ARM Solution |

archived versions

v.09, Jan 2024

Scope

This document introduces the key features offered by the MINT ARM Enterprise Solution platform. It provides a comprehensive overview of the platform's capabilities at a high level.

Structure

This document is structured by the available modules on the platform. Each module includes a description, a list of key features, and a workflow overview. Where required, additional sections are included.

1. Company Profile

1.1 Description

The Company Profile is where all the related company information can be added. The module is divided into several sections: Company Information, Brands & Geographies, Users Management, Integrations, Naming Conventions, User Activities, and the Data Import Hub. The company profile page can be accessed by clicking the ‘profile’ icon at the bottom of the left-hand menu bar. On the left side, a menu with all the different sections for this module is displayed and can also be hidden by clicking on the small arrow icon to have a full view of the page. The page will display some cards with an overview to each of the sections mentioned above.

1.2 Key Features
1.2.1 Company Information

This section provides a comprehensive overview of the company. It can be filled in with all your Company details, such as Logo, Company name, Industry, Website URL, HQ address, ZIP code, and Description.

1.2.2 Users Management

This section provides a comprehensive overview of the company. It can be filled in with all your Company details, such as Logo, Company name, Industry, Website URL, HQ address, ZIP code, and Description.

Users and Role permissions are managed in the table below. There are three options as users permissions: ‘No access’, ‘Read Only’, and ‘Read and Write’.‘
No access’ denies access to a given area of the platform while ‘Read Only’ allows the user to read the campaigns and their data. Then ‘Read and Write’ allows full reading and editing access to the campaigns.
An Admin user can manage the permissions for all users, allowing or denying access to all areas of the campaigns and platform as desired. For example, a user can access the Campaigns’ Planning and Configurations, but not the Insights, or with "Read-only" permissions for Insights. Ticking the box in the relevant column assigns that permission to the role. Tick a box in the header and all the rows underneath it will be selected too. A dashed box indicates a header row below which some, not all, permissions are selected. Click ‘Save’ to implement the role.

1.2.3 Integrations

This area allows the Client to configure the Media AdTech Partner (MAP) they would like to use with MINT. Integrations include platforms, publishers, ad networks, ad servers, analytics, and brand safety. When a MAP is selected for integration, it will be made available within the modules for Planning, Campaign Configuration, Trafficking, and Insights. These services are external to MINT, are offered by third-party providers, and require separate accounts. However, the advertising campaigns being run through these separate accounts can be managed through integration with MINT.
There are three types of integrations, each with its own set of features:

Two-Ways integration:
Identifiable with a purple icon of two arrows, a Two-Ways integration is connected via API, and MINT can read the data besides write campaigns and add elements in the platform.

One-Way integration:
Identifiable by a blue icon with one arrow,  a One-Way integration allows to retrieval of reporting data via API or scheduled reporting.

Virtual integration:
These are identifiable by a green icon with a dotted circle. This means that either the platform does not have an API integration, like a media or ad network, or that a direct integration is not yet available, but data can be ingested by using an ad server, analytics or brand safety integrations.

Independent of their type, all platforms can be used in the Strategic Brief, Media Mix, Media Plan, Suggestions, and Insights. In addition, for Two-Ways integrations, you can create elements in-platform or automate configuration. Despite the type of integration, the platform cards display the platform name, the logo, its category, and whether it is integrated into your account or if you have yet to add it.

On the top left of the page, you can filter the view by Integrated or Not Integrated platforms, or switch between pages. On the left, we have a list of channels and categories. You can search for a specific platform with the search bar at the top of the screen or filter the platforms by channel, for example, by Search, which produces the following view.
On the right-hand side, we have the Sort by option which can be alphabetical or by Connection Type.

While the Filter by option, allows you to choose in between a specific Category or Platform, in the following image the filter is applied by category to show only DSPs.

When an integration has been configured, the selected service will be made available within the modules of Media Plan, Campaign Configuration, Trafficking, and Insights. The Suggestions engine will also pick up the newly integrated service.

List of Integrations

Here, you can find an up-to-date Integrations List.

