Script Building
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      How does each Rule work?

      A quick summary of each Rule that's available in Studio

      This page provides the following information for each Rule

      • a brief explanation of the rule
      • an example of how it might be used
      • anything that's useful to remember when using the rule

      Rules are arranged into the following categories, you can jump to a category via the headings below.

      Date & Time

      Device

      Location

      Sequence

      Custom

      Date & Time

      Personalisation using a Rule from this category requires A Million Ads to know the date and/or time in the location of the user who will hear or see the ad. A Million Ads derives user locations from IP addresses via a 3rd party.

      When a user's location cannot be confidently derived, the Default timezone (as configured within the script) is used to establish the user's local time.

      Date / Time

      Lines can be set up to play according to the date and time in a user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to an event on a specific date (like a sports event or the closing date for an offer). Can also be used to count down to an event ("x days until the offer ends", "offer ends tomorrow").

      Date / Times are expressed as a date, month, year, hour and minute. Available options are before, after and between.

      A line set up to play after a certain Date / Time will play at the specified time, while a line set up to play before a certain date will not play at that time. Lines set up to play between two dates will play at the earliest time but not at the latest time.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play after 15:00 14th January will play at 15:00 on the 14th January and until the ad stops serving
      • a line set up to play before 15:00 14th January will play from when the ad starts serving until 14:59 on the 14th February
      • a line set up to play between 15:00 and 16:00 on 14th January will start playing at 15:00 on the 14th January will stop playing at 15:59

      Day / Night

      Lines can be set up to play according to whether or not the sun has set/risen in a user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to the amount of daylight or when different products are useful according to the amount of daylight.

      Unlike other Date / Time Rules, Day / Night cannot be accurately derived from a user's timezone. As such, and because a user's location cannot always be confidently derived - it is necessary to define a Default line to play when this Rule is being used.

      Day of week

      Lines can be set up to play on a specific days of the week.

      Useful when wanting to specifically mention the day of the week in an ad, or to adjust the tone of the ad according to the day.

      Available options are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Weekend or Weekday.

      Day Part

      Lines can be set up to play during specific parts of the day.

      Useful when wanting to mention the approximate time of day, or to when different products are more applicable during these times of the day (e.g breakfast, lunch and dinner).

      Available options are Morning (before midday), Afternoon (between midday and 6pm) or Evening (after 6pm).

      Time of day

      Lines can be set up to play at specific hours of the day.

      Useful when different messages are appropriate for different times of the day but you wish to be more precise than is available in the Day Part Rule.

      Available options are before, after and between.

      A line set up to play after a certain hour will play during that hour, while a line set up to play before a certain hour will not play during that hour. Lines set up to play between two hours of the day will play during the earliest hour but not the latest hour.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play after 15 will start playing at 15:00 and will play until 23:59 each day that the ad is live
      • a line set up to play before 15 will start playing at 00:00 and will play until 14:59 each day that the ad is live
      • a line set up to play between 15 and 16  will start playing at 15:00 and will stop playing at 15:59 each day that the ad is live

      Minute of hour

      Lines can be set up to play at specific times of the day - down to the minute.

      Useful when different messages are appropriate for different times of the day but you wish to be more precise than is available in the Day Part or Time of day Rules.

      Available options are before, after and between.

      A line set up to play after a certain Minute of hour will play during that minute, while a line set up to play before a certain minute will not play during that minute. Lines set up to play between two minutes of the hour will play during the earliest hour but not the latest hour.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play after 15 will start playing at 15 minutes past the hour and will play until 59 minutes past each hour that the ad is live
      • a line set up to play before 15 will start playing at 0 minutes pas the hour and will play until 14 minutes past each hour that the ad is live
      • a line set up to play between 15 and 31  will start playing at 15 minutes past the hour and will stop playing at 30 minutes past each hour that the ad is live

      Timezone

      Lines can be set up to play according to the user's timezone.

