Google Ads Developer Blog: Retiring AdSense Management API v1 and v1.1

Google Ads Developer Blog: Retiring AdSense Management API v1 and v1.1: With the release of v1.2 (and the subsequent v1.3) of the AdSense Management API, older versions became deprecated, and we announced we would be retiring them later this year. The turnoff date will be August 12, 2013.

If your application is still using v1 or v1.1, please be sure to update it to use v1.2 ‒ or preferably, v1.3. The new versions build on top of the old ones, so all previous functionality will still be available and work exactly the same, which should make for an easy upgrade.

If you have any questions or need any help, be sure to join us in the forum!

Google Ads Developer Blog: Local time zone reporting in the AdSense Managemen...

Google Ads Developer Blog: Local time zone reporting in the AdSense Managemen...: You may have heard that we launched local time zone reporting for AdSense, a fantastic feature for publishers far from the Pacific Time Zone (PTZ)! On the API side we’ve been asked some questions about it, as in some cases this may lead to the AdSense web interface and the AdSense Management API showing different data.

In Version 1.3 of the AdSense Management API, the report.generate call has a new, optional parameter called useTimezoneReporting. If set to true, the report will be generated in the local time zone configured in the web interface. Note that billing is still based on PTZ, so if you want to fetch actual earnings you may want to make sure that useTimezoneReporting is set to false or you might see small discrepancies.

The default value for this parameter is false resulting in PTZ being respected, as it was before the feature was added. If an AdSense user doesn’t choose a local time zone it will default to PTZ, so this parameter won’t make a difference.

Our recommendation is that developers let users choose if they want reports in their “Billing time zone” or their “Local time zone” (to match AdSense’s terminology).

Bear in mind that users changing their local time zones can generate spikes or dips in the local time zone reports, as it makes the day of the change longer or shorter.
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Google Ads Developer Blog: AdWords scripts now uses OAuth2

Google Ads Developer Blog: AdWords scripts now uses OAuth2: We are glad to announce that AdWords scripts now uses OAuth2 for authorization. In addition to streamlining the authorization flow, this change also increases the limit of number of scripts per user to 250.

When you create a new script, you will be prompted to authorize the script to access your account on your behalf. When you click the “Authorize Now” button, a “Request for Permission” dialog that lists the Google services required by your script will be displayed. You can review and grant the requested permissions to authorize the script. As of now, AdWords scripts request permissions for the following Google services:

• Send email as you 
• View and manage your spreadsheets in Google Drive 
• Manage your AdWords campaigns
• Perform these operations when you are offline.

As we add support for more Google services in AdWords scripts, this list may expand to include newer services.

To list all the scripts you have authorized:

• Sign in on the Google Accounts homepage.
• Click the Security tab, and select "Manage access" under "Connected applications and sites." This page lists the third-party sites you selected to always approve for Google authentication. Your authorized AdWords scripts can be found on this page.

If you wish to revoke access to a script, you may do so by clicking the corresponding “Revoke Access” button.
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Google Ads Developer Blog: DFP small business changes and our API

Google Ads Developer Blog: DFP small business changes and our API:
Recently we announced how we’re helping publishers grow with DFP small business. This included making a number of features available to small business networks. In this blog post, we’ll describe how these changes affect the way small business networks use the API.

Creatives

Creatives can now be reused for small business networks. When using LineItemCreativeAssociationService.createLineItemCreativeAssociation, you can now use an existing creative for the LineItemCreativeAssociation.creativeId instead of having to copy the creative.

CustomCreatives and TemplateCreatives are now available to small business networks as well. The following creatives that were previously only for small business networks now come back as TemplateCreatives starting in v201306:

• FlashExpandableCreative → TemplateCreative.creativeTemplateId of 10001160.
• FlashPushdownCreative → TemplateCreative.creativeTemplateId of 10001400.
• FloatingFlashCreative → TemplateCreative.creativeTemplateId of 10000560.
• TextAdCreative → TemplateCreative.creativeTemplateId of 10000440.

