knowledge/environments.md

# Environments

## Overview

Realize campaigns can run across multiple environments beyond standard web. Each environment has different user behaviour, ad format requirements, and performance characteristics. This file covers environment options, expansion strategy, and the Sponsored Content ↔ Display expansion path.

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## Environments Overview

### Starting Point

The recommended starting point for most advertisers is **premium editorial supply** — relevant across all marketing objectives and verticals. This gives flexibility to adjust site targeting.

Once performance stabilises, expand into additional environments for incremental reach and efficiency.

### Environment Details

| Environment | Marketing Objectives | Recommended Verticals | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Mail Inventory** | Lead Generation, Online Purchases, Website Engagement | Retail, Finance, Tech / Telco, CPG, Travel | Reach high-intent users in a lean-in environment. Best introduced as an incremental campaign once premium editorial supply stabilises. |
| **Apple News & Stocks** | Page Views, Engagement | Premium publishers; content-consumption or editorial KPIs | Quality traffic and engaged readership. Start with Run-of-Network; add contextual segments only if performance requires refinement. |
| **Lockscreen Inventory** | Efficient Traffic Generation, Geo-targeted Leads / Conversions | Search advertisers, Premium publishers, Home & Garden, Automotive, Regional promotional campaigns | Cost-efficient reach and localised impact. Pair with strong CTAs and geo-relevant messaging. |

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## Apple News & Stocks

### Setup Best Practices

| Practice | Details |
|---|---|
| **Split campaigns** | Separate campaigns for Apple News and Stocks. Include tablet in targeting. |
| **Targeting** | Start with Run-of-Network. Only apply contextual segments if performance is unsatisfactory. |
| **Third-party tracking** | Set up third-party tracking or UTM parameters per campaign. |
| **Bidding** | Use Maximize Conversions. |
| **Creative standards** | Ads must be "safe positive" or "premium" to buy Apple supply. Adhere to strict guidelines. |
| **Restricted verticals** | Apple restricts / blocks: alcoholic beverages, casinos and gambling, politics, and more. |
| **Availability** | **Select markets only** — US, UK, Canada, Australia. |

### Apple News Tracking Limitation

When a user clicks an ad in Apple News, they are in a restricted web view. If they leave and return via Safari, the tracking ID is stripped. The dashboard only sees about **40% of actual conversions**. The remaining 60% are invisible.

**What to plan for:**

- Apple News traffic is significantly under-reported.
- Should not be judged on a last-click basis alone.
- Recommend blended ROAS or internal analytics for full impact view.
- An "expensive" CPA on paper is often highly profitable once you account for the 60% missing data.
- Plan for this gap up front when forecasting CPA.

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## Mail Inventory

### Setup

| Setting | Details |
|---|---|
| **Campaign structure** | Run separate Mail-only campaigns to target Mail supply exclusively and maximise efficiency. |
| **Split by device** | Create two campaigns: one for Desktop, one for Mobile Web & App (avoids image cropping). |
| **Minimum daily budget** | 5× CPA goal (absolute minimum). |
| **Minimum monthly budget** | 150× CPA goal (absolute minimum). |

### Audience Strategy

| Phase | Strategy |
|---|---|
| **New campaigns** | Start broad without audience targeting (still splitting Desktop and Mobile / App). Allows the predictive algorithm to identify best audiences. |
| **Post-learning phase** | Apply demographic, geographic, or interest-based targeting based on insights. |
| **Additional audiences** | Mail Retargeting (MRT) and Search Retargeting (SRT), Predictive Audiences, and Mail Contextual Segments — these drive the highest Mail performance due to 100% logged-in users. |