      Useful when an ad is being served across multiple time-zones but makes specific reference to the time of an event. For example, an event may be taking place at midday in New York but at 9am in San Francisco.

      For the purposes of this rule, a user's timezone is relative to UTC and does not change according to Daylight Saving Time. So, for locations that observe Daylight Saving Time, the Timezone rule needs to be configured according to the timezone a location belongs to rather than the actual time being observed in those locations. For example, between March and November the time observed in New York is UTC - 4:00 and for the rest of the year is UTC - 5:00 - but New York is always in the UTC - 5:00 timezone.

      Device

      Personalisation based on Device requires A Million Ads to know information about the device being used to hear or see the ad. Information about a user's device is derived from their User Agent string or IP address via 3rd parties.

      Because information about a user's device cannot always be derived is necessary to define a Default line to play when Device personalisation is being used.

      Device OS

      Lines can be set up to play according to the operating system (OS) running on the user's Device. 

      Useful when the call to action in the ad can provide specific instructions - for example referring to the "App Store" or "Google Play Store".

      Available options are Android, iOS, Windows and Mac OS.

      Device type

      Lines can be set up to play according to the category of the user's Device. 

      Useful when the call to action in the ad can provide specific instructions - for example asking the user to "Tap" rather than "Click".

      Available options are Mobile, Tablet, Desktop, TV, Car, Appliance and Smart Speaker.

      ISP

      Lines can be set up to play according to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) being used by the Device to access the internet - derived by A Million Ads from their IP address via a 3rd party.

      Useful when different messages are appropriate depending on which ISP the user is using - for example when an ISP is the advertiser and they want a different message for existing and prospective customers.

      Available options are Virgin Media, TalkTalk, BT, Sky, O2, EE, Vodafone, UK Universities and PlusNet

      Mobile Carrier

      Lines can be set up to play according to the Mobile Carrier being used to access the internet - derived by A Million Ads from their IP address via a 3rd party.

      Useful when different messages are appropriate depending on which Mobile Carrier the user is using - for example when a Mobile Carrier is the advertiser and they want a different message for existing and prospective customers.

      Available options are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, US Cellular and Boost

      Smart speaker

      Lines can be set up to play according to the brand of smart speaker being used to access the internet.

      Useful when different messages are appropriate depending on which smart speaker the user is using - for example when a smart speaker manufacturer is the advertiser and they want a different message for existing and prospective customers.

      Available options are Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung Bixby, Sonos or Other.

      User Agent

      Lines can bet set up to play according to text that are/are not present in the User Agent string.

      Useful when script lines explicitly refer to (or are more appropriate according to) specific information about the user's device like OS version, phone manufacturer etc.

      Available options are is, is not, contains, doesn't contain.

      Location

      Personalisation based on Location requires A Million Ads to derive the location of the user who will hear or see the ad - a user's location is derived from their IP address via a 3rd party.

      A Million Ads work with 3rd parties to derive a user's location from their IP address and we rely on our partners (publishers and DSPs) to ensure that we have access to users' IP address when they request an ad from us.

      This section also includes other Rules that utilise a user's location to derive other information (like Weather). A Million Ads works with 3rd parties to access location-related data.

      Because information about a user's location cannot always be derived is necessary to define a Default line to play when Location personalisation is being used.

      Cold and Flu status, Humidity,  Pollen, Temperature,  UV Index, Weather, Forecast and Windspeed Rules are not available in all locations, get in touch if you are interested in learning more about this Rule.

      Location

      Lines can be set up to play according to the user's location.

      One of the most commonly used Rules, Location is useful when script lines explicitly refer to the user's location or refer to something (e.g. store location) that is more relevant to the user.

      More information about the Location rule can be found here.

      Cold and Flu status

      Lines can be set up to play according to the reported levels of Cold and Flu symptoms in the user's location. 