1.2.4  Brands and Geographies

Brands, Products & Geographies are meant to build a labels system that will be used across the platform to assign Campaign management permission to the desired users replicating the company Brands and Products structure, and their geographical locations. Likewise, are meant to correlate Campaigns to the respective brand and product for better organization and overall management.
To start adding the labels for your company, you will need to click on the “view” button to land on the dedicated page where you can start completing Brands & Products, then continue with Geographies.

There are four default columns divided into: Industry, Brands, Products, and sub-products. You can add optional columns (up to 7) to recreate the company structure. You can also rename the columns, except the first one (Industry).

Likewise, in the Geographies section, you can do a similar breakdown considering the areas in which the company operates displaying for instance an overview starting from a region to a city.

Similarly to the first section, you will find four default columns but you can add additional ones or rename the current columns but the first one. Every item in every column needs to be completed before going into the other column in order starting from the first column. To add an item simply click on the "Add" button and type the corresponding name.

1.2.5 Naming Convention

The Naming Convention contains a set of rules to define the name of each placement as seen in the Trafficking module. It allows the user to recognize all the information about one ad in one place.
The “Map to” column lists the elements that can be defined, where any number of elements can be defined in any order. Drag the rows by the dots to change the order. Each element corresponds to the identical element in the Planning Module.
The “Prefix” value column concerns text in the Naming Convention that automatically precedes each corresponding element in the Trafficking placement. The user can write a prefix of any length with any characters that will be automatically repeated before each element in the Trafficking placement.
The “Fixed Value”  is a string of text input by the user that is pasted to the corresponding element in the placement, regardless of what is written in the corresponding column in the Planning module.
The “Default” value is the opposite of the fixed value. When a Default Value for an element is explicitly set in the Naming Convention, and in the Planning Module for the corresponding column the cell is empty, and the system automatically applies the Default Value to that empty cell in the Planning Module.
The “Separator” column defines the separator symbol between each element of the naming Convention and is defined by the user.
You can delete elements from the Naming Convention by clicking the bin icon at the end of the row and saving your changes so they are no longer considered in the other modules.

1.2.6 User activities

The User Activities Page contains a registry with the changes implemented to the different campaigns by the different users. At the top of the screen, a date range or users can be chosen to filter the information shown on the registry. The table shows the user’s name and role, the date, time, and the description of the implemented change, for example, changing the allocated budget.

1.2.7 Data Import Hub

The data Import Hub is home to the MINT import tool where users can smoothly map and incorporate data from any Excel file directly into our platform, making it available for analysis in the Insight module. Moreover, it contains other areas to facilitate efficient file management: Past Imports, Templates, and Custom Metrics.
The Past Imports section, contains a summary of your imported files, each marked with a specific status to provide you with a clear overview, such as: Draft, Loading, Uploaded, and Failed.
The Templates section stores all templates saved by the user for future use.
The Custom Metrics area will display all custom-added metrics as well as their key information to create a type of registry.

2. My Campaigns

2.1 Description

My Campaigns is the platform home page that automatically lands once you have accessed the platform.
It provides access to all other modules and displays key campaign details for a general overview.

2.2 Working with My Campaigns
  • If you are navigating in other modules, by clicking the “Rocket” icon in the main menu bar will always take you back to the My Campaigns page.
  • You can start creating a new campaign by clicking on the “Create New Campaign” button.
  • Search Campaigns by name, filtering by campaigns and status using the search bar at the top of the page.
  • Narrow down the list of Campaigns to a specific date range, using the calendar tool, located on the right side of the page.
  • Custom Range and Lifetime, to show values and data precisely related to the exact range of days selected in the data picker or to see the values and data of the entire campaign.
  • Click on the three dots menu on the right, which will appear when you hover on the Campaign specific row, to go to the other modules.
  • On the top left side of the page, you can select the export button, next to the edit button, to download the campaigns in Excel format.
  • Edit view option, which opens when you click on Edit in the top left side, enabling you to add further columns containing Campaign dimensions or KPI dimensions in the campaigns table for a more complete overview.
  • Duplicate a campaign, by clicking on the option in the three dots menu to copy a specific campaign. It allows users to select exact data and values to be replicated across Strategy, Planning, and Goals in general. Also, it allows the user to select which exact media plan of a Campaign to copy.
  • The Budget pacing gives an immediate understanding of the spending status of each element of a campaign at the general, media plan, channel, platform, and media row level.
  • The My Campaigns table contains a campaign overview, structured in the following levels: the campaign, the channel, and the platform with the corresponding active media row of the Media Plan. If the media row exists but does not have a budget it will not be shown.