---

## Sponsored Content ↔ Display Expansion

### Expansion Decision Table

| Campaign Stage | Current Setup | Marketing Objective | Recommended Action | Checklist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Established account | Running only Sponsored Content | Mid-funnel KPIs (even if not currently targeting for Sponsored Content) | **Add Display** | 1. Confirm incremental test budget. 2. Display-ready creative available, or use the Social Importer. |
| New account | Running Sponsored Content | Mid-to-low funnel KPIs | **Run a performance mix** (Sponsored Content + Display) | 1. Check Sponsored Content performance, allow to stabilise. 2. Confirm creative availability. 3. Initiate Display campaign. |
| New account | Running only Display | Lower-funnel KPIs (even if not currently targeting for Display) | **Add Sponsored Content** | 1. Confirm lower-funnel KPIs (lead gen, purchase) are in scope. 2. Ensure correct tracking. 3. Start Sponsored Content with broad targeting. |
| New account | Running Display, has quality concerns on Sponsored Content | Mid-to-lower funnel goals | **Expand into additional environments** (Apple News, Mail, App) | See environment-specific guidance above. |

### Why Display → Sponsored Content Works

- Drives performance outcomes, primarily lower funnel, with a cost-effective approach.
- Accelerates learnings for new advertisers.
- Supplements Display with focused targeting and retargeting strategies.
- Unlocks wide reach across the open web.

### Why Sponsored Content → Display Works

- Non-feed environment attracts user attention differently.
- Supports different creative options including rich media.
- Unlocks new inventory outside Sponsored Content-only.
- Complements Sponsored Content by reinforcing messaging and providing additional visibility.

### Pro Tip

If Display is the format for **short-burst campaigns**, keep an always-on campaign and use the ad scheduler to run additional short-burst campaigns alongside it.

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## Expanding to New Environments

### Expansion Strategy

Expanding into new environments reaches users in different contexts and attention stages.

| Environment | Setup Notes |
|---|---|
| **Apple News & Stocks** | Split campaigns. Include tablet. Run-of-Network first. "Safe positive" or "premium" creative standard. Select markets only. |
| **Mail** | Separate Mail-only campaigns. Split Desktop vs. Mobile / App. 5× CPA daily minimum. Start broad. |
| **Lockscreen** | Cost-efficient reach. Pair with geo-relevant messaging. Best for traffic generation and local leads. |
| **Cross-format** | Sponsored Content + Display are separate campaigns. Don't block Display publishers based on Sponsored Content data. |

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## Guardrails

- Never expand to new environments while core campaign CPA is above target.
- Never combine different environments in a single campaign.
- Never judge Apple News CPA on a last-click basis — 60% of conversions are invisible.
- Never apply restrictive audience targeting on new Mail campaigns — start broad.
- Never block Display publishers based on Sponsored Content performance.
- Always split Mail campaigns by device (Desktop vs. Mobile / App).
- Always use separate campaigns for each new environment.
- Always request "safe positive" or "premium" creative standard for Apple News.
- Always set expectations early about Apple News tracking limitations.

## Common Mistakes

1. **Judging Apple News on CPA alone.** Undervalues a profitable channel. Use blended ROAS, explain the 60% tracking gap.
2. **Same campaign for Mail + Web.** Can't optimise independently. Separate Mail-only campaigns.
3. **Not splitting Mail by device.** Image cropping issues. Desktop and Mobile / App campaigns separately.
4. **Audience targeting too early on Mail.** Limits the predictive algorithm. Start broad, layer audiences after learning.
5. **Blocking Display publishers based on Sponsored Content data.** Different dynamics. Evaluate independently.
6. **Not including tablet in Apple News.** Missing Apple tablet users. Add tablet to campaign targeting.

## Pro Tips

- **Mail has 100% logged-in users** — making Mail Retargeting (MRT), Search Retargeting (SRT), and Predictive Audiences especially powerful in this environment. These audience types drive the highest Mail performance.
- Apple News traffic looks expensive on paper but is often highly profitable when you account for the 60% tracking gap. Set this expectation with advertisers early to avoid premature campaign cuts.
- For short-burst Display campaigns, keep an always-on campaign running and use the ad scheduler for the burst — this maintains algorithmic learning while allowing time-bound promotions.
- Mail minimum budgets are lower than standard (5× CPA daily vs. 10×) — making it an accessible test for budget-conscious advertisers.
- **Social Importer** lets you quickly create Display campaigns by importing 300×250 and 300×600 creatives directly from the Meta Ads Library — fastest path to Display expansion.