Ad Units and Rates

In MediaOS, Ad Units and Rates help you manage your advertising inventory efficiently. By defining ad units, you can set specific sizes and formats for your ads, ensuring consistency across your offerings. Assigning rates to each unit allows for clear pricing structures, making it easy to generate accurate proposals and invoices. The system also helps prevent overselling by tracking inventory limits, ensuring a smooth and organized ad sales process.

What Are Ad Units? #

Units define how a product is sold. This could be by time, quantity, or performance. Units are essential because they determine what and how you can sell items under a product. The features available to an Ad Unit are directly related to the product type assigned to a product.

What Are Rates? #

Rates represent the cost associated with a product's ad unit. They tell the system (and your sales reps) how much to charge based on the unit of sale. Rates can be fixed, tiered, or quantity based—depending on your sales model.

Example: A newsletter ad might have a flat $500 rate per send, while a display banner might cost $15 CPM (cost per thousand impressions).

Setting Up Ad Units and Rates for Issue Based Products #

Issue based products allow you to sell ad units on an issue per issue basis. This is most commonly used for print magazines. Typical examples of issue based ad units include Full Page, Half Page, and Two-Page Spread.

1. To adjust Ad Units, go to your products page and view your product.
2. Click on the section Ad Units. 
3. Click the orange tab labeled + Add Unit that pops up below. 
4. Type a name for the unit/size name.  
5. Follow the prompts to fill in your desired dimensions for specific ads. 
6. Click Save then a box will appear prompting you to enter your rates.
7. Set and label your rates. 
8. Hit Save after each entry or select Add By Grid to add up to six different rates at once. 
9. Exit out of the dialogue box when you are done inputting your rates.
10. Click + Add Unit to add additional ads with different sizes and rates. 

Note: Always include trim size. Bleeds are automatically handled. Set limits in the box labeled Inventory Quantity Per Issue, just below the dimension entries. Type the number of specific ads per issue you’re able to sell, and the software will automatically prevent you from overselling once the limit has been reached.

Setting Up Time-Based Ad Units #

Time-based ad units are most commonly used for digital and newsletter products, where availability is determined by specific intervals such as days, weeks, months, or years.

Choosing the Right Unit of Time #

First, define the unit of time the product is sold in. Options include:

• Days: Use this when the product is only available on specific days of the week.
• Weeks / Months / Years: Use these for broader timeframes.

Tip: If you're selling a weekly newsletter that only goes out on Wednesdays, select Days and then choose Wednesday under “Days Sold.”

Note: If you're using Weeks, Months, or Years, you do not need to select individual days of the week.

Selecting a Key Date #

The Key Date determines when your product’s availability begins on the calendar.

• For monthly sales (e.g., banner ads sold by month), select the 1st of the month as your key date.
• For weekly or daily sales (e.g., newsletters sent every Wednesday), choose the corresponding weekday your product starts on.

Warning: Your ad unit’s availability will begin from this key date. Plan carefully to avoid unexpected scheduling.

Setting Concurrent Ad Limits #

The Concurrent Ad Limit defines how many ads can be sold for the same unit of time. This acts as your inventory control.

For example, if you set a concurrent ad limit of 3 for a monthly banner ad, you can sell up to 3 ads for each month.

Using the Time Interval Setting #

The Time Interval lets you manage how frequently an ad unit is available.

• If a newsletter goes out every other week, set the Time Interval to 2. This skips every second week in your scheduling logic. If your ad unit is sold every week, or every month without interruption you may ignore this option.

Tip: The Time Interval setting is key when your product isn’t offered weekly or daily on a standard cadence.

Setting Up Rates for Time-Based Ad Units #

Once your unit is configured, it’s time to define your rates.

Naming and Configuring a Rate #

• Click Add Rate.
• Give your rate a descriptive Name (e.g., “One-Month Banner”, “Quarterly Promo Package”).
• Enter a Rate Amount (e.g., $1,500).
• Set the Unit of Time that corresponds to how long the ad runs when this rate is selected.

Example:
If the product is a banner ad sold monthly, enter 1 in the Months field. This means the ad will run for one month when booked with this rate.

Advanced Option:
If you want to offer a 3-month rate, create a new rate, name it “3-Month Package,” enter 3 in the Months field, and define a bulk rate (e.g., $3,900).

Creating Ad Units for Event-Based Products #

Event-based ad units are ideal when selling physical space at events such as expos or conferences.

1. Click the orange tab labeled + Add Unit that pops up below. 
2. Type a name for the unit/size name.  
3. Follow the prompts to fill in your desired dimensions for specific ads. 
4. Click Save then a box will appear prompting you to enter your rates.
5. Set and label your rates. 
6. Hit Save after each entry or select Add By Grid to add up to six different rates at once. 
7. Exit out of the dialogue box when you are done inputting your rates.
8. Click + Add Unit to add additional ads with different sizes and rates. 

Using the Floor Plan Editor #

1. Navigate to the product’s Floor Plan tab.
2. On the left-hand side, select your Unit Sizes (e.g., 10x10 Booth, Corner Booth).
3. Drag and drop units onto the grid on the right to create your floor layout.

Grouping Units #

To create groupings:

• Click on a placed unit.
• Use the plus icons around the unit to expand in any direction. This will link the spaces into one grouped unit.

Creating Ad Units for Delivery-Based Products #

Delivery-based products are typically one-off offerings such as:

• Custom print jobs
• Sponsored social posts
• White-label content delivery

These units don’t require complex inventory or scheduling.

Quick Setup for Delivery Units #

1. Go to your Delivery-Based Product.
2. Click Add Unit.
3. Name your unit (e.g., “Custom Print Ad - Full Page”).
4. Click Save.
5. Click Add Rate, enter the price, and Save again.

Note: Since delivery products don’t rely on inventory control or scheduling, no date or time configuration is required.