3. Campaign Strategic Brief

3.1 Description

The Strategic Brief is the starting point to define your campaign purpose and media mix strategy. A campaign contains different channel mixes for specific periods, for example, months, for which is also possible to create a specific media mix strategy.

Apart from defining the media mix strategy for campaigns and channel mixes, you can also add and manage KPIs for both to define goals for your general and specific strategies.

At the same time, you are now able to differentiate between online, offline or both types of advertisement to be used in a campaign. Depending on this selection, other areas of the platform will only provide information dedicated to each type of advertising. For example, if the campaign is classified as offline, only offline channels will be proposed in the Strategic Brief module and the corresponding platforms in the Planning module following the offline concept.

3.2 Key Features

The module is split into the following sections: Campaign Creation and Description, Channel Mix Details, then Channel Mix Timeline.

3.2.1 Campaign Description

In this section, the goal is to provide useful information about the campaign to save it on the platform. You will need to add basic information such as the campaign name, dates, budget, and currency. Then relate some labels to it choosing to do it manually or automatically, this information is retrieved from the Brands & Geographies section in the Company Profile module.

Moreover, it is possible to add KPIs differentiating among main KPI and complementary ones, before adding a campaign description explaining the purpose and what you would like to achieve. In this section, you can upload documents that further explain the campaign and that will be useful for any stakeholder that wants to know more about the campaign.

Lastly, consider that the basic information in the brief will be maintained across the campaign configuration process and displayed at the top of the screen to keep track of dates, budget allocation, and spending.

3.2.2 Channel Mix Details

In this section, a more specific configuration should take place as the purpose is to define the media mix for every Channel mix that will support the overall campaign. When defining the media mix you will also be able to do so by considering the marketing funnel management, specific KPIs, and budgets by the different channels in which you will distribute the strategy.

3.2.3 Channel Mix Timeline

The timeline provides a visual representation of all Channel Mixes created for a Campaign. It displays the information in monthly, quarterly, semesterly, and yearly periods.

This overview allows you to understand easily the duration, channels, KPIs and allocated budget for each Channel Mix. It is a valuable tool for understanding the timing of the Campaign strategy and resource allocation.

Additionally, it allows you to easily access specific Channel Mixes for more detailed information. The timeline also provides the opportunity to add notes for any future reminders.

4. Campaign Planning

4.1 Description

The Media Plan is hosted in the Planning module which can be accessed from the three dots menu dedicated to every row. The Media Plan is managed through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. The Media Plan creation starts in the Strategic Brief with the creation of a Channel Mix, due to the one-to-one relationship between the Channel Mix and the Media Plan.
Channels are already included in the Channel Mix, but you can further add others while you work in the Media Plan. The first step to customize the Media Plan is to select the preferred platforms to work with.
As in My Campaigns, the Media Plan consists of a type of table with different types of data including Total, Campaigns, Media Plans, channels, platforms, and media row levels.
Next, the campaign row can be configured by allocating a media budget and selecting flight dates as well as other desired parameters like price type, price value, format, and many others. Each channel and related platform row will pick up and display overall values for flight dates, according to campaign row dates. Budgets and custom goals and parameters can be configured at media row levels; the campaign and media plan levels are automatically updated as they are aggregated values.
Users are allowed to add all columns that they want, including Tech cost ones, which will be automatically calculated, and custom ones, that can be named in any way.

Another feature included in the Media Plan is the Predictive Planning, available only if there are 90 days of historical data. This is an automated feature that brings Artificial Intelligence into the media planning process, providing the client with optimal budgets to spend at the media row level, to achieve desired results for a particular metric.

All you need to do is add the overall campaign budget and choose the KPI, then MINT will automatically allocate it to the configured channels and platforms. This eliminates guesswork and saves time because there is no more need to allocate manually.

The Media Plan table can be further customized by using the Edit View option which proposes more values or metrics highlighting to the user the most usable columns and metrics.

4.2 Carbon Offset

The Carbon Offset option, which you find on the top-right side of the page, can be activated by clicking the toggle, and from that moment the carbon offset will be calculated for your Media Plan. Moreover, in the leaf icon in the right side menu bar, you can access a page that presents information such as the estimated CO2 emissions and the offset cost.

