
    ados_add_placement(11428, 1265459, "azk36943", 5)
      .setFlightCreativeId(964774214).setRedirectUrl('${CLICK_URL}');
    ados_load();
  });
</script>
<div id="azk36943"></div>

MediaPlex:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/js/12345-678901-23456-7?mpt=${CACHEBUSTER}&mpvc=${CLICK_URL_ENC}"></script>
<noscript><a href="${CLICK_URL}http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/nc/12345-678901-23456-7?mpt=${CACHEBUSTER}">
<img src="http://altfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/nb/12345-678901-23456-7?mpt=${CACHEBUSTER}" alt="Click Here" border="0"></a></noscript>
<IFRAME SRC="http://b3.mookie1.com/2/abcdefg/hijkl/123456/Banner/300/1${CACHEBUSTER}@x90" WIDTH=0 HEIGHT=0 MARGINWIDTH=0
MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000"></IFRAME>

Open Ad Stream (24/7):

<script LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.1"
SRC="http://oasn04.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/XXXXX/XXXXX/XXXXX/XXXXX/300/1${CACHEBUSTER}@x90?${CLICK_URL}">
</script>

PointRoll:

<script type="text/javascript">
function pr_swfver(){
var osf,osfd,i,axo=1,v=0,nv=navigator;
if(nv.plugins&&nv.mimeTypes.length){osf=nv.plugins["Shockwave Flash"];if(osf&&osf.description){osfd=osf.description;v=parseInt(osfd.substring(osfd.indexOf(".")-2))}}
else{try{for(i=5;axo!=null;i++){axo=new ActiveXObject("ShockwaveFlash.ShockwaveFlash."+i);v=i}}catch(e){}}
return v;
}
var pr_d=new Date();pr_d=pr_d.getDay()+"|"+pr_d.getHours()+":"+pr_d.getMinutes()+"|"+-pr_d.getTimezoneOffset()/60;
var pr_postal="";
var pr_data="";var pr_ies="";

var pr_redir="${CLICK_URL}$CTURL$";

var pr_nua=navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase();
var prHost=(("https:"==document.location.protocol)?"https://":"http://");var pr_sec=((prHost=='https://')?'&secure=1':'');
var pr_pos="",pr_inif=(window!=top);
if(pr_inif){try{pr_pos=(typeof(parent.document)!="unknown")?(((typeof(inDapIF)!="undefined")&&(inDapIF))||(parent.document.domain==document.domain))?"&pos=s":"&pos=x":"&pos=x";}
catch(e){pr_pos="&pos=x";}if(pr_pos=="&pos=x"){var pr_u=new RegExp("[A-Za-z]+:[/][/][A-Za-z0-9.-]+");var pr_t=this.window.document.referrer;
var pr_m=pr_t.match(pr_u);if(pr_m!=null){pr_pos+="&dom="+pr_m[0];}}else{if(((typeof(inDapMgrIf)!="undefined")&&(inDapMgrIf))||((typeof(isAJAX)!="undefined")&&(isAJAX))){pr_pos+="&ajx=1"}}}
if(pr_postal!=""){var przipmatch=/^\d{5}$/;if(przipmatch.test(pr_postal)){pr_pos+="&postal="+pr_postal;}}
if((pr_data!="")&&(pr_data.indexOf("&")<0)){pr_pos+="&data="+pr_data;}
if((pr_ies!="")&&(pr_ies.indexOf("&")<0)){pr_pos+="&ies="+pr_ies;}
var pr_s="ads.pointroll.com/PortalServe/?pid=xxxx&flash="+pr_swfver()+"&time="+pr_d+"&redir="+pr_redir+pr_pos+pr_sec+"&r="+Math.random();
document.write("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+prHost+pr_s+"'></scr"+"ipt>");
</script>

Project Sunblock:

When previewing Project Sunblock tags, please ensure you deselect Serve in iFrame as this will stop the tags previewing in our UI and you will be unable to test click-tracking.

<script type='text/javascript'>
    var _sblq = _sblq || [];
    (function() {
        var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), s0 = s[0], adElement = s[s.length-1];
        var sl = Math.random().toString(36).substring(2);
        _sblq.push([sl, 'setClickUrl', '${CLICK_URL}']);
        _sblq.push([sl, 'displayAd', adElement,300, 1234]);
        var sb = document.createElement('script'); sb.type = 'text/javascript'; sb.async = true; sb.defer = true;
        sb.src = ('http:'==document.location.protocol ? "http:" : "https:")+'//js.sblk.io/sb.js';
        s0.parentNode.insertBefore(sb, s0);
    })();
</script>
<noscript><img src='//api.sblk.io/request.gif?campaign_id=000&ad_id=0000' width='1' height='1'></noscript>

SmartAdServer:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.1" SRC="http://ww856.smartadserver.com/call/adj/306890/2591652/CLIENT.campaign/600x300/${CACHEBUSTER}/no?${CLICK_URL}"></SCRIPT>

<NOSCRIPT><a href="${CLICK_URL}http://ww856.smartadserver.com/call/jumpi/306343/2591652/CLIENT.campaign/600x300/${CACHEBUSTER}/no?" target="_blank">
<img src="http://ww856.smartadserver.com/call/adi/306890/2591343/CLIENT.campaign/600x300/${CACHEBUSTER}/no?" border="0"></a></NOSCRIPT>

Trade Doubler:

<script type="text/javascript">
var uri = 'http://impde.tradedoubler.com/imp?type(iframe)g(18906306)a(1838453)preurl(${CLICK_URL})' + new String (Math.random()).substring (2, 11);
document.write('<iframe src="'+uri +'" width="160" height="600" frameborder="0" border="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>');
</script>

Traffiq:

<iframe src="http://ads.traffiq.com/ad.imp?pid=1234&oid=5678&rand=${CACHEBUSTER}/?pclk=${CLICK_URL}" width="728" height="90"
frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" topmargin="0" leftmargin="0"> </iframe>

Weborama:

<a href="${CLICK_URL}http://gae.solution.weborama.fr/fcgi-bin/dispatch.fcgi?a.A=cl&a.si=54&a.te=56&a.ra=__RANDOM__&a.im=1&g.lu=" target="_blank">
<img src="http://gae.solution.weborama.fr/fcgi-bin/dispatch.fcgi?a.A=im&a.si=54&a.te=56&a.he=600&a.wi=160&a.ra=__RANDOM__&a.hr=R" width="160" height="600"></a>

Yield Manager:

<IFRAME FRAMEBORDER=0 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 SCROLLING=NO WIDTH=300 HEIGHT=250 SRC="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=300x250&section=XXXXXXX&pub_redirect_unencoded=1&pub_redirect=${CLICK_URL}"></IFRAME>

Zedo:

<script language="JavaScript" src="http://d7.zedo.com/jsc/d3/fl.js?n=809&c=1839/1740&s=704&d=14&w=728&h=90&l=${CLICK_URL}&z=${CACHEBUSTER}"></script> <noscript><a href="http://yads.zedo.com/ads2/r?n=809;c=1839/1740;s=704;x=3584;u=j;z=${CACHEBUSTER}" target="_blank"><img

 border="0" width="728" height="90" src="http://yads.zedo.com/ads2/x?n=809;c=1839/1740;s=704;x=3584;u=j;z=${CACHEBUSTER}" alt="Click here"></a> </noscript>

To Edit Creatives you must go to the Advertiser Level. Navigate down to the Creatives dropdown and click on the Creative Name that you want tot edit. Note that making changes to the Creative and then selecting ‘Save’ will automatically send the updated Creative to be Re-audit.

