Table of Contents
Overview
Pacing is the algorithmic ability to smooth line item spend across the duration of the day or lifetime of a given line item. Pacing is able to be applied to Flat CPM, VCR Goal, and Optimized CPM strategies, as well as custom bidding strategies. See Bidding Strategies for more information.
When pacing is in use, if a line item has matching targeting, budget, frequency caps, and creative, the pacing algorithm will decide whether or not to bid on a line item based on the line item’s progress towards its pacing target. For any line item using a custom bidding strategy, the pacing algorithm will pace the line item in the exact same way as for Beeswax standard strategies. For any line item where the algorithm recommends not bidding, the adcandidate (the combination of line item & creative) will be dropped before being sent to the custom bidding agent.
The pacing target rate will always be calculated against the total number of minutes in a day, unless dayparting is stated in the Targeting section of a line item. If so, the pacing rate will be recalculated against the number of minutes that are included in the dayparting. If a daypart is put in place relative to the user's location, pacing will pace to the timezones declared in the Time module of the targeting screen.
How it Works
On the line item level, pacing options will be displayed in Essential Settings. The following pacing options appear below:
- No pacing: Beeswax will not pace for this line item and deliver as fast as possible.
- Daily: Beeswax will pace towards the daily budget. Beeswax will enforce that the line item has a daily budget when Daily pacing is selected.
- Lifetime: Beeswax will pace towards the lifetime budget. Beeswax will enforce that the line item has an end date when Lifetime pacing is selected.
Flight: Beeswax will evenly pace across the duration of the active flight and pace towards the budget that was allocated to that flight. Beeswax will enforce that all flights have have an associated budget value when flight pacing is selected.
Pacing Types
| Pacing | Behavior |
| No Pacing | Will spend as fast as matched inventory is available until daily or total budget is hit |
| Lifetime |
For example, a line item with a total budget of $1000 delivering for 10 days, with a daily budget of $200, will spend no more than $100/day |
| Daily |
Example 1.) A line item with a total budget of $1000 with a lifetime of 10 days with a daily budget of $200 will spend $200/day until it runs out of budget. The line item will accordingly stop spending on day 5. Example 2.) A line item with a total budget of $1000 with a lifetime of 10 days with a daily budget of $50 will spend $50/day. The line item will spend only $500 over the course of 10 days. |
Flight | This option will require:
The aim of this pacing type is to pace evenly across the duration of the active flight and pace towards the budget that was allocated to that flight. Validation exists in the UI to ensure that there is no overlap between flight dates in order to ensure smooth operation of the pacing behavior. |
Pacing Customization Options
When a pacing option of Lifetime, Daily, or Flight is selected, additional pacing customizations will appear. Learn more about these options below:
Pacing Behavior
Pacing behavior determines the rate at which the budget is spent. Options include:
- Even - This pacing will evenly distribute the budget during the lifetime, day, or flight duration. This type is best for those who want to spend the same amount of money during the campaign duration and the inventory is consistent. Even is the default setting chosen.
- Ahead - Attempts to spend slightly faster than Even. This option is best for those who's main goal is to avoid any risk of under-delivery.
Multiplier
Multiplier enables control over the spending speed. For example, setting the multiplier to 1.5 will increase the speed at which the line item spends by 150%. Enter a numerical value in this field.
Catchup Behavior
Catchup behavior determines how the pacemaker responds when the budget delivery falls behind and inventory becomes suddenly available at a certain point. Options include:
- Immediate - When inventory becomes available, it will try to use all spend immediately to catchup.
- Even - Will evenly catchup to the desired spend rate.
- Smooth - Will spend slightly more in the beginning when the inventory is available and gradually catchup with the target spend rate.
To understand how to apply these customizations to a line item, please see Create a Line Item.
Using Lifetime Pacing or Daily Pacing with Line Item Flights
A line item may be divided into flights a user can choose not to assign each flight its own budget, but instead, opt to pace towards the overall line item budget. In these circumstances, users may opt towards Lifetime Pacing or Daily Pacing as the Pacing type.
| Pacing Option | Behavior |
| Flight | Pace evenly towards each Flight’s budget over the lifetime of the Flight. |
| Lifetime | Pace evenly towards the Line Item’s lifetime budget. Take into account any excluded days/hours as specified by your Flight start and end date and times. |
| Daily | Pace evenly towards the Line Item’s daily budget. Take into account any excluded hours in a given day as specified when setting your Flight start and end date and times. |
| No Pacing | Do not pace |