Overall, this feature gives us the possibility to calculate the amount of CO2 a campaign emits and automatically pair it with climate-positive projects, ensuring the campaign runs with net-zero emissions. At the end of the media plan, the client can decide to accept the offset cost to make their campaign carbon-neutral. Once accepted, our certified supplier Climate Partner will create a digital certificate indicating the amount of CO2 compensated.

4.3 Versioning

You can access the versioning page to manage the Media Plan different versions by simply clicking on the clock/timer icon on the right sidebar, where you will find a registry of all Media Plan versions.

4.4 Suggestions

You can access suggestions related to a specific campaign through the Planning section, by clicking on the small “robot” Icon on the right side of the page.
Suggestions will be available for 48 hours and then they will expire if no action has been taken.

5. Campaign Configuration

5.1 Description

At the campaign row level, the client can adjust the Campaign configuration that is specific to the chosen external platform.

5.2 Key features

The Two-Ways platforms configuration page will replicate all possible configurations available for the MAP, using API. All the features that are available and displayed on the UI are automatically updated to the MAP, by clicking the "Import" button, thanks to the API connection, with no additional manual operation needed.

The One-Way and virtual platforms configuration page is needed to have a proper mapping with AdServer, Analytics, and/or scheduled reports.

5.3 Workflow

To access a Two-Ways platform's configuration page, users need to select the desired account if there are multiple accounts integrated for the same natively integrated platform (with API). The configurations can include the campaign name, total budget, or campaign flight dates. The Client specifies the overall goals the campaign should be measured against (E.g. Clicks, CTR, CPV, CPM, CPL, Likes, Conversion Rate, Completed Views, etc.)

The auto-sync feature allows MINT users to automatically synchronize campaigns and their included items in our platform. The auto-sync is performed every day at 2 am (GMT + 1).

To activate this feature you should simply turn on the toggle in the configuration area. The auto-sync is only available for Facebook, Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Zemanta, DV360, YouTube (Google Ads), and YouTube (DV360).

Each natively integrated external platform will come with its granular configurations, including, for example, line items for DSPs, AdSets for Facebook, etc. These lower levels of configuration come with targeting, budgeting, bidding, general strategy, and ad creation options.

For One-Way and virtual platforms, Clients can adjust some basic campaign configurations and create the table with the elements to be mapped in the Trafficking module and/or with the scheduled reporting.

The Bulk Action button enables users to efficiently perform a range of actions. Additionally, users have the flexibility to search by name or item date, On the top right, we have a summary of the duration and budget for the media row that will be configured.

6. Trafficking and AD Operations

6.1 Description

The trafficking module allows Clients to connect MINT to an Ad server account and manage cross-platform ads in one place, regardless of whether we integrate natively with a specific platform or not.
The following Ad servers are currently integrated with MINT: Campaign Manager, AdForm, Sizmek and Appsflyer. Moreover, it is also possible to retrieve data from Google Analytics.
The module is divided into the Ad Server and Analytics sections.

6.2 Ad server

The user can select the preferred Ad server account from the ones that have been integrated, then use a common campaign taxonomy to manage ads across platforms.
The page replicates the structure already defined in Planning and Configurations automatically and suggests a default configuration for placements. For the Display channel platforms, users can also upload and manage ad creatives, right within MINT for Campaign Manager.In addition, all platforms allow the configuration of conversion tags/floodlight activities, which can then become Campaign Goals and be reported on as metrics.
Choose the integration you wish to work with. By switching the toggle on at the top right, the user will have the opportunity to highlight and find unmapped rows, if they are present.
There is also a search bar available for MINT Taxonomy and Adserver Mapping.

This new integration allows to retrieve data right from Google Analytics and map the corresponding UTM parameters to the MINT taxonomy.
By enabling Auto-tagging, you can automatically receive insight for Google Ads to optimize your campaigns and improve their overall effectiveness.
If the Auto-tagging toggle is off, you will still be able to change the grouping and fulfil the values through the bulk actions on any of the available grouping levels.