Editable Fields on Creative Tab:

• Name
• Duration
• Weight
• Video URL
• Sizes
  • Automatically Detect Sizes
  • Manually Set Sizes
• Serve to all sizes with similar aspect ratio checkbox

Editable Fields on Trackers Tab:

• Add New Tracker

Editable Fields on Flights

• Creative Dates
  • Always On
  • Flights

Edit Click URLs for Hosted Creatives

Users can edit the Click URL for hosted creatives directly from the Advertiser level creative dialog.

This applies to the following Creative Types:

• Banner: Hosted
• HTML5
• Native
• Audio: Hosted
• Video: Hosted

Editing the Click URL replaces the creative’s existing URL and automatically triggers a new creative audit. The creative will stop serving while the audit is pending and will remain ineligible to serve until the reaudit is completed.

Bulk Upload Third Party Creatives with Pontiac Assistant

Third party creatives can be uploaded in bulk through the Pontiac Assistant by providing a creative manifest in either JSON or CSV format. The manifest can include creatives across multiple Advertisers in a single upload.

Paste the JSON or CSV content directly into Pontiac Assistant. A separate file path is not required.

Required Fields

Each creative should include the following:

The following fields are optional:

• clickUrl
• weight — value from 1–10
• status
• categories — IAB category codes
• trackers — VAST tracking pixels for video/audio creatives
• code
• language

Upload Using JSON

Paste a JSON array containing one object per creative into Pontiac Assistant.

[
{
“advertiserId”: 966,
“name”: “Brand Video 30s – VAST”,
“creativeType”: “video”,
“vastTag”: “https://example.com/vast/spot30.xml“,
“duration”: 30,
“creativeSizes”: [
{
“width”: 640,
“height”: 480
}
],
“weight”: 1
},
{
“advertiserId”: 966,
“name”: “Podcast Audio 15s”,
“creativeType”: “audio”,
“vastTag”: “https://example.com/vast/audio15.xml“,
“duration”: 15
},
{
“advertiserId”: 966,
“name”: “300×250 Ad Tag”,
“creativeType”: “display”,
“creativeData”: “”,
“duration”: 0,
“creativeSizes”: [
{
“width”: 300,
“height”: 250
}
],
“clickUrl”: “https://example.com/landing“
}
]

UI Walkthrough

1. Assistant Prompt:
   can you bulk upload these third party creatives to advertiser id 966:
   JSON:

[
{“advertiserId”:966,”name”:”Brand Video 30s – VAST”,”creativeType”:”video”,”vastTag”:”https://example.com/vast/spot30.xml”,”duration”:30,”creativeSizes”:[{“width”:640,”height”:480}],”weight”:1},
{“advertiserId”:966,”name”:”Podcast Audio 15s”,”creativeType”:”audio”,”vastTag”:”https://example.com/vast/audio15.xml”,”duration”:15,”creativeSizes”:[{“width”:1,”height”:1}]}
{“advertiserId”:966,”name”:”300×250 Ad Tag”,”creativeType”:”display”,”creativeData”:””,”duration”:0,”creativeSizes”:[{“width”:300,”height”:250}],”clickUrl”:”https://example.com/landing”}
]

2. Assistant Response:

3. UI Verification

The three creatives were successfully uploaded to the Advertiser. In the example shown, the creatives were rejected for testing purposes. In a standard upload, newly uploaded creatives will display a Pending status while they go through the normal creative audit process and will update once approved.

Upload Using CSV

CSV uploads must include a header row. Each creative should be entered as a separate row.

advertiserId,name,creativeType,vastTag,creativeData,clickUrl,duration,creativeSizes,weight
966,Brand Video 30s – VAST,video,https://example.com/vast/spot30.xml,,,30,640×480,1
966,Podcast Audio 15s,audio,https://example.com/vast/audio15.xml,,,15,,
966,300×250 Ad Tag,display,,””,https://example.com/landing,0,300×250,

CSV Formatting

When including multiple values within a CSV field:

• Creative Sizes: separate multiple sizes with semicolons.
  Example: 640x480;300x250
• Trackers: use type|url pairs separated by semicolons.
  Example: imps|https://track.example.com/imp;clicks|https://track.example.com/click
• Categories: separate multiple IAB category codes with semicolons.

Once the manifest is ready, paste it into Pontiac Assistant and submit it to begin the bulk creative upload.

Automated Testing is a quality check that evaluates creatives after they have been audited by Pontiac. This process helps ensure that creatives do not contain malicious intent. Testing results are displayed on the creative details view on the Advertiser, Campaign, and Line level under Automated Testing.

• Pass message: Passed automated testing
• Fail message: Failed automated testing
• Not sent for testing: Not tested

Some publishers require advertisers to complete an approval process before their inventory can be targeted. If a deal requires publisher approval, it will be indicated in the ‘Publisher Approval Required’ column within the Deals table under the Inventory tab.

Once a creative is approved for a specific publisher, it will be displayed in the ‘Approved for:’ field

The following sections summarize publisher-specific specification links and approval process when applicable. These requirements are subject to change. Contact your publisher representative for the most current approval requirements and specification guidance. Please review the publisher’s specifications in detail and ensure that all tags and creatives fully comply with the stated requirements.

Disney

For all Disney-owned properties, including ESPN, Disney XP, Disney+, Hulu, ABC & more, an approval process is required before ads can run. This process involves two key steps:

1. Brand Safe-Listing
2. Advertiser and Creative QA conducted by the Disney team to ensure all assets meet the publisher’s specifications.

Ads that do not complete this process will not be allowed to run on these Disney-affiliated deals.

Before initiating the approval, please review the publisher’s specifications in detail and ensure that all tags and creatives fully comply with the stated requirements.

• ESPN: https://files.disneyadvertising.com/MediaKit/ESPN/espn_watch-espn-mid-roll.pdf
• Disney XP: https://files.disneyadvertising.com/MediaKit/Disney-XP/disney-xp_digital-video.pdf
• Disney+: https://files.disneyadvertising.com/MediaKit/Disney-Plus/disneyplus_video.pdf
• Hulu: https://assets.huluim.com/downloads/hulu_ad_specs_quicksheet.pdf
• ABC:
  • https://files.disneyadvertising.com/MediaKit/Disney-Brands/shortformvideo.pdf
  • https://files.disneyadvertising.com/MediaKit/Disney-Brands/longformvideo.pdf

For more information, see Disney Company Ad Specifications page: https://www.disneyadvertising.com/mediakit/

To start the Disney approval process, reach out through the Help Center or your Account Manager with the following information:

• Advertiser URL
• Advertiser Creative Asset
• Advertiser Tags
• Properties you want access to (Disney XP, ESPN, Hulu, etc.)