Targeting and Delivery

All custom targeting matchTypes are now available to small business networks and can be set on a CustomTargetingValue object when creating custom targeting using the CustomTargetingService.

Since competitive exclusions and ad exclusions are now available to small business networks, you can use the LabelService to create and manage labels for them. They can then be set on the LineItem.appliedLabels and AdUnits.appliedLabels fields.

Reports

Reach reports are now available to small business networks. You can run reach reports via the API using the ReportService’s reach report columns and reach report date range types.

City-level geographic data has also been made available in reports for small business networks and can be added to reports using the city dimensions.

Network administration

Since custom user roles are now available to small business networks, if you create a custom user role using the web UI, you can use UserService.getAllRoles to obtain the IDs of those roles and assign them to your users.
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Google Ads Developer Blog: AdWords API: Upgrading your Ad Extensions - a remi...

Google Ads Developer Blog: AdWords API: Upgrading your Ad Extensions - a remi...: As previously announced, starting on September 23, 2013, call, app and sitelink extensions will automatically upgrade to their new formats. If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to upgrade your extensions ahead of the September 23 deadline so you can take early advantage of the new features, accrue statistics on the upgraded extensions sooner, and ensure that your extensions continue to show.

Starting on the upgrade date, the following changes will take place:

• You won’t be able to use CampaignAdExtensionService.mutate to update your legacy extensions. 
• The 25 characters limit will take effect. Make sure you adjust your sitelink text to 25 characters or less so your extensions continue to show.

The use of CampaignAdExtensionService.get for legacy call, app and sitelink extensions, will be available through October 23. You can use it to consult and compare your legacy extensions data with their upgraded counterparts.

If you allow your legacy extensions be auto-upgraded, the system will do its best to detect and avoid creating duplicate extensions. We recommend that you check all your extensions after the upgrade is finished to ensure they’re configured as you’d like.

Resources
To learn more about managing upgraded extensions with the AdWords API, make sure to consult the Feed Services guide. For a code example on how to upgrade extensions on your own, look in the migration folder in all client libraries.
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AdWords Agency Blog: Volkswagen taps Google+, YouTube talent to highlig...

AdWords Agency Blog: Volkswagen taps Google+, YouTube talent to highlig...:

People are always looking for new ways to share everyday experiences with friends and family--and now, even your routine, morning commute can be share-worthy. Today, Volkswagen released SmileDrive, the first social app and web platform designed to help people go for happier drives, exclusively in the Google Play store. And to illustrate how SmileDrive can make driving more fun and shareable, Volkswagen is partnering with tastemakers across Google+ and YouTube to capture and share their road trip stories.* These influencers are going on thematic road trips related to their lifestyle and passions, like photography, food, and fashion.

First up is Christina Lauren, a lifestyle blogger who used SmileDrive to record and share her birthday weekend road trip along the California coast. Along the way, Christina’s passengers and friends--both in the car and following via the web--shared photos and comments to Google+, received a “Punch” when encountering another Volkswagen SmileDrive user, and earned the “long haul” virtual bumper sticker for traveling 100 miles. And while Christina’s story came to life across Google+, it’s soon to be featured in a media campaign that includes Lightbox Ads and mobile rich media ads on Google’s display network.

Desktop Lightbox Ads

Mobile Rich Media Ads

Christina’s story is just the first of many, with Google+ members like photographer Brian Matiash, foodie Hilah Johnson, and oenophile Jerry James Stone, creating similar travelogs for Volkswagen’s campaign. And, by using Google’s new affinity segments targeting, which helps marketers move beyond demographics to reach people who care about their brand based on lifestyles and interests, Volkswagen can ensure each story reaches the right audience, building lasting relationships with consumers and an active community of SmileDrive users.

