On this page:
PG inventory overview
Programmatic guarantee (PG) inventory deals are used to purchase a fixed amount of ad inventory at a pre-determined price through direct negotiation with publishers. These deals are made between one publisher and one advertiser via direct agreements.
Targeting PG inventory deals comes with a tradeoff: removing the highly specific targeting options available in Advanced campaigns. However, many advertisers target PG inventory deals to deliver more impressions at a lower rate. They’re also attractive to advertisers because they offer more budget predictability, guarantee ad placements, and avoid volatile auction environments.
PG inventory use case examples
Use case | Description |
Access coveted inventory | Secure coveted inventory in times of high demand, such as during holidays, specific content windows, or election cycles. |
Secure premium inventory | Gain access to premium ad placements on high-quality publishers’ websites to increase brand visibility and audience engagement. |
Meet required guarantees | Ensure you meet your commitments when guarantees are required to run with certain publishers. |
Meet upfront commitments | Add PG dollars to count toward upfront commitments to a specific publisher network. |
Drive cost and reach performance | Focus on driving efficient reach with often lower CPM rates. |
PG inventory targeting
Here’s how PG deals work to ensure smooth execution and fulfillment of the agreed-upon terms.
You and the supply side platform (SSP) or publisher negotiate deal terms, such as the amount of inventory, pricing details, targeting criteria, and campaign duration.
Once the two parties reach an agreement, the SSP or publisher generates a Deal ID and shares it with you.
You input the deal ID into a demand-side platform (DSP) such as IQM. In the IQM platform, this process can take place in the Inventory or Campaigns apps.
You create a campaign that targets the deal ID and is set up according to the negotiated terms with the SSP or publisher.
The IQM platform uses the deal ID to access and purchase the guaranteed inventory, ensuring that the agreed-upon impressions are delivered at the pre-negotiated price.
After and throughout the campaign, the platform integrates audience data and other targeting details to optimize ad delivery and reach your target audience. These details are included in real-time reporting and analytics, which you can monitor to ensure your campaign meets its objectives.
Once the campaign concludes, reporting data can be used to manage financial reconciliation. This process allows us to facilitate the automated execution, monitoring, and optimization of the PG deal to help ensure compliance with the terms you negotiated.
Eligibility requirements
All advertisers are eligible to add PG inventory deals to the IQM platform and assign them to campaigns. The following conditions must also be met before a campaign can target a deal.
Requirement type | Requirement details |
Advertiser vertical | Specialty Healthcare Political |
Campaign type | PG |
Campaign status | Draft Running Expired Paused |
PG deal status | Active |
PG deal ID | Up to 500 alphanumeric characters |
Exchanges | 1 per deal |
Targetable PG deals | 1-25 per campaign |
Key terms and concepts
PG inventory versus PMP inventory deals
PG deals differ from Private Marketplace (PMP) inventory deals. Like PG inventory deals, PMP deals provide more control and premium inventory than inventory obtained through Open Exchange auctions. However, PMP inventory deals are used to purchase ad inventory through a private, invitation-only auction rather than via a one-to-one fixed deal.
Advertisers typically choose PMP inventory deals over PG ones when they want to access premium inventory, but with more control over campaign delivery. For example, they may wish to control frequency, pacing, and audience strategies.
Refer to Private Marketplace (PMP) inventory for more information on PMP inventory targeting.
PG campaigns versus Advanced campaigns
When you create a new campaign, we’ll prompt you to choose whether it’s an Advanced or Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) campaign. The option you’ll select depends on the type of inventory that the campaign will target.
Choose Advanced if your campaign will target Open Exchange inventory or Private Marketplace (PMP) inventory deals. Select PG instead if you’ll purchase inventory directly from a specific publisher.
Note that certain features are supported for Advanced campaigns only. Selecting PG will reduce your campaign-targeting options as you instead agree to commit a set budget for a fixed number of impressions, and at a guaranteed price. You’ll specify only essential criteria for PG deals such as campaign information, budget details, and the PG deal(s) that the campaign will target.
Refer to Open Exchange inventory groups, Private Marketplace (PMP) inventory groups, and this article for more information on the differences between these inventory sources.
Locate additional PG inventory resources