NBCU

• NBCU: https://nbcuniversal-creative-guidelines.scrollhelp.site/nbcuadspecs/nbcu-programmatic-video-guidelines

Paramount

• Paramount: https://www.paramount.com/sites/g/files/dxjhpe356/files/2023-10/Paramount%20Digital%20Ads_Video_3rd_Party_VAST_Specs.pdf

WBD

• WBD:
  • https://www.wbdadspecs.com/ad-spec/pre-roll-no-skippable/
  • https://www.wbdadspecs.com/ad-spec/mid-roll-no-skippable/

Spotify

Spotify: https://ads.spotify.com/en-GB/ad-specs/audio-ad-specs/

Publisher Specs Eligibility Tests

The Publisher Specs Eligibility tab is available in the Creative window for:

• Video: Hosted
• Video: 3rd Party
• Audio: Hosted
• Audio: 3rd Party

See the full documentation here: Publisher Specs Eligibility Tab

This tab evaluates whether a hosted creative appears to meet the technical requirements of supported publishers and SSPs.

Publisher Specs Eligibility is a technical specification check only. A Pass result means the creative appears to meet the listed requirements, but it does not indicate final approval by Pontiac, the publisher, or the SSP. Publisher requirements are controlled by each publisher and are subject to change. Audio bitrate cannot be validated for 3rd party video creatives. Contact your ad server to confirm that the audio bitrate meets the publisher’s specifications.

Publisher Blocked Categories

For each impression, there is a field called ‘b-cat’ (blocked categories) included in the request that allows the publisher to block creatives with content in certain IAB categories. If the IAB category assigned to your creative in the audit is included in the list of blocked categories, your ad will not be eligible to serve on that inventory. In the CTV landscape report, the request_bcat column can be found in the sample logs for each deal. While this is just a sample and blocked categories could vary for each impression, this provides insight into commonly blocked categories by Deal. If your creative category is blocked in all sample impressions, it is unlikely you will be able to run through the selected deal.

These categories come from the Open RTB Specs, that can be found here in table 5.1 ‘Content Categories’: Open RTB Specs v2.5

Publisher Audits

Certain inventory or deals may require an additional publisher audit for each creative ad unit targeting that inventory. Creatives will not run through Deals that require a publisher audit until they have been approved for this inventory by the publisher and deal provider. For questions regarding the process for these audits, reach out through the Help Center.

Pontiac shall have no liability or responsibility of any kind if a third-party declines to serve any Ads proposed by a Pontiac user, regardless of whether the ads meet the Pontiac Ad Standards or are approved by Pontiac, and users agree to indemnify and hold harmless Pontiac from any losses arising from a third-party’s decision not to serve a user’s ads. 

Pontiac supports dynamic macros and query string parameters that allow additional data to be passed when ads, trackers, or Pixels are served or fired.

These values can be used with supported third-party Creative tags, Trackers, and Pixels for tracking, measurement, attribution, and reporting.

The Macros documentation includes:

• Supported Macros: Complete list of Pontiac-supported macros and the value each macro returns.
• Creative Macros: Guidance and examples for using supported macros in third-party Creative tags and tracker URLs, including click tracking and cache-busting.
• Pixel Macros:Guidance for adding query string parameters to Pontiac Pixels to pass additional conversion and site data, including Order ID, Order Amount, Consumer ID, GDPR values, and Custom Variables.

Availability of values used in Creative tags and trackers may depend on the information provided in the applicable bid request. Pixel query string values must be populated by the website or implementation when the Pixel fires.

The following macros are supported by Pontiac and may be used in applicable third-party tags, pixels, and trackers.

Macros must be implemented using the exact format shown below. Incorrect formatting may prevent the macro from being replaced or result in missing data.

Some macro values depend on information provided by the Exchange, publisher, device, or bid request and may not be available for every impression.

Pontiac IDs

Inventory & Content

Geography

Device

Auction & Deal

Creative, Click & Utility

Page & Referrer

Privacy & GDPR

Pixel Query String Macro Parameters

Pontiac Pixels also support optional query string parameters that can be used to pass additional conversion, visitor, and site data when the Pixel fires. Unlike the Pontiac-populated macros listed above, these values must be populated by the website, tag manager, or other Pixel implementation.

A Pixel is a tracking asset created within an Advertiser that can be used to measure website activity, conversions, and campaign performance in Pontiac. Pixels can be placed on an Advertiser’s website or used with Creatives depending on the desired measurement or audience-building workflow.

Pixels are created and managed at the Advertiser level. Once created, they can be associated with applicable Campaigns and Lines for conversion measurement and reporting.

Pontiac Pixels can support workflows such as:

• Measuring website visits and conversion events
• Attributing website activity to Pontiac Campaigns
• Passing additional conversion information such as Order ID and Order Amount
• Creating Pixel IP Audiences for remarketing or exclusion
• Firing additional third-party measurement through Piggyback Pixels

Pixel capabilities and implementation requirements vary depending on how the Pixel will be used.

Pixel Hierarchy

Pixels are created and managed under an Advertiser:

Seat
└── Advertiser
    ├── Creatives
    ├── Pixels
    └── Campaigns
        └── Lines

Although Pixels belong to the Advertiser, they can be associated with Campaigns and Lines for conversion tracking and reporting.

Overview

With the IP based pixel, a client can place this on their website and attribute online actions (browsing a page, loading the shopping cart, purchases) to CTV, Streaming Audio, and Display campaigns run through the Pontiac platform. Typically, pixels are based on third party cookies which work on browsers, and these do not allow for attribution for CTV and Streaming Audio campaigns. Pontiac IP Conversion Pixels are a proprietary and privacy safe attribution solution for CTV & Streaming Audio that utilizes the user’s IP Address to track website traffic and online purchases driven by your campaigns.

Metrics

At the Advertiser level, IP Conversion metrics will include conversions from ALL Line Items under this Advertiser, even if the pixel was not associated to the Line. If the pixel is associated to a Line Item, you can see metrics for that Line Item by opening the Line. Detailed reporting can be pulled in the Reporting tab under Custom Reports.

IP conversion pixels have a standard lookback of 30 days in the metrics under the Advertiser. This means that the user must complete the desired action within 30 days of seeing the ad for it to count as a conversion. If you would like to pull reporting with a custom lookback window, this can be done in Custom Reporting using the IP Conversion Custom Report. You can select from ‘5’, ‘7’, ’15’ or ’30’ day as the lookback.

• Attributed Imps: The number of impressions served by a Line Item under the Advertiser to users that then converted.
• Total Convs: The number of conversions, or unique actions that were driven by all Line Items under the Advertiser. A conversion event will be defined according to the pixel placement. For example, if the pixel is placed on all web pages, a conversion event would equal a page visit. If the pixel is placed on the ‘Thank you’ page after a purchase, then a conversion event would equal a purchase.
• Total Loads: The Loads will indicate the number of times the pixel has fired on the page. This is the number of users that have visited the page in the selected time interval regardless if the Line Item drove the conversion. If the pixel is showing 0 loads, this may indicate the pixel is not properly placed or firing correctly.
• Uniques: The total number of unique visitors (loads) to the web page where the pixel is placed in the reporting interval selected.