SmileDrive is part of Google’s ongoing Art, Copy & Code project, which focuses on re-imagining brand experiences for the connected world. Download the app here, and check out the behind-the-scenes at our Art, Copy & Code site.

Posted by Aman Govil, Team Lead, Art, Copy & Code project

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AdWords Agency Blog: Announcing DoubleClick Studio Layouts: Build rich ...

AdWords Agency Blog: Announcing DoubleClick Studio Layouts: Build rich ...: Cross-posted from the DoubleClick Advertiser Blog.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of DoubleClick Studio Layouts, a rich media production tool that makes it easier to build and publish rich media and HTML5 ads.

Rich media formats are becoming a mainstay for brand advertisers, who are expected to increase their rich media spend by ~150% over the next four years.* Rich media’s continued growth is due in large part to it’s ability to help brands bring their stories to life online. (Check out our recent iMedia article for examples of great digital storytelling.) But although rich media ads are recognized as a critical vehicle for digital advertising, the tools to produce these ads are still too complex and time-consuming. The insurgence of mobile advertising and HTML5 has only made the process even more complicated. In fact, ad production can consume up to 80% of a creative agency’s time, leaving only 20% for the strategic, innovative thinking.

We want to invert that statistic.

With today’s launch, you no longer have to toil through the hand-coding of a long tear sheet, or undergo multiple creative revisions for a simple ad. Studio Layouts provides a pre-built rich media ad shell, so you can simply select a layout, upload your existing assets and publish. You can even build HTML5 ads using the same basic assets. Because the structure of the ad is already created for you, there are fewer places for the creative to break, meaning your ads can get through QA with few to zero revisions. With Studio Layouts, you can build rich media and HTML5 ads much faster, reach more people with your existing assets and upgrade your basic image ads to rich media. Let’s see how these benefits came to life with Samsung Turkey for their recent Galaxy S4 campaign. (Full case study here.)

Efficiency: Build rich media and HTML5 ads faster
Samsung Turkey launched a rich media campaign in 90% less time than they could have before Layouts. They built a three-video GDN lightbox ad in 15 minutes and completed quality assurance in three hours with no revisions. Not only was the turn-around time greatly reduced, but the campaign was also successful in driving consumer engagement. In one month, 20 million impressions were served to 2.4 million unique users, with an engagement rate of 2.73%. More than 60,000 viewers watched the videos through to the end, and the cost per engagement was low, at less than 10 cents US.


Samsung’s GDN lightbox unit begins as a 300x250, and expands when a user hovers over the ad for two seconds. The expanded state can accommodate three YouTube videos.

Reach: Get more mileage out of existing assets
Samsung was able to take their YouTube videos and quickly turn them into a rich media ad, syndicating their existing content across the internet. They could also take those same assets, plug them into an HTML5 layout and reach people on mobile and tablet devices as well, without having to code a thing.

Performance: Upgrade standard flash and image ads to rich media
Finally, by using rich media to distribute their videos, Samsung gained access to rich media metrics, such as interaction and video completion rates. “The campaign data showed that we were reaching the right customer at the right place and at the right time,” says Seda Gumustas, digital marketing manager for Samsung Turkey. This data gives advertisers the ability to understand how users are engaging with their brands and gauge success of their campaigns in ways not possible before.

What’s Launching today?
Today, we’re launching Studio Layouts to the public, and we’ll continue to roll out new Layouts formats and features over the next six months. In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching Layouts for the IAB Rising Star formats Cascade, Billboard, and Sidekick, as well as an HTML5 GDN Lightbox format.

If you are already a DoubleClick Studio user, you’ll notice the new Layouts tab in the top green navigation bar of the UI. There you’ll find the Layouts Gallery with descriptions for how to begin using the tool.


To learn more about Studio Layouts, visit our landing page on the Rich Media Gallery.

Posted by Tal Snir, Product Manager, DoubleClick Rich Media and Video
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