Client reports vs. diversity of commercial breaks

  • September 13, 2017 11:50 PM PDT

    Hi everyone, 

    Do you guys send the detailed campaign schedule to your clients at the start of a campaign?

    Here's why I'm asking this.

    Unable to find the tools that meet our requirements, two years ago we have developed our own traffic scheduling software, to be used as an in-house solution. In the meantime, the word began to spread, the other stations asked if they can get it too, and the software is now used worldwide, literally from A(ustralia) to Z(ambia). We named it AdMaster.

    One of the most powerful features of AdMaster is what we call the Variable scheduling. Your job is to set the dayparting rule, e.g. I want to schedule a restaurant's spot twice from 7AM to 11AM, and the scheduling algorithm will pick the hours automatically. OK, so far, this looks very simple. But in addition to the hours selection, the algorithm also avoids the clashes between the competitors' spots, separates the same voices in spots, takes care of special positioning (first/last spot in a break), maintains the even duration of all available breaks (or is filling them according to priority levels) and so on. 

    Once the campaign is on the air, the real deal begins.

    The day after, another restaurant's spot would arrive. To make the equal chances for both customers, the scheduling algorithm may (and will do so whenever necessary) change the hours already picked for the first restaurant. Your settings (remember: twice from 7AM to 11AM) would always be respected, but today's pick (e.g. 8AM and 10AM) will be promptly moved (e.g. to 7AM and 9AM), so that the second restaurant's spot can jump jump into the free space.

    Why deal with the rescheduling at all? It sounds as perfectly logical to leave the first restaurant at 8AM and 10AM, check the available slots, and pick 7AM and 9AM for another client, isn't it? But that wouldn't provide the same fair platform for all customers. It would be a cheap hotel, where the early birds enjoy the full offer of a rich buffet breakfast, and the late sleepers have to deal with the leftovers.

    ...which now brings us to the client report issue.

    As the software algorithm is "granted the right" to reschedule any ongoing campaign within its settings, sending the detailed schedule to the customers does not make any sense, as the schedule that you have sent a second ago, can be modified literally a minute later. 

    I would be grateful for your opinion on this. You can get the detailed report in advance, but then you need to accept the fact that the first customer who arrives to the breakfast buffet gets the best meal, while the last one eats the leftovers.

    What would you sacrifice? The reports containing the detailed schedule available to be sent in advance, or the overall quality of your commercial breaks? 

    Many thanks for your time and opinions.

    Regards,
    Vladimir