For information about IP Conversion attribution, Lookback Windows, and reporting, see Conversion Tracking.

To create an IP Conversion Pixel, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the applicable Advertiser, or create a new Advertiser if needed.
2. Select New Pixel.
3. Enter a Name for the Pixel.
4. Configure the optional Create Custom Audience setting:
   • Select Create Custom Audience to create a Pixel IP Audience from qualifying Pixel fires for future targeting or exclusion.
   • Days to Live: Determines how long each record remains active in the Audience. The default is 180 days. Common values are 30, 60, or 90 days, with a maximum of 180 days. Users are added to the Audience only from qualifying Pixel activity that occurs after Audience creation is enabled.
5. Create Custom Audience (Optional): Check the box if wanting to create an audience for retargeting or exclusion purposes.
   • Set Days to Live: Set to 180 days by default. Set the number of days to live. Typically 30, 60, 90 days is input here. The maximum is 180 days.
   • Note that users are only added to the audience if they visit the site after the pixel is placed.
6. Select Save.
7. Allow approximately 30–60 seconds for the Pixel to generate.
8. Open the newly created Pixel to view the generated Pixel URLs and additional configuration options.

9. Configure any optional Query String Parameters:
   • Order ID: The unique order ID generated by your site.
   • Order Amount: The total order value associated with the Order ID.
   • Client IP: The visitor’s IP address captured by your site when the Pixel fires.
   • Consumer ID: A unique customer, lead, or visitor ID generated by your site.
   • GDPR Consent: The visitor’s consent string collected by your site.
   • GDPR: A flag (0 or 1) indicating whether GDPR applies to the visitor.
     1. For additional information, see GDPR Query String Macros.
   • Custom Variable 1: Adds var1=VAR1 to the Pixel URL and makes the value available as Custom Variable 1 in Custom Reporting. Additional values can be passed using var2, var3, and var4.
   • When query string parameters are included, work with your web developer to dynamically replace the placeholders with the appropriate values before the Pixel fires.
10. Select the desired Pixel implementation:
    • Pixel URL Img: Recommended for most use cases. Image pixels are widely supported and work reliably across environments.
    • Pixel URL JS: Supports additional functionality and may be used when JavaScript-based tracking is required and supported.
11. Implement the Pixel in the desired location:
    • Website Activity: Place the Pixel on the Advertiser’s website. It can be placed across the site, such as in the header, or on a specific page such as a product, checkout, or confirmation page depending on the activity you want to measure.
    • Creative Exposure: A Pontiac Pixel can also be added to a Creative as an Impression Tracker when Creative exposure tracking or Pixel IP Audience creation is desired.
12. Associate the Pixel with the applicable Campaign or Line where conversion performance should be measured.
    • For association instructions, see:
      • Campaign Creatives
      • Line Creatives

To edit an existing IP Conversion Pixel:

1. Navigate to the Advertiser where the Pixel was created, or search for the Pixel by Name or ID using the main search bar.
2. Select the Pixel you would like to edit.
3. Update any applicable fields:
   • Name: Update the Pixel name.
   • Create Custom Audience: Select or unselect this option to control whether a Pixel IP Audience is created from qualifying Pixel fires.
     • Days to Live: Determines how long each record remains active in the Audience. The default is 180 days. Common values are 30, 60, or 90 days, with a maximum of 180 days. Users are added to the Audience only from qualifying Pixel activity that occurs after Audience creation is enabled.
   • Query String Parameters: Select additional parameters to include in the Pixel URL:
     • Once the pixel has been generated, you can track additional parameters by selecting the corresponding boxes for:
       • Order ID: The unique order ID generated by your site.
       • Order Amount: The total order value associated with the Order ID generated by your site.
       • Client IP: The visitor’s IP address captured by your site at the time of the pixel fire.
       • Consumer ID: A unique customer, lead, or visitor ID generated by your site.
       • GDPR Consent: The visitor’s consent string collected by your site.
       • GDPR: A flag (0 or 1) that indicates whether GDPR applies to the visitor.
         • For more documentation, see here: GDPR Query String Macros
       • Custom Variable 1: This adds var1=VAR1 to the pixel URL and populates Custom Variable 1 in Custom Reporting. To pass additional values, add var2, var3, or var4 using the same format. Work with your web developer to replace the placeholders with the intended values.

When query string parameters are added or changed, work with your web developer to dynamically replace the placeholders with the appropriate values before the Pixel fires.

Update the Pixel Implementation

If an edit changes the Pixel URL or parameters being passed, update the Pixel anywhere it has already been implemented so the revised configuration is used.

This may include:

• Website Activity: A Pontiac Pixel placed on an Advertiser’s website, such as a homepage, product page, checkout page, or other conversion page.
• Creative Exposure: A Pontiac Pixel added to a Creative as an Impression Tracker to measure Creative exposure and, when enabled, build a Pixel IP Audience for future retargeting.

Save the Pixel after completing the desired changes.

Pontiac supports Piggyback Pixels so additional third-party tracking or measurement pixels can fire through a Pontiac JavaScript or Image pixel. The Piggyback Pixels tab is available when creating or editing a pixel, allowing users to add each piggyback pixel and enter its URL.

For JavaScript pixels:

• Up to 10 piggyback pixels can be added.
• When the Pontiac JavaScript pixel fires, it uses document.write to fire the associated piggyback image pixels.

For Image pixels:

• A maximum of 1 piggyback pixel can be added.
• When the Pontiac Image pixel fires, the request redirects to the configured piggyback pixel URL.

After a Pixel has been generated, optional query string parameters can be added to pass additional information with each Pixel fire. When enabled, the corresponding parameters and placeholders are added to the Pixel URL.

Work with your web developer to dynamically replace each placeholder with the appropriate value before the Pixel fires. Values passed through these parameters are available in Custom Reporting and can provide additional insight into campaign-driven conversions.

• Order ID: Passes the unique order or transaction ID generated by your site.
• Order Amount: Passes the value associated with the conversion or order. This can be used in reporting for metrics such as revenue and ROAS.
• Consumer ID: Passes a unique customer, lead, or visitor identifier generated by your site.
• Client IP: Passes the visitor IP address observed by your website when the Pixel fires. This can be useful when the Pixel is implemented through a container or another environment where the IP address detected directly by the Pixel may not represent the visitor accurately. When provided, the Client IP value is used for attribution and reporting.
• GDPR Consent: Passes the visitor’s IAB TCF consent string when applicable. This value should be populated dynamically using consent information collected by the website or Consent Management Platform (CMP).
• GDPR: Indicates whether GDPR applies to the visitor associated with the Pixel fire, typically using 1 when GDPR applies and 0 when it does not.
  • For additional information, see GDPR Query String Macros.
• Custom Variable 1: Adds var1=VAR1 to the Pixel URL and makes the value available as Custom Variable 1 in Custom Reporting. Additional values can be passed using var2, var3, and var4.
  • Applicable Report Types:
    • IP Conversion Pixel: Path to Conversion
    • IP Conversion Pixel: Page Visits
    • Cookies: Path to Conversion

Configure a Custom Pixel Domain

White-label clients can use a branded subdomain for Pontiac pixel URLs so that pixel requests display their own domain rather than the Pontiac domain.

