Overview

Key-value targeting allows you to display ads only when specific key-values are passed in the ad request. You can build targeting phrases with multiple key-values and operators to have insertions or creatives only delivered if they match the targeting phrase.

Pass key-values in ad calls

Key-values must be passed directly as part of the ad request using the appropriate targeting parameter, depending on the integration type. This ensures that they are available for targeting at insertion and/or deal level during the ad decision process. 

In case of multiple key-values, use a semicolon (;) to separate them, for example:  color=green;color=red;sport;football. 

Key-value targeting on insertion level

Target string values

String values are values that consist of a chain of characters.

To target a string, proceed as follows:

1. Go to the Targeting section of the insertion and switch to the Keywords section
2. Enter the key and the value in the according fields. You can omit the key and only target a value.
3. Click Add.
4. Repeat the process to add additional key-values.
5. Click Exclude to exclude a key-value.
6. Click on the yellow OR operator to change it to AND.
7. Click on the blue AND operator to change it to OR (the OR operator is not possible if the key-value is excluded).

Target numeric key-values

You can target exact numeric values or numeric value ranges. Fore example, you could pass an age value and target all ages between 18 and 25.

1. Enter the key in the Key field.
2. Select from the operators: ≤ (less than or equal to),  =  (exact value) or  ≥  (greater than or equal to).
3. Enter the numeric value in the Value field and click Add. You can use decimals, using a dot (.) to separate the whole number from the decimal part.
4. Repeat the process to add additional criteria. Numeric values can be combined with the AND operator only.
5. Click Exclude, to exclude a key-value.

Use text mode

When targeting a large number of key-value, the text mode is more convenient than the form-based mode. 

You can switch back and forth between the form-based mode and the text mode. However, if you have more than 100 key-values, the text mode is enforced automatically.

The following table explains the operators in the text mode:

The following rules apply for numeric key-values in text mode:

• Use a dot (.) to separate the whole number from the decimal part. For example, distance>=12.5.
• Join numeric key-values with string key-values using the AND operator only. For example: name=john;distance>=12.5.
• Don't join multiple ranges of numeric values with the OR operator. Use the AND operator only, for example: distance>=12.5;age<15.

Target traffic without user consent

The European privacy legislation requires user consent to the processing of personal data. With key-value targeting, you can target traffic with negative or unknown consent. For more details, see section "Targeting insertions to traffic without consent" in Comply with Global Privacy Platform (GPP). 

Key-value targeting on creative level 

To define key-value targeting for individual creatives, proceed as follows:

1. Go to the Creatives section of your insertion.
2. Upload and configure your creatives.
3. Click on the given creative in the creative list.
4. On the sidebar, under Targeting > Keywords, add one or multiple key-values in the text field.
   1. , (comma) expresses “OR”.
   2. ; (semicolon) expresses "AND".
   3. ;Not  expresses “AND NOT” (exclusion).

Predefined key-values

Predefined key-values are reusable sets of keys and values designed for quick, repeated targeting.

Set up predefined key-values

To set up predefined key-values, proceed as follows:

1. Go to Inventory > Predefined Key-values. 
2. Click New predefined key.
3. Enter the Name (name displayed in the UI) and the Key (name, as passed in the ad request).
4. Click Create.
5. Click Add predefined value.
6. Enter the Name (name displayed in the UI) and the Value (name, as passed in the ad request).
7. Click Create.
8. Repeat steps 5. to 7. to add additional predefined values.

Set key-value targeting with predefined key-values

To set key-value targeting with predefined key-values:

1. Go to the Targeting section of the insertion.
2. Expand the Keyword groups section.
3. Click + Add a keyword group.
4. From the Keyword groups tree, select the desired values.
5. Click Apply. 

Use combiner mode

By default, the selected key-values are displayed in combiner mode: each row contains a single key-value and each key-value is joined with the OR operator.

You can change the configuration as follows:  

• Click on the yellow OR operator to change it to AND.
• Click the green toggle to set the AND NOT operator (exclusion).
• Drag and drop key-values to the desired location using the ⋮⋮ button

Use grouped mode

The grouped mode is convenient when targeting large numbers of values, as it displays one key per row with each of its values. 
The values within a keyword group are combined with the OR operator. Keyword groups themselves are joined with other keyword groups with the AND operator.
You can add additional keyword groups using the + Add a keyword group button and add or remove additional values.You cannot change operators between keyword groups in grouped mode. Switch to combiner mode to modify them. 

Combination limit

You can define a maximum of 50,000 targeting item combinations per insertion. This applies to key-value targeting and all other targeting types, such as browser targeting. 

OR-combinations may significantly increase the amount of combinations, as illustrated by the following examples:

If you need more than 50,000 combinations, proceed as follows:

1. Duplicate the insertions.
2. In each insertion, set a maximum of 50,000 combinations.
3. Assign a shared impression volume (group volume) to all the insertions.