Smart CPM

Smart CPM is a bidding strategy for CPM campaigns. Instead of always paying your full bid, you pay one cent per thousand impressions above the next competing bid, and never more than your own bid.

Turn it on

1. In the campaign form, step Basics, set You pay per to 1,000 impressions (CPM).
2. Under Bidding, choose Smart CPM: one cent above the next bid.
3. Enter your Bid (USD). This is the most you are willing to pay per thousand.

The option appears only for CPM. Saving a CPC, CPA or CPV campaign with Smart CPM is refused. You can switch between Pay my bid and Smart CPM at any time without a new review.

How the price is set

For each request, campaigns are ranked by eCPM as usual, using your full bid. If your campaign wins with Smart CPM, the price is:

• one cent above the next-highest eCPM for that request,
• but at least the floor: the zone's reserve price or the country floor for the format, whichever is higher,
• and never more than your bid.

If no other campaign competes, you pay that floor.

The next-highest bid can come from any pricing model. A CPC or CPA bid is converted to eCPM before the comparison. See Minimum bids.

Examples

The price is charged per rendered impression, at one thousandth of the per-thousand price, in the same way as a fixed CPM bid.

What does not change

• Floors: your bid must meet the floor for your countries when you save the campaign, and the price you pay never drops below it either.
• Ranking: you win exactly the same requests as with a fixed bid of the same amount. Smart CPM changes the price, not the outcome.
• Budgets: daily and total budgets and your balance work the same way.

When to use it

• You know the most an impression is worth to you, but not what others bid. Set your bid at that maximum and let the auction find the price.
• You run a high bid to win a competitive country and do not want to overpay on requests where competition is thin.

When fixed bidding may suit you better

• You want your cost per thousand to be predictable from day to day for reporting.
• Your bid is already at or near the floor. Smart CPM can only lower the price toward the next bid or the reserve, so at the floor there is little to save.

Reading your costs

Your reports show what you were actually charged. The {cost} macro in a popunder or domain redirect destination URL carries the cost of that open, which lets your tracker record the Smart CPM price per visit. See the macros list.