We are constantly evaluating our products to make sure that we are investing in tools that create the most value for our customers. Sometimes this requires making some changes...as we will be with DoubleClick Ad Planner. Starting on September 5, 2012, DoubleClick Ad Planner will become a tool dedicated to researching placements across the 2 million sites comprising the Google Display Network. Our goal will be to make this a best-in-class planning product for the GDN. It will also get a new name: the Google Display Network Ad Planner.

In order to maintain the highest level of quality planning data and to invest in new functionality, we will also need to discontinue some existing features. You will start to see, for example, that certain filters and demographic data will no longer be available in Ad Planner.

Next Steps

• Please visit our Ad Planner Help Center for a full list of changes.
• If there is any data or media plans that you will need after this change that will no longer be available, please export and save them before September 5th.

Thanks for your support and understanding as we continue to focus on developing new monetization features for publishers and advertisers.

Posted by Vincent Lacey, Product Manager

As a search marketer, you know that bid optimization is the engine that drives campaign performance.

Earlier last week at SES San Francisco, the DoubleClick Search team announced UI, control, and transparency improvements to their newly-launched Performance Bidding Suite for bid optimization, making it easier than ever before for search marketers to harness and discover the power of automated strategies. Learn more about the new improvements and the impressive results users are already seeing at the DoubleClick Search blog!

At DoubleClick, we are always looking for new ways to help our clients gain expertise in using our products. So, we are pleased to announce the DFA Basics for Traffickers online training course for new DFA users looking to learn the fundamentals of third-party ad serving and how to use DFA to manage online display advertising campaigns. While we have a robust offering of classroom training opportunities, we realize that schedules may not always permit you to attend in person.

This interactive course puts you in the role of a new hire at an ad agency. Under the guidance of a fictitious ad executive, you’ll navigate modules at your own pace to learn how to manage online ad campaigns for a “big account.”

Modules cover trafficking, including managing ads, placements, and creatives; creating Floodlight tags for conversion tracking; and reporting, with a focus on DFA Reporting. Complex concepts, such as 1x1 and click tracker tags, are presented lightheartedly in animated videos, and how-to demonstrations are sprinkled throughout the course.

DFA Basics for Traffickers online training is offered in English and will be available in multiple languages soon. You can register here (sign-on required; click the link, then locate “DFA Basics for Traffickers Online” course at the top of the Search Results).

Posted by Jessica Valerio McGovern, Product Training Specialist

Make DFA Training a must on your to-do list for the rest of the summer, and visit the DFA Help Center to register for any webinars as well as our classroom offerings.

Classroom Training

DFA Fundamentals: This full-day course (10am-5pm) is for new DFA users looking to understand the fundamentals of third-party ad serving including best practices for campaign trafficking, serving ads and pulling reports.

• Chicago - August 15
• Los Angeles - August 21
• San Francisco - August 23

DFA Trafficking Lab: Get more practice trafficking campaigns. These sessions cover the basics such as assigning landing pages to creatives, updating campaigns, setting up geo-targeting and using creative rotation.

Class Prerequisite: Attendees should have taken the DFA Fundamentals class in the previous two months or have less than two months trafficking experience.

• Chicago - August 16
• Los Angeles - August 22
• San Francisco - August 24

MediaVisor Fundamentals: Learn more about planning and creating campaigns, advertisers, site placements and IOs as well as how to send RFPs.

• Los Angeles - August 22

Webinar Training

DFA for New Users - August 22
Learn the fundamentals of trafficking in DFA from creating an Advertiser through exporting Tags.

MediaVisor Fundamentals - August 21
This webinar covers the most common uses of MediaVisor including set-up, sending RFPs and IOs, and trafficking.

Be sure to check back with us on this blog for next month's training schedule. We look forward to seeing you in class.

Posted by Amanda Gangl, DFA Product Trainer

For improvements in search management worflow, DoubleClick Search has just announced two new features for increased automation: scheduled uploads (available now) and scheduled interface edits (coming soon).

These new features will enable advertisers to work during their regular hours and still have DS work on their campaigns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The addition of scheduled uploads and scheduled interface edits contribute to one of DS’s key strengths - providing a powerful, flexible workflow that lightens the management load on your team, allowing them to concentrate on higher-level tasks.

 For more information on these two automation features, visit the DoubleClick Search blog.