Upgrading to a unified performance campaign

  1. New UPC features
  2. Transition stages
  3. How to switch to a UPC
  4. Compatibility and differences at the campaign level
  5. Compatibility and differences at the group level
  6. Compatibility and differences at the ad level

A unified performance campaign (UPC) combines the advantages of familiar “Text & Image”, “Dynamic ads”, and “Smart banners” campaigns in a single campaign with a convenient and user-friendly structure.

To improve ad performance and extend customization options, the existing campaigns with Text & Image ads, dynamic ads, and smart banners will be upgraded to UPCs.

New UPC features

  • A one-stop campaign for all types of ads.

    To make ads more effective, you'll be able to use the main ad formats (text ads, image ads, product ads, and ads for catalog pages) in a single campaign.

  • Reach and effectiveness growth.

    Having a consolidated campaign that includes different types of ads gets you more data for training automatic strategies.

  • Manage CPC, CPA, or cost revenue ratio at the group level.

    You can now use an adjustment at the ad group level that is applied without any conditions when any ad from this group is served. It enables you to manage the cost of acquisition separately for different product categories.

  • New targeting types.

    For product ads in Yandex Search and in the Yandex Advertising Network, you can now configure targetings that were previously unavailable in “Dynamic ads” and “Smart banners” campaigns: keywords, custom retargeting lists, interests, and habits.

  • Merge previously incompatible campaigns into a single portfolio strategy.

    Previously, you couldn't use, for example, Text & Image ads and product ads in a single campaign — and now you can!

Transition stages

  • Starting May 22, you will no longer be able to create new “Text & Image”, “Dynamic ads”, and “Smart banners” campaigns. Instead, you will need to create UPCs. Your existing campaigns will continue running as is.

  • In July 2024, we'll be adding the option to upgrade older campaign types to UPCs without losing statistics and training progress. You'll be able to do this in the Yandex Direct web interface.

  • In September 2024, the remaining outdated campaign types will be automatically upgraded to UPCs.

How to switch to a UPC

  • If your app already sends and receives data for a UPC, you don't need to change anything. If not, tweak the app to add UPC support.
  • If your app generates and receives data for a “Text & Image” campaign, it will continue working in compatibility mode starting May 22, but only UPCs will be created (subject to the restrictions described below). The app will continue functioning as before until you add UPC support.
  • If your app generates and receives data for “Smart banners” and “Dynamic ads” campaigns, it will stop creating new campaigns starting May 22. You will need to add UPC support.

You can find the API for a unified performance campaign in the Campaigns, AdGroups, and Ads sections.

For information about the compatibility and differences between older campaign types and a UPC, see the sections below.

Compatibility and differences at the campaign level

  • A UPC is created in campaigns.add at https://api.direct.yandex.com/v501/.

    General campaign settings for a UPC are similar to those for “Text & Image”, “Dynamic ads”, and “Smart banners” campaigns, except for Notification and ClientInfo (client name) — these aren't available for UPCs.

  • UPC-specific settings are specified in the UnifiedCampaign structure. They are practically identical to the settings specific to “Text & Image” campaigns, except for the following options:

    • In the Settings structure, you can use all the settings that are relevant to “Text & Image” campaigns, except for "ADD_OPENSTAT_TAG" and "EXCLUDE_PAUSED_COMPETING_ADS".
    • In the BiddingStrategy display strategy structure for a UPC targeting Yandex Search, all the strategies that are relevant to “Text & Image” campaigns are available, except for "AVERAGE_ROI". For the Yandex Advertising Network, the exceptions are "MAXIMUM_COVERAGE" (the manual strategy in YAN) and "AVERAGE_ROI".
  • When switching to a UPC from a “Dynamic ads” campaign, the following differences apply:

    • In the Settings structure, you can use all the settings that are relevant to “Dynamic ads” campaigns, except for "ADD_OPENSTAT_TAG" and "EXCLUDE_PAUSED_COMPETING_ADS".
    • In the BiddingStrategy display strategy structure for a UPC targeting Yandex Search, all the strategies that are relevant to “Dynamic ads” campaigns are available, except for "AVERAGE_ROI". The PlacementTypes structure format has changed.
  • When switching to a UPC from a “Smart banners” campaign, the following differences apply:

    • In the BiddingStrategy display strategy structure for a UPC targeting the Yandex Advertising Network, all the strategies that are relevant to “Smart banners” campaigns are available, except for "AVERAGE_CPA_PER_CAMPAIGN", "AVERAGE_CPA_PER_FILTER", "AVERAGE_CPC_PER_CAMPAIGN", "AVERAGE_CPC_PER_FILTER", and "AVERAGE_ROI".

Compatibility and differences at the group level

  • A UPC ad group is created in adgroups.add at https://api.direct.yandex.com/v501/.

  • All “Text & Image” ad group settings are supported. The UPC settings are specified in the UnifiedAdGroup structure. A setting specific to a UPC ad group is the option to enable offer retargeting by specifying the "YES" value in the OfferRetargeting parameter.

  • Similar to “Text & Image” ad groups, UPC ad groups support keywords, autotargeting, and retargeting lists. You can also set manual bids for these targeting criteria, provided you selected the manual strategy in the campaign settings.

  • When working with a UPC ad group instead of a “Dynamic ads” ad group, the feed is specified in the product ad, and autotargeting category settings are set in the autotargeting parameters (in Keywords).

  • Instead of using dynamic text ad targets as individual targeting criteria like you do in “Dynamic ads” ad groups, UPC ad groups require applying the feed's product offer filters in the product ad (the FeedFilterConditions structure).

  • When working with a UPC ad group instead of a “Smart banners” ad group, the feed and feed fields used for the ad title and text are specified in the product ad.

  • Instead of using filters as individual targeting criteria like you do in “Smart banners” ad groups, UPC ad groups require applying the feed's product offer filters in the product ad (the FeedFilterConditions structure).

Compatibility and differences at the ad level

  • Ads in a UPC group are created in ads.add at https://api.direct.yandex.com/v501/.

  • Text & Image and image ads are added to UPC ad groups just like you would add them to an ad group in a “Text & Image” campaign: all the fields are supported, except for the following restrictions:

    • Text & Image ads don't support vCards (the VCardId parameter).
    • Text & Image ads don't support the priority of vCards (the "YES" value in the PreferVCardOverBusiness parameter).
    • Text & Image ads don't support the mobile ad flag (the "YES" value in the Mobile parameter).
    • Text & Image and image ads don't support Turbo pages (the TurboPageId parameter).
  • In addition to Text & Image and image ads, UPC ad groups also support creating product ads (analog of dynamic ads and smart banners, no more than one non-archived product ad per ad group) for advertising product offers from a feed.

  • A product ad is set by the ShoppingAd structure where you need to specify the feed ID (feeds are uploaded in Feeds) in the FeedId parameter and filters for selecting product offers in FeedFilterConditions.

    In the TitleSources parameter, you can specify the names of feed fields for generating a title. To generate an ad text, use TextSources.

  • The ad text to be used by default must be specified in the DefaultTexts parameter.

  • UPC groups also support creating ads for catalog pages (no more than one non-archived ad per ad group) using the ListingAd structure, whose parameters are identical to those in the product ad structure (ShoppingAd).