For example, instead of: https://pix.pontiac.media/iap/1234

the pixel can use a custom branded domain such as: https://pixel.yourdomain.com/iap/1234

The underlying pixel functionality remains the same; only the domain displayed in the pixel URL is customized.

1. Choose your custom subdomain.
   Select the subdomain you would like to use for your pixel URLs. For example:
   • pixel.yourdomain.com
   • p.yourdomain.com
   • tracking.yourdomain.com
2. Provide the SSL certificate for the selected subdomain.
   For example, if you choose pixel.yourdomain.com, provide the SSL certificate that covers pixel.yourdomain.com. Pontiac uses this certificate to securely configure the custom hostname for HTTPS requests.
3. Pontiac configures the custom hostname.
   Pontiac will configure the branded hostname to route requests to the Pontiac pixel service. Once configured, requests such as: https://pixel.yourdomain.com/iap/1234 can be processed by the same Pontiac pixel infrastructure as the standard Pontiac pixel URL.
4. Pontiac provides the DNS target.
   After the hostname has been configured, Pontiac will provide the DNS target that should be used for your CNAME record. For example: pixel.yourdomain.com → <Pontiac-provided DNS target>
5. Create the CNAME record with your DNS provider.
   In your DNS provider, such as Cloudflare or AWS Route 53, create a CNAME record for your selected subdomain and point it to the DNS target provided by Pontiac.

Once the SSL, Pontiac configuration, and DNS setup are complete, pixel URLs can continue using the same path structure while displaying your custom branded domain.

Completed Checkout Custom Pixel

A Shopify custom pixel can be used to report completed checkouts to Pontiac. The pixel subscribes to Shopify’s checkout_completed customer event and sends a request to the Pontiac pixel endpoint when an order is completed.

The request can include:

• Pontiac pixel ID
• Event type
• Shopify order ID
• Completed order amount

Shopify typically triggers the checkout_completed event once per checkout on the order confirmation or Thank You page.

Before configuring the custom pixel, confirm that:

• You have access to the Shopify store’s admin settings.
• A Pontiac conversion pixel has been created.
• You know the Pontiac pixel ID that should receive the completed checkout event.

The example below uses Pontiac pixel ID 12345. Replace this value with the applicable Pontiac pixel ID.

Add the Custom Pixel in Shopify

1. Log in to the Shopify admin.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Select Customer events.
4. Open the Custom pixels section.
5. Click Add custom pixel.
6. Enter a name such as: Pontiac Completed Checkout Pixel
7. Paste the completed checkout code into the code editor.
8. Save the pixel.
9. Click Connect to activate it.

The custom pixel must be connected before it can receive customer events.

Locate the Pontiac Pixel Information

The Pontiac img pixel is provided in the following format:

Pixel URL Img: <img src=”https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel?id=12345&type=2″ width=”1″ height=”1″ />

For the Shopify implementation, use only the URL contained in the src attribute: https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel?id=12345&type=2

The URL is separated into the following values in the custom pixel template:

“https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel” + “?id=12345” + “&type=2”

Replace 12345 with the ID from the Pontiac pixel. Do not paste the full HTML <img> tag into the Shopify custom pixel.

Shopify Custom Pixel Code

analytics.subscribe("checkout_completed", (event) => {
  const checkout = event.data?.checkout;

  if (!checkout) return;

  const orderId =
    checkout.order?.id ||
    checkout.order?.name ||
    checkout.id ||
    checkout.token ||
    "";

  const orderAmount =
    checkout.totalPrice?.amount ||
    "";

  const pixelUrl =
    "https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel" +
    "?id=12345" +
    "&type=2" +
    "&order-id=" + encodeURIComponent(orderId) +
    "&order-amount=" + encodeURIComponent(orderAmount);

  fetch(pixelUrl, {
 method: "GET",
 mode: "no-cors",
 keepalive: true
 });
});

Update the Pontiac Pixel ID

In the custom pixel code, locate:

"?id=12345"

Replace 12345 with the applicable Pontiac pixel ID.

For example, if the Pontiac pixel URL is: https://pix.pontiac.media/pixel?id=67890&type=2

the corresponding portion of the Shopify code should be:

"?id=67890" +
"&type=2"

Do not change the type=2 value for a completed checkout conversion pixel unless instructed by Pontiac.

Information Sent to Pontiac

When a checkout is completed, the custom pixel sends:

• id: The Pontiac pixel ID
• type: The Pontiac event type
• order-id: The first available Shopify order or checkout identifier
• order-amount: The completed checkout total

Reach out through the Pontiac Help Center or contact your account manager for additional guidance or questions.

Pontiac provides multiple targeting methods that allow users to control which Impressions are eligible to serve for a Campaign or Line. Targeting can be used to reach specific inventory sources, locations, devices, content, and Audiences.

Targeting options are organized into the following sections within the Targeting window:

Audience Targeting is configured separately through the Associate Segments window. For instructions on selecting Audiences and configuring Boolean targeting logic, see Associate Segments .

Targeting can be configured at the Campaign or Line level, depending on the desired strategy.

• Campaign Targeting: Applies shared targeting requirements across all Lines within a Campaign. Use Campaign level targeting when the selected criteria should apply to every Line.
• Line Targeting: Applies additional targeting requirements to an individual Line. Use Line level targeting to define a more specific inventory, geographic, device, content, or video strategy.

Important: Campaign and Line targeting are evaluated together. An Impression must satisfy all applicable targeting requirements at both levels to be eligible to serve. Conflicting or overly restrictive targeting can reduce eligible inventory or prevent delivery.

Configuring Targeting

To configure targeting at either level:

1. Create a new Campaign or Line, or open an existing one in Edit mode.
2. Navigate to the Targeting section.
3. Select Edit Targeting.
4. Configure the applicable targeting options.
   • Inventory
     • Deals
     • Deal Lists
     • Exchanges
     • Sites
     • Site Lists
     • App Bundle
     • App Name
     • App Lists
     • Curation*
   • Location & Device
     • Geo
     • Zip Codes
     • Device Types
     • Browser
     • Operating Systems
   • Content
     • Channel
     • Content ID
     • Genre
     • Network
     • Publisher
     • Series
     • Title
     • Multi Field
   • Streaming & Video
     • Livesteam
     • OLV
   • Advanced
     • Custom Model
     • Privacy
5. Select Save in the Targeting window.
6. Complete and submit the Campaign or Line configuration as applicable.

Allow Lists, Block Lists, and Require Field

Several targeting methods support Allow Lists, Block Lists, and Require Field options to control which Impressions are eligible to serve.

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to the selected values.
• Block List: Excludes the selected values from delivery.
• Require Field: Requires the corresponding field to be populated in the bid request for the Impression to be eligible. For example, enabling Require Field for Channel, Content ID, Genre, or Site Domain restricts delivery to bid requests that contain a value for that field.

Targeting restrictions are cumulative. When multiple targeting methods are applied, impressions must satisfy all applicable requirements.

