In this article we'll guide you through the process of creating an “Optimised Creative”.
An Optimised Creative is a single creative containing several variants, where an optimization based on your KPI strategy is applied.
There are two ways an optimised creative can be set up. The first option is to allow Adnami to identify the best-performing variant based on the objective you set. Option 2 is to manually set weights for each creative.
Regardless of the option you choose, there will only be one tag. This tag can be used to book directly in your DSP or ad server and then Adnami will handle the rest - easy!
Remember - to use the optimised creative, the campaign for each variant being tested must be uploaded as a creative.
Example: There are 3 Topscroll variants you want to test. You need to create 3 Topscroll creatives within the same campaign.
Read our Get Started with Adnami guide for more tips.
Watch the video below to see how to set up an optimised creative!
Getting started with an optimised creative
Step 1: Setting up an optimised creative
In the campaign with the creatives you want to optimise, click the 3 dots next to “New creative” then click “New Optimisation”:
Here, select the formats you want to optimise. In this example, we will select Topscroll.
Different formats cannot be mixed in the same optimisation. For example, It is not possible to mix Midscrolls and Topscrolls within the same optimisation. This is because different formats are executed on publisher sites via different ad unit sizes, making one tag impossible.
Next, add the creatives you want to include in the optimisation using the “+ Add” button.
The creatives uploaded will automatically get an even distribution of impressions. In the example of the video, each creative will get 50%.
Step 2: Deciding how and what to optimise for
As previously mentioned there are two options for setting up your optimised creative.
Option 1: Choose your metric
Choose a metric to optimise performance for using the “Optimisation Metric” selector. There are a range of metrics that can be selected, including:
- Attention
- Avg. Time in view
- Avg. video view rate
- Clicks
- Engagements
- Video completes
- Viewability
Once a metric has been selected Adnami will automatically identify the best-performing variant based on the respective metric selected.
Tip: learn how the metrics are defined here and get inspiration on how to use attention
Option 2: Manual distribution
In the drop-down, there is also an option for “manual distribution”. Instead of choosing a single metric to optimise for you can assign the weight (as a %) that each variant should have.
This is similar to standard setups for a/b or split testing.
Step 3: Activate the tag
Once the variants have been set up, click “Activate and Complete”. On the following screen click the “Tags” button to get the DSP tag for your optimised creative. It works just like any other tag from Adnami.
Read our Get Started with Adnami guide.
Reporting
Odds are you want to keep track of how your optimised creative performs and what variant is the best performing.
To review the performance of each variant, navigate to the campaign and find the optimised creative. Look for the format types that start with “Distribution … …”, that is the optimised creative. Click it.
You will be able to see how each creative is performing (bottom of the page) as well as the total performance for the creative in the KPI boxes.
How does the optimisation work?
We believe in the right to privacy so the optimisation feature only evaluates performance data such as APM, CTR, Viewability, etc. No PII (Personal Identifiable Information) is used.
Scores are calculated every 30 minutes to decide what ad variant to show, but one variant can max get 90% of the impressions. The remaining 10% are reserved for testing the other variants and making sure that there is a constant inflow of data from all variants.
The math behind the scenes is based on the “Multi-armed bandit problem” (and solution). Read more about it here and here.
How to explain discrepancies between impressions and average attention
With Creative Optimisation, you get the best possible APM by always showcasing the best-performing creative at any time. Creative Optimisation does not mean using the creative that gets the best results on average but instead the creative that gets the best results at this specific moment. This means a creative might have the most impressions but not the highest average of APM.
The reason for this is that the creative likely had a day performing better than the other creatives. During that time, it generated a lot of impressions but on average it still performed less well than the other creatives.
Example
In this example an optimised creative delivers an average APM of 4,000 even though the average APM of the creatives (A+B+C) is only 2,888.*
*This is a fictitious case with simplified performance developments and example numbers. The intention is to illustrate the mechanisms of the Optimised Creative feature. For simplicity it is assumed that delivery of impressions is the same every day.
| Aggregated performance | |
| Creative A |
APM 3,000 |
| Creative B |
APM 3,333 |
| Creative C |
APM 2,333 |
| Average of A + B + C |
APM 2,888 |
| APM for optimised creative |
APM 4,000 |
Day 1-4
- Creative C is the best performing, averaging an APM 3,000
Day 5-8
- We see a change happen with Creative B becoming the best performer, averaging an APM 4,000
Day 9-12
- Creative A is the best performer with an APM 5,000
Calculations
Average ((3333 + 2300 + 3000) / 3) = 2,888
Optimised (3000 + 4000 + 5000) / 3) = 4,000
FAQ
1. How does the optimization process work?
Answer: Every 30 minutes, a sample of 10% of all impressions is taken. During this sample, all creatives in the tag are shown evenly to determine which one performs best based on the selected KPI (e.g., APM, viewability).
2. Why does one creative get most of the impressions even if KPIs are similar?
Answer: The system is designed to maximize performance. Even if one creative is only slightly better, it will receive 90% of the impressions to ensure the best possible results.
3. Can I control the distribution of impressions myself?
Answer: Yes, there are two main ways:
- Manual Distribution: You can specify the weight (e.g., 50/50 or 25/75) for each creative. Select Manual Distribution in the dropdown menu where you define your optimization metric.
- Switching Metrics or Modes: You can change the optimization metric (e.g. from APM to AvgTiv), or switch between automatic and manual distribution, at any time during the campaign. Change by selecting the metric the dropdown menu, and press save.
4. What does the optimization result show?
Answer: The result bar shows the added value gained by optimizing for your chosen KPI. For example, in one campaign, optimizing for APM led to a +1.8% increase in Avg.Tiv.
5. What’s a real-world example of success with this method?
Answer: The Danish media agency Obsidian used Creative Optimization and achieved a 4.4% increase in APM for their campaign. Read more about the case here: https://www.adnami.io/case-study-obsidian
6. What feedback has been given about the current optimization logic?
Answer: Some users suggest that the system should scale the distribution based on the difference in scores. For example:
- If scores are very close (e.g., 3459 vs. 3477), a 50/50 split might be more reasonable.
- If there's a large gap (e.g., 6000 vs. 2000), a 75/25 split could be better.
7. When to use the Creative Optimisation?
Answer: Many situation where an optimisation feature could be handy. For example:
- This feature is great to use for A/B testing different messages, to compare two creative versions (video vs. image creative, for example) to see which performs better based on a specific goal and KPI.
- You have 2 or more different messages and want to automatically optimize towards Attention. The algorithm will make sure that the creative with the best APM score will be shown.
- You have 2 or more creative versions and want all creatives to have equal amount of impression and bidding strategy. Use the "Manual Distribution" in the dropdown when setting up the optimisation metric. This will group all your creatives; you will get one creative-tag to upload in the DSP/Adserver for all your creatives variants.
- If you would like to control when a certain creative is shown; at for example a specific time, day of the week or date then use Schedule-feature instead.