6.4 Workflow

The first step consists in selecting the ad server account to be used, for the channels and platforms configured within the Media Plan to be displayed. In each case, the Campaign and Site are automatically selected using the default settings in the Integration, then Users can accept the default configuration for placements or select existing Ad Placements.

There is a Feedback Notification System that allows users to receive feedback on the success or failure of communication with an external platform. It indicates whether the communication was successful or not, and if not, provides a reason for the failure. This feature is primarily used for pushing data into an ad server and for pushing data into two-way platforms in specific channels.

7. Suggestions Engine

7.1 Description

The Suggestions Engine provides Clients with recommendations about how to adjust their campaigns for an optimized performance. This feature is available within the Notifications area of MINT found when clicking on the “bell” icon on the left-side menu bar.

The Suggestions Engine supports two types of actions: Suggestions and Alerts.

7.1.1 Key features

Our algorithm evaluates performances, measures saturation, correlates media cost and selected targets and applies business and technical constraints to predict optimal budgets for maximum campaign performance.

Suggestions for specific Media Plans can be found on the Media Plan page itself by clicking on the robot icon in the right-side menu bar.

Moreover, budget suggestions will also have an impact on KPI which can be seen in every suggestion table presenting how will each KPI change if the suggestion is accepted.

7.1.2 Alerts

Our algorithm also warns the User if there are any errors related to the campaign configuration up until the media row level.

7.2 Key Features

The Suggestions Engine is a feature that uses Artificial Intelligence to recommend budget and configuration adjustments at all levels: Channel, Platform, Campaign, and Insertion Order (if supported).

Each suggestion is presented with the following information:

  • A notification header, including the Campaign title, type of notification, the time when it was created, and the Campaign budget (if the suggestion refers to budget adjustments).
  • The suggestion itself starts from the channel to the media row level, with the possibility to be collapsed or expanded, according to the campaign rows, to perform adjustments at all levels.
  • The possibility to accept or reject the suggestion.
7.3 Workflow

The user can accept or reject a suggestion. If accepted, budget suggestions are applied automatically to the scenario in question for the Two-Way platform, while for One-Way and Virtual platforms, suggestions need to be handled manually in the specific platforms considering MINT keeps track of these changes in-platform.

When a suggestion is rejected, we encourage users to provide feedback, so that we can improve the algorithm.

8. Campaign Insights and Actual vs Goals

8.1 Description

This module provides advanced cross-channel reporting that enables the Client to monitor the performance of each campaign, both overall and by channel.

8.2 Key features

The key features of this module include overall campaign reports as well as custom granular reports.There is also a search bar available for MINT Taxonomy and Adserver Mapping.

For Two-Ways integrations, this module facilitates access to retrieved data directly from the integrated platforms, plus data retrieved from AdServer, Google Analytics, and brand safety platforms, using API thanks to the correct mapping into the Trafficking page.

For One-Way integrations, reports visualize data retrieved from scheduled reports and ingested from AdServer, Google Analytics, and brand safety platform, using API thanks to the correct mapping into the Trafficking page.

For Virtual platforms, reports visualize data retrieved from AdServer, Google Analytics, and brand safety platforms, using API thanks to the correct mapping into the Trafficking page. At the same time, is possible to add manual data in the Data Import Hub for the virtual platform so they can be considered in the Insights module.

8.3 Workflow

During the first setup, we let the client choose among existing dashboards that will include progress-related metrics (goals, days completed, budget spent, etc.). A breakdown table that lists key metrics for all campaign channels and platforms, as well as a channel overview, bar chart, and many others are available.

8.4 Dashboard

We provide the possibility to create and customize your dashboard with the support of our specialists. Different dashboards can be initiated, related to different campaigns and we can switch from one dashboard to another and have a clear overview of the existing ones.

8.5 Actual vs. Goals

The Actual vs. Goals is mostly a dashboard where the user can see and analyse the progress of the objectives that have been set and their metrics for the campaign or channel mix of their choice.

The dashboard is composed of different graphs where KPIs can be explored to have an overview of the progress, or compared to differentiate between KPIs.

Moreover, in the dashboard, detailed information about the budget spent by channel and platform can be found. As well as a comparison between all channel mixes that compose the campaign and their monthly progress, adapted to the goal that needs to be analysed.

Additionally, all graphs can be downloaded in CSV format or as an image for presentations or further analysis.