Inventory Targeting controls the supply sources, Deals, Sites, and Apps where a Campaign or Line is eligible to serve. These settings allow advertisers to define which inventory they want to purchase and exclude inventory that does not align with their campaign strategy.

Inventory Targeting can be configured at both the Campaign and Line levels:

• Campaign Targeting: Applies shared inventory requirements to all Lines within the Campaign.
• Line Targeting: Allows users to apply additional inventory restrictions to an individual Line.

How to Access Inventory Targeting

To configure Inventory Targeting:

1. Create a new Campaign or Line, or open an existing one in Edit mode.
2. Navigate to the Targeting section.
3. Select Edit Targeting.
4. Under Inventory, select the applicable targeting method from the Targeting dropdown menu.
5. Configure the desired targeting options and select Save.
6. Complete and save the Campaign or Line configuration.

The following sections explain each available Inventory Targeting option and how to configure it.

Important: Campaign and Line targeting are evaluated together. An impression must satisfy all applicable targeting requirements at both levels to be eligible to serve. Conflicting or overly restrictive settings can reduce available inventory or prevent delivery.

Inventory Type

Inventory Type determines the environment in which a Line is eligible to serve. This setting allows advertisers to restrict delivery to websites, applications, or both environments.

The following options are available:

• Web: Inventory associated with websites accessed through a browser.
• In App: Inventory associated with applications, including mobile and Connected TV Apps.
• Combined: Includes both Web and In App inventory.

Configuring Inventory Type

Inventory Type is configured in the Line Setup section, rather than within the Edit Targeting window.

When creating or editing a Line, select the Inventory Type that corresponds to the environment in which you want your ads to appear.

Important Considerations

• Device Type Compatibility: Inventory Type and Device Type targeting serve different purposes. Inventory Type determines the Web or In App environment, while Device Type identifies the device associated with an impression. For example, selecting In App does not automatically restrict delivery to Connected TV inventory. Additional Device Type targeting may be needed.
• Additional Inventory Restrictions: Configure Inventory Type alongside other applicable targeting settings, including Exchanges, Deals, Sites, Site Lists, App Bundles, and App Lists. For example, selecting Web inventory while applying an App List Allow List creates incompatible inventory requirements and can prevent delivery.

Supply Source

Supply Source refers to the method through which advertising inventory is made available for purchase.

Pontiac supports the following supply sources:

• Open Exchange: Inventory made available through an Exchange for eligible buyers to bid on without targeting a specific private Deal.
• Private Marketplace (PMP) Deals: Inventory made available through a Deal negotiated with a publisher or supply partner. A Deal ID identifies the inventory and associated transaction.
• Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) Deals: Inventory purchased through a Programmatic Guaranteed Deal with agreed delivery commitments and terms between the buyer and seller.

Configuring Supply Sources

Supply Source is not a separate selection within the Targeting menu. Inventory eligibility is controlled through the applicable Deals, Deal Lists, and Exchanges settings.

Use the corresponding sections below to configure these targeting options.

Important Considerations

• Deal and Exchange Compatibility: When targeting PMP or PG Deals, ensure that Exchange targeting does not exclude the Exchanges associated with those Deals.
• Inventory Availability: Selecting a supply source does not guarantee available impressions or delivery. Inventory must be available through the relevant Exchange or Deal and satisfy all applicable targeting requirements.

For additional information about inventory availability, Deal types, and Exchange eligibility, see the Inventory Documentation .

Deals

Deals allow users to target specific inventory arrangements available to their Seat. Deal targeting enables advertisers to purchase inventory through existing publisher or supply partner agreements rather than relying exclusively on Open Exchange availability.

Deals are organized into two categories.

• Public Deals: Pontiac provides pre-negotiated CTV, OTT, OLV, Display, Native, and Audio Deals across various publishers and content categories. Select the Public Deals dropdown to view available options.
• Negotiated Deals: Negotiated Deals are Deals associated with your Seat through your own arrangements with publishers or supply partners. Select the Negotiated Deals dropdown to view Deals associated with your Seat. If an expected Deal is unavailable, contact the Pontiac Help Center.
  • For instructions on how to import your own PMP Deals, see the Import Deal documentation.

Configuring Deal Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Open Deals under Inventory. This is the default selection.
3. Expand the Public Deals or Negotiated Deals dropdown.
4. Select the green plus sign (+) next to the applicable Deal or Deals.
   • To remove a selected Deal, use the red minus sign (−).
5. Review your selections and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Important Considerations

• Exchange Compatibility
  • Deals are associated with specific Exchanges. Ensure the Exchange associated with each selected Deal is included in the Exchange targeting configuration.
  • For example, if a Deal is associated with Magnite but Exchange targeting excludes Magnite, the Deal will not be eligible to serve.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • Deal targeting configured at the Campaign and Line levels is evaluated together. Ensure that the Deal selections at both levels are aligned.
  • For example, if a Campaign is restricted to Deal A and an individual Line is restricted to Deal B, the Line will not have eligible inventory if the two Deal selections do not overlap.
• Inventory Availability
  • Selecting a Deal does not guarantee available impressions or delivery. Availability depends on the publisher sending eligible bid requests, the Deal’s configuration and status, and all applicable Campaign and Line targeting requirements.
  • If a targeted Deal is not receiving eligible inventory, confirm that the Deal is active on both the publisher and Pontiac sides, that bid requests are being sent, and that the remaining targeting requirements are aligned.

For more information about Deal discovery, access, and configuration, see the Deals Documentation .

Deal Lists

Deal Lists allow users to organize multiple Deals into a reusable list that can be applied to Campaign or Line Targeting.

Rather than selecting individual Deals each time a Campaign or Line is created, users can create a Deal List containing the desired Deals and reuse it across multiple targeting configurations. This is particularly useful when the same group of Deals is frequently used across Campaigns or when multiple Lines should target an identical set of inventory arrangements.

Deal Lists are created and managed under Inventory > Deal Lists. For detailed creation, editing, and management instructions, see the Deal Lists Documentation .

Once created, a saved Deal List becomes available for selection within Campaign or Line Targeting.

Configuring Deal List Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select Deal Lists from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Select the green plus sign (+) next to the Deal List(s) you want to target.
   • To remove a selected Deal List, use the red minus sign (−).
4. Review the selected Deal List and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

The Deals included in the selected list will be used as part of the Campaign or Line’s inventory targeting requirements.

Important Considerations

• Reusable Targeting
  • A single Deal List can be used across multiple Campaigns and Lines, reducing the need to configure the same group of Deals repeatedly. This is useful when advertisers have a consistent set of preferred publisher Deals or inventory arrangements.
• Deal Availability
  • Only Deals available and approved for the applicable Seat can be used for targeting.
• Exchange Compatibility
  • Ensure that Exchange targeting does not exclude the Exchanges associated with the Deals contained in the selected Deal List.
  • For example, if a Deal List includes Deals from Magnite, OpenX, and Index, all three Exchanges must remain eligible for their respective Deals to serve.
  • Best Practice: When targeting inventory exclusively through Deals, either select all Exchanges or leave Exchange targeting unselected. Both approaches avoid unintentionally excluding an Exchange associated with a targeted Deal.
  • Deal targeting will continue to restrict delivery to the selected Deals, regardless of whether all Exchanges are selected or Exchange targeting is left unselected.
• Campaign and Line Restrictions
  • When Deal Lists are applied at both levels, review the included Deals to avoid conflicting or overly restrictive requirements.
• Inventory Availability
  • Applying a Deal List does not guarantee delivery. The Deals included in the list must be active, available to the Seat, and receiving bid requests that satisfy the remaining Campaign and Line targeting requirements.

