Sponsored Video Guide

Overview

What are Sponsored Video?

Sponsored Video are short videos that appear in search results on Sam's website. A click on the video redirects to the item page so that customers can learn more about it. Sponsored Video promote individual items and are targeted at specific keywords. API partners can manage budgets, keywords, and bids to scale campaigns for suppliers and ensure the visibility of Sponsored Video during prime shopping hours.

Purpose:

Used by advertisers to stand out, promote new or seasonal items, and influence customer decisions during shopping at Sam’s Club
Assists in boosting both awareness and conversions
Cost-effective video storytelling
Quick and seamless campaign launch
Closed-loop measurement process
Enhance item visibility in search results
Promote new and seasonal items effectively
Influence purchasing decisions of Sam’s Club customers effectively
Integrate into Sam’s Club display and sponsored search for comprehensive full-funnel marketing

Sponsored Video Campaign Guide

Below steps guide to set up a new video campaign. It also, helps to modify live campaign.

Step 1: Upload Sponsored Video Media for the Advertiser

Create media upload destination
Endpoint: POST /api/v1/media/upload
Response: MediaUploadRequestId, uploadUrl, captionUrl
Conditions / Recommendations: Upload and caption URLs expire after 15 minutes
Upload .mp4 or .mov video to uploadUrl
Endpoint: uploadURL obtained in response from POST /api/v1/media/upload
Upload caption (.srt or .vtt format) to captionUrl (optional but recommended)
Endpoint: captionURL obtained in response from POST /api/v1/media/upload
Check the status of media upload completeness
Endpoint: PUT /api/v1/media/complete
Conditions / Recommendations:
- Using mediaUploadRequestId, add mediaName (without validation for name uniqueness per advertise) to generate mediaId
- The approximate time to process media uploads is around 30 minutes
Retrieve availability status of all completed media files or a specific media file for a given advertiser
Endpoint: GET /api/v1/media
Conditions / Recommendations: If the status is available, the video can be added to the sponsored video profile of a given campaign.

Step 2: Create Sponsored Video Campaign

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/campaigns
Conditions / Recommendations: Use the campaignType parameter with the value video and the targetingType parameter with the value manual.

Step 3: Create the Ad Group

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/adGroups
Conditions / Recommendations: Currently, only one Ad Group is permitted per campaign.

Step 4: Create Sponsored Video Profile for the Ad Group

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/adGroup/media
Conditions / Recommendations:

Create a sponsored video profile by adding media to the Ad Group
The video profile created will have an enabled status by default
The video profile’s review status will be pending by default and requires a review to be approved
Only one sponsored video profile is allowed for a campaign
The sponsored video profile comprises the following components:
1. Media file: The media file represents the video asset. It must be uploaded and validated before being added to a video campaign.
2. Closed Caption: This file provides closed captions for the video. It is not mandatory but can be included if needed.
3. Media name: This is the name provided when uploading the media, which is used to generate the mediaId.
4. Thumbnail: This is the URL for the image snapshot of the video

Step 5: Add Items to the Ad Group

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/adItems
Conditions / Recommendations:

Up to a maximum of 10 items can be added to an Ad Group
A minimum of 1 item needs to be added to an Ad Group. It is recommended to have a minimum of 3 items to avoid stop serving ads in case of an out-of-stock scenario.
The reviewStatus will default to pending for each new item added or for an item that is re-enabled

Step 6: Add Keywords (Additional/Suggested Keywords) to the Ad Group

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/keywords
Conditions / Recommendations:

Adding keywords to a Sponsored Video campaign is similar to adding keywords to a sponsored brands campaign.
The status for each new or re-enabled keyword is set to pending by default
A maximum of 200 distinct bidded keywords can be enabled per ad group with 1 to 3 keyword-match types allowed for each
The minimum bid for keywords in a Sponsored Video campaign is set at US$1.50

Step 7: Submit a Review Request for Campaign

Endpoint: POST /api/v1/review
Conditions / Recommendations:

The following campaign components like Video profile, Ad Item(s), Keyword(s) are subject to review approval
The video profile's review status is pending and will be reviewed when a review is requested
Review process can take 1-3 days unless we are experiencing heavier than expected load
The review process will provide an approval or rejection outcome for each component added to the campaign

Step 8: Fetch Review State for Campaign (Optional)

We can retrieve the following entities for a sponsored video campaign's Ad Group to understand the review outcome

Entity	Description	Endpoint
Video Profile	Contains the media file and optionally a closed caption file	GET /api/v1/adGroup/media
Review	Comprising of Ad items and Keywords that have been added to the Ad Group and submitted for review	GET /api/v1/review

Step 9: Schedule Campaign to Go Live

A campaign is eligible to go live if its review is complete and:
1. The video profile is approved. Since we support only one video profile for an ad group, the video profile will be enabled by default.
2. At least