      Useful when script lines refer to pollen levels or when the advertiser has multiple products that are more suitable for certain levels of pollen.

      Available options are No Activity, Local Activity, Sporadic, Regional and Widespread.

      Humidity

      Lines can be set up to play according to the atmospheric humidity level in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to humidity levels or when the advertiser has multiple products that are more suitable for certain levels of humidity.

      Since atmospheric humidity is expressed as a percentage, Rules can be set up with humidity value between 0 and 100. Available options are is, is not, between, more than and less than.

      Pollen

      Lines can be set up to play according to the level of pollen in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to pollen levels or when the advertiser has multiple products that are more suitable for certain levels of pollen.

      Available options are Low, Moderate, High, Very High.

      Temperature

      Lines can be set up to play according to the temperature in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to the temperature or when the advertiser has multiple products that are more suitable for certain temperatures.

      Temperature can be expressed in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Available options are is, is not, between, more than and less than.

      A line set up to play when the Temperature is more than a certain value will play when the temperature is at that level, while a line set up to play when the Temperature is less than a certain value will not play when the temperature is at that level. Lines set up to play between two temperature levels will play when the temperate is at the lowest value but not when it is at the highest value.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play when the temperature is more than 15° will play when the temperature is 15° and above
      • a line set up to play when the temperature is less than 15° will play when the temperature is 14.9° and below
      • a line set up to play when the temperature is between 15° and 20°  will start playing when the temperature reaches 15° and will stop playing when the temperature reaches 19.9°

      UV Index

      Lines can be set up to play according to the UV index in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to the UV index or when the advertiser has multiple products that are more suitable for certain UV indexes.

      Rules can be set up with a value between 0 and 11. Available options are is, is not, between, more than and less than.

      A line set up to play when the UV Index is more than a certain value will play when the temperature is at that level, while a line set up to play when the Temperature is less than a certain value will not play when the temperature is at that level. Lines set up to play between two UV index levels will play when the index is at the lowest value but not when it is at the highest value.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play when the UV Index is more than 5 will play when the index is 5 and above
      • a line set up to play when the UV Index is less than 5 will play when the index is 4.9 and below
      • a line set up to play when the UV Index is between 5 and 10  will start playing when the index reaches 5 and will stop playing when the index reaches 9.9

      Weather

      Lines can be set up to play according to the Weather conditions in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to the weather or when specific messages are more appropriate to specific weather conditions.

      Available options are Sun, Cloud, Rain and Snow.

      Forecast

      Lines can be set up to play according to the predicted weather conditions in the user's location. 

      Useful when script lines refer to the predicted weather conditions or when specific messages are more appropriate to specific weather conditions.

      It's possible to set up a line to play if the weather has been forecast as Sun, Cloud, Rain or Snow on a specific day from the day of the ad request up to 9 days in the future.

      Windspeed

      Lines can be set up to play according to the windspeed in the user's location.

      Useful when script lines refer to the level of wind or when specific messages are more appropriate to specific wind levels.

      Wind speed is expressed in miles per hour. Available options are is, is not, between, more than and less than.

      A line set up to play when the Windspeed is more than a certain value will play when the windspeed is at that level, while a line set up to play when the Windspeed is less than a certain value will not play when the windspeed is at that level. Lines set up to play between two windspeeds will play when the speed is at the lowest value but not when it is at the highest value.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play when the windspeed is more than 15 mph will play when the wind is 15 mph and above
      • a line set up to play when the windspeed is less than 15 will play when the speed is 14.9 and below
      • a line set up to play when the windspeed is between 15 mph and 20 mph  will start playing when the speed reaches 15 mph and will stop playing when the index reaches 19.9 mph

       

      Sequence

      Rules within the Sequence category allow control over the order that users hear or see elements from an ad over multiple exposures. The order can be based on the number of times the user clicked on the ad, heard or saw the ad or can be picked at random.

