Direct Deals

Direct deals are ad campaigns that have priority to be served when an opportunity arises, effectively skipping any other ad selection process. They guarantee advertisers exclusive ad placement in websites or platforms, often increasing visibility and engagement. They are flexible in a number of ways, meaning they can be tailored to suit the requirements and preferences of the advertiser and publisher.

Direct deals between advertisers and publishers

The campaigns can be set on:

Exclusive deals

The simplest arrangement, where a specific ad slot is reserved for one advertiser for a set amount of time, this meaning no other ads will ever be shown in that slot as long as the deal is active;

Fixed percentage

A deal where a determined percentage of ad impressions are guaranteed to appear for a certain ad. This offers some assurance of visibility, while still allowing the publisher to monetize the rest of the impressions;

Fixed number of impressions

Each day, the advertiser will receive a set number of impressions. These direct deals are a good compromise between offering the security of assured visibility and also providing some flexibility for the publisher in how they fill the rest of the ad inventory;

Remnant

This term is given to any unsold ad inventory that a publisher has and needs to fill. Advertisers can secure these spots, usually at a lower price. Though not as high-profile as the placements of exclusive or fixed deals, they can often be a good way of adding extra reach for a campaign or for using leftover budgets.

For advertisers, direct deals come with a number of benefits that can make them a compelling proposition for certain campaigns:

Guaranteed placement and visibility

The certainty that they will get their ads appear in the desired exclusive slots, ensuring that campaigns will effectively be delivered to their audience;

Cost predictability

Fixed number or rates of impressions mean that advertisers can better manage their budgets, knowing exactly what they’ll get in return for their investment;

Relationship building

Direct negotiations often lead to a better relationship formed between the advertiser and the publisher. This leads to a more-in-depth advertising solution, and can potentially mean that better rates are achieved the next time;

Quality Control

Advertisers have more control over the context in which their ads are placed, allowing for alignment with brand values and targeting strategies.

Direct deals in GoAdserver

In GoAdserver a direct deal is a flat-rate campaign tied to one ad zone. It is served before run-of-network and RTB campaigns, at the price agreed with the publisher. Six deal types cover the usual arrangements:

  • Exclusive: the zone shows only this advertiser between a start and an end date.
  • Capped with period: a daily impression cap within a date range.
  • Capped without period: a set number of impressions every day, with no end date.
  • Capped with max impressions: the deal ends after a total number of impressions, or of clicks on click formats.
  • Percentage: a fixed share of the zone’s impressions; the rest is sold as usual.
  • Remnant: fills the impressions nothing else takes.

The network sets up the deal and the agreed CPM or budget; the advertiser sees the deal and its statistics in their own panel.

Who uses direct deals

Publishers and ad managers selling premium placements on their own sites, and ad networks that sell sponsorships to direct advertisers next to their self-serve buyers. Direct deals sit beside the other ways to fill an ad zone in GoAdserver’s ad management: SmartZones for outside ad networks and real-time bidding for programmatic demand. For deal types, pricing and when to choose a deal over an auction, read our guide to direct deals in digital advertising. To keep the advertiser up to date during the deal, send them a shared report: a live link to the campaign statistics, no account needed.

Documentation

Set it up step by step in the GoAdserver documentation: How to set up a direct deal and Campaign types.