For additional instructions on creating and managing reusable Deal Lists, see the Deal Lists Documentation .

Exchanges

Exchanges control which supply-side platforms (SSPs) a Campaign or Line is eligible to purchase inventory through.

An Exchange connects buyers with inventory made available by publishers and supply partners. Exchange targeting allows users to select specific inventory sources or restrict delivery to a subset of supported Exchanges.

Select the applicable Exchanges to include them in the targeting configuration.

Pontiac supports the following Exchanges and media types:

Configuring Exchange Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select Exchanges from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Select the Exchanges through which you want to purchase inventory.
4. Review your selections and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Multiple Exchanges can be selected to access inventory across different supply sources.

If Exchange targeting is left unselected, no additional Exchange restriction is applied by this setting.

Important Considerations

• Media Type Compatibility
  • Not every Exchange supports every media type. Select Exchanges that support the media type associated with your Campaign or Line.
  • For example, a Campaign running exclusively Audio creatives should use Exchanges that support Audio inventory.
• Deal Compatibility
  • When targeting Deals or Deal Lists, ensure that Exchange targeting does not exclude their associated Exchanges.
  • For example, if a targeted Deal is available through OpenX but only Microsoft is added to the Exchange targeting, the Deal will not be eligible to serve. Either Target OpenX as an exchange or remove all exchanges.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • Exchange restrictions are evaluated at both levels.
• Inventory Availability
  • Selecting an Exchange does not guarantee that it will provide eligible inventory for every targeting combination.
  • Available inventory may vary by media type, geography, device, publisher, and other targeting criteria.

Sites

Sites allow users to target or exclude individual website domains directly within Campaign or Line Targeting without creating a reusable Site List.

This option is useful when targeting a small number of specific websites or when a reusable list is not needed. Site targeting relies on the website domain information provided in the bid request to determine whether an impression satisfies the selected requirements.

Configuring Site Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select Sites from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Enter the applicable website domains.
4. Select an Allow List or Block List based on the desired targeting strategy.
5. Configure any additional options, such as Require Site.
6. Select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Targeting Methods

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to the specified website domains.
• Block List: Excludes the specified website domains from delivery.

Additional Options

• Require Site
  • Enable this option to require the bid request to contain a Site value. Impressions without a Site value will be ineligible to serve.
• Split by Commas
  • When entering multiple website domains separated by commas, select Split by Commas to automatically separate them into individual entries. This eliminates the need to enter each separately.

Important Considerations

• Site Information Availability
  • Site targeting relies on the Site information provided in the bid request. If Require Site is enabled, impressions without the required Site information will be ineligible to serve.
• Direct Targeting vs. Site Lists
  • Use Sites when targeting or excluding a small number of individual domains.
  • For larger collections of domains or groups that need to be reused across multiple Campaigns or Lines, consider creating a Site List instead.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • Site targeting configured at both levels is evaluated together. Ensure that the selected domains and targeting methods are aligned.
  • For example, if a Campaign uses an Allow List containing one set of domains and an individual Line uses an Allow List containing a completely different set, the conflicting requirements will prevent delivery.
• Additional Inventory Restrictions
  • Review Site targeting alongside Inventory Type, Site Lists, and other applicable inventory restrictions to ensure the settings are compatible.

Site List

Site Lists allow users to organize website domains into reusable lists that can be applied to Campaign or Line Targeting.

Rather than entering individual domains each time a Campaign or Line is created, users can create a Site List containing the desired domains and reuse it across multiple targeting configurations. This is particularly useful when advertisers want to consistently target or exclude the same group of websites across multiple Campaigns or Lines.

Site Lists are created and managed under Inventory > Site Lists. For detailed creation, editing, and management instructions, see the Site Lists Documentation .

Once created, a saved Site List becomes available for selection within Campaign or Line Targeting.

Configuring Site List Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select Site Lists from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Select an Allow List or Block List based on your targeting strategy.
4. Select the green plus sign (+) next to each Site List you want to apply.
   • To remove a selected Site List, select the red minus sign (−).
5. Review the selected Site Lists and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Targeting Methods

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to the website domains included in the selected Site List.
• Block List: Excludes the website domains included in the selected Site List.

Important Considerations

• Reusable Targeting
  • A single Site List can be applied to multiple Campaigns and Lines, reducing the need to repeatedly configure the same website domains.
• Site List Formatting
  • When creating a Site List, enter each website domain on a separate line.
  • When creating a Site List, enter each website domain on a separate line.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • Site List targeting applied at the Campaign and Line levels is evaluated together. Review the selected lists and their included domains to ensure that the targeting requirements are compatible.
• Direct Sites Targeting
  • If direct Sites targeting is also configured, review the individual domains and selected Site Lists together to avoid conflicting restrictions.

App Bundle

App Bundle allows users to target or exclude application inventory using the App Bundle identifier provided in the bid request.

An App Bundle is an identifier associated with a specific application. It allows advertisers to target an application using its identifier rather than relying on the reported App Name.

App Bundle identifiers may vary depending on the application, device, or operating system.

For example:

Configuring App Bundle Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select App Bundle from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Enter the applicable App Bundle identifiers.
4. Select an Allow List or Block List based on your targeting strategy.
5. Review the entered values and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Targeting Methods

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to inventory matching the specified App Bundle identifiers.
• Block List: Excludes inventory matching the specified App Bundle identifiers.

Additional Options

• Require Apps
  • Enable this option to require the bid request to contain an App Bundle value. Impressions without an App Bundle value will be ineligible to serve.
• Split by Commas
  • When entering multiple App Bundles separated by commas, select Split by Commas to automatically separate them into individual entries. This eliminates the need to enter each separately.

Important Considerations

• App Bundle Accuracy
  • App Bundle targeting relies on the identifier provided in the bid request.
  • Ensure that the entered values correspond to the applications you intend to target or exclude.
  • Pull a custom report and select the App Bundle dimensions so see what is passed in the bid request.
• Operating System Differences
  • The same application may use different App Bundle identifiers across operating systems or devices.
  • For example, an application available on both Android and iOS may have different identifiers for each operating system.
  • When targeting the same application across multiple environments, ensure that the applicable identifiers are included.
• App Bundle vs. App Name
  • App Bundle targeting uses an application identifier, while App Name targeting uses the application name provided in the bid request.
  • App Bundle targeting can provide a more specific way to identify an application when the correct identifier is known.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • App Bundle targeting configured at both levels is evaluated together. Ensure that the selected identifiers and targeting methods are compatible.
• Direct Targeting vs. App Lists
  • Use App Bundle targeting when applying individual identifiers directly.
  • For larger groups of App Bundle identifiers or targeting that needs to be reused across multiple Campaigns or Lines, consider creating an App List instead.

App Name

App Name allows users to target or exclude application inventory based on the App Name provided in the bid request.

Unlike App Bundle targeting, which uses an application’s identifier, App Name targeting uses its reported name.

This option allows advertisers to include or exclude inventory based on application names rather than individual App Bundle IDs.

Configuring App Name Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select App Name from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Enter the applicable App Names.
4. Select an Allow List or Block List based on your targeting strategy.
5. Review the entered values and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Targeting Methods

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to inventory matching the specified App Name.
• Block List: Excludes inventory matching the specified App Name.

Additional Options

• Require Apps
  • Enable this option to require the bid request to contain an App Name value. Impressions without an App Name value will be ineligible to serve.
• Split by Commas
  • When entering multiple App Names separated by commas, select Split by Commas to automatically separate them into individual entries. This eliminates the need to enter each separately.

Important Considerations

• App Name Availability
  • App Name targeting relies on the application name provided in the bid request.
  • The availability and formatting of this information may vary by publisher and inventory source.
• Naming Variations
  • The same application may be reported under slightly different names across different inventory sources.
  • For example, an App’s display name may differ from the value passed by a publisher or SSP.
  • Review available inventory or reporting data to confirm that the entered App Names align with the values provided in bid requests.
• App Name vs. App Bundle
  • App Name targeting uses the reported application name, while App Bundle and App Lists targeting uses an application identifier.
  • When a specific application identifier is known, App Bundle targeting can be used to target that identifier directly.
  • App Name targeting can be used when the desired targeting strategy is based on application names.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • App Name targeting configured at both levels is evaluated together. Ensure that the selected names and targeting methods are compatible.
• Additional App Restrictions
  • If App Bundle targeting or App Lists are also applied, review all selected values together to avoid conflicting requirements or unintentionally restricting eligible inventory.

App List

App Lists allow users to organize multiple App Bundle identifiers into a reusable list that can be applied to Campaign or Line Targeting.

Rather than entering individual App Bundle IDs each time a Campaign or Line is created, users can create an App List containing the desired applications and reuse it across multiple targeting configurations. This is particularly useful when targeting a consistent group of applications across multiple Campaigns or Lines.

App Lists are created and managed under Inventory > App Lists. For detailed creation, editing, and management instructions, see the App Lists Documentation .

Once created, a saved App List becomes available for selection within Campaign or Line Targeting.

Configuring App List Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line.
2. Under Inventory, select App Lists from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Select an Allow List or Block List based on your targeting strategy.
4. Select the green plus sign (+) next to each App List you want to apply.
   • To remove a selected App List, select the red minus sign (−).
5. Review the selected App Lists and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Targeting Methods

• Allow List: Restricts delivery to applications associated with the App Bundle identifiers included in the selected App List.
• Block List: Excludes applications associated with the App Bundle identifiers included in the selected App List.

Important Considerations

• Reusable Targeting
  • A single App List can be applied to multiple Campaigns and Lines, reducing the need to configure the same group of applications repeatedly.
• App Bundle Formatting
  • When creating an App List, enter each App Bundle identifier on a separate line.
  • Both alphanumeric and numeric App Bundle identifiers are supported.
• Operating System Differences
  • The same application may use different identifiers across operating systems or devices.
  • Ensure the App List includes the appropriate identifiers for the intended inventory.
• Campaign and Line Targeting
  • App List targeting configured at both the Campaign and Line levels is evaluated together. Review the included App Bundle identifiers and targeting methods to ensure that the requirements are compatible.
• Additional App Restrictions
  • If direct App Bundle or App Name targeting is also configured, review these settings alongside the selected App Lists to avoid conflicting restrictions.
• Inventory Availability
  • Applying an App List does not guarantee delivery. The included applications must have available inventory that satisfies the remaining Campaign and Line targeting requirements.

Curation — Line Level Only

Curation is available under Inventory at the Line level only. It allows users to automatically create a curated Deal through Index or Microsoft using the Line’s targeting configuration.

For full documentation, see Line Targeting > Curation.

When enabled, Pontiac creates a Deal in the selected partner’s marketplace that mirrors the applicable Line targeting parameters and automatically associates it with the Line. This can help increase scale by making inventory available through a curated Deal without requiring manual Deal creation.

Curation supports Display and Video Campaigns.

Available Curation Options

• Index Curation: Enable Use Index Curated Deal to automatically create a curated Deal through Index Exchange.
  • Index Curation – Target CTR (Optional): Index Curation also provides an optional Use Target CTR feature that attempts to filter inventory based on a selected Click-Through Rate (CTR) goal.
  • When enabled, select a Target CTR threshold from the available dropdown options.
  • Important: Higher CTR goals introduce more restrictive inventory filtering and may limit delivery.
• Microsoft Curation: Enable Use Microsoft Curated Deal to automatically create a curated Deal through Microsoft Exchange.

Both options can be enabled on the same Line and require the following:

• Exchange targeting includes Index and/or Microsoft
• All creatives associated to the line must be of one media type: display or video
• Geo targeting must be more granular than Regions or an audience must be attached that pushed to a curation platform

Configuring Curation Targeting

1. Create a new Line or open an existing Line in Edit mode.
2. Navigate to the Targeting section.
3. Under Inventory, select Curation from the Targeting dropdown menu.
4. Enable Use Index Curated Deal and/or Use Microsoft Curated Deal.
5. Confirm that the Line meets the applicable Exchange, creative, and targeting requirements.
6. Select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Location & Device Targeting controls the geographic locations and device environments where a Campaign or Line is eligible to serve. These settings allow advertisers to define where their ads can appear and restrict delivery based on Device Type, Browser, or Operating System.

Location & Device Targeting can be configured at both the Campaign and Line levels:

• Campaign Targeting: Applies shared requirements to all Lines within the Campaign.
• Line Targeting: Allows users to apply additional restrictions to an individual Line.

How to Access Location & Device Targeting

To configure Location & Device Targeting:

1. Create a new Campaign or Line, or open an existing one in Edit mode.
2. Navigate to the Targeting section.
3. Select Edit Targeting.
4. Under Location & Device, select the applicable targeting method from the Targeting dropdown menu.
5. Configure the desired targeting options and select Save.
6. Complete and save the Campaign or Line configuration.

The following sections explain each available targeting option, how to configure it, and important considerations for inventory eligibility.

Important: Campaign and Line targeting are evaluated together. An impression must satisfy all applicable geographic and device requirements at both levels to be eligible to serve. Conflicting or overly restrictive settings can reduce available inventory or prevent delivery.

Geo

Geo Targeting allows users to target or exclude impressions based on their geographic location. Advertisers can define eligible locations at the Country, Region, or Designated Market Area (DMA) level.

The following geographic targeting options are available:

Configuring Geo Targeting

1. Navigate to the Targeting section of the applicable Campaign or Line and select Edit Targeting.
2. Under Location & Device, select Geo from the Targeting dropdown menu.
3. Select the applicable Country.
4. Optionally, refine the geographic area by selecting Regions/States or DMAs.
5. Configure the geographic selections as an Allow List or Block List, as applicable.
6. Review the selected locations and select Save to apply the targeting configuration.

Geo > Countries