      When driven by clicks or exposures (referred to as Impressions in Studio) there are three different ways that the rules can be set up:

      1. Where all possible scenarios are explicitly covered by the rule setup (e.g. a line for when the number of impressions before the current ad is served is 0, another for when the number of impressions is 1 and a third for when it is greater than or equal to 2)
      2. Where all possible scenarios are not explicitly covered but with a line set as the Default (e.g. a line for when the number of impressions before the current ad is served is 0 and another for when the number of impressions is 1 - with the second also set as the default)
      3. Where the user will hear the lines in a sequence that will restart once they have reached the end (this is achieved by using the Sequence operator and does not require a Default line)

      When using the Sequence operator the value should be set to 1 for the line the user should hear/see during their first exposure, 2 for the second exposure and so on. 

      When using any other operator (is, is not, between, more than or less than) - any line with a condition that is true for 0 (e.g. is 0, or less than 5) will play for the first exposure, any line with a condition that is true for 1 (e.g. is 1, or less than 3) will play for the 2nd exposure and so on.

      Click

      Lines can be set up to play according to the number of times the user has clicked on a companion image (for an audio ad) or the ad itself (for a video ad).

      Useful when an advertiser would like to play a different message to users who have chosen to click on the ad.

      The Click rule can be set up using the sequence operator (when wanting to a user to loop through the different lines) or one of the is, is not, between, more than or less than operators.

      The number of users who click on the ad is likely to be very low (less than 1%).

      A line set up to play when Click is more than a certain value will play when the Click count for the user is at that level, while a line set up to play when the Click is less than a certain value will not play when the count for the user is at that level. Lines set up to play between two Click levels will play when the count is at the lowest value but not when it is at the highest value.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play when the Click count is more than 5 will play when the user has clicked the ad 5 times or more
      • a line set up to play when the Click count is less than 5 will play when the user has clicked the ad 4 times or below
      • a line set up to play when the Click count is between 3 and 5  will start playing when the user has clicked the ad 3 times and will stop playing after the 4th time the user clicks the ad.

      Impression

      Lines can be set up to play according to the number of times the user has seen or heard the ad.

      Useful when an advertiser would like to play a different message to users who have already seen or heard the ad like telling a story over multiple exposures.

      The Impression rule can be set up using the sequence operator (when wanting to a user to loop through the different lines) or one of the is, is not, between, more than or less than operators.

      The average number of times a user sees or hears an ad can vary significantly according to where the ad is being served. For more information, get in touch,

      A line set up to play when Impression is more than a certain value will play when the impression count for the user is at that level, while a line set up to play when the impression is less than a certain value will not play when the count for the user is at that level. Lines set up to play between two Impression levels will play when the count is at the lowest value but not when it is at the highest value.

      For example:

      • a line set up to play when the Impression count is more than 5 will play when the user has seen/heard the ad 5 times or more
      • a line set up to play when the Impression count is less than 5 will play when the user has seen/heard the ad 4 times or below
      • a line set up to play when the Impression count is between 3 and 5  will start playing when the user has seen/heard the ad 3 times and will stop playing after the user has seen/heard the ad 4 times.

      Rotate

      Lines can be set up to rotate evenly.

      Useful when there are multiple messages that are relevant to a user but it doesn't make sense to apply any logic to the order that they're heard.

      For more information on Rotate can be found here.

      Custom

      Custom Rules are a small set of advanced rules that require more technical set up but can provide powerful functionality.

      For more information, get in touch.

      API text/number

      Lines can be set up to play according to data from a 3rd party source via an API or Google Sheet.

      Example use cases include:

      • using live betting odds
      • referring to the weather in a location other than where the user is
      • referring to a relevant store location, where stores are associated with the Zip Codes they serve

      Custom text/number

      Lines can be set up to play according to data that is being passed to A Million Ads in the ad request.

      Link

      Lines can be set up to play according to lines that were selected to play previously in the script.

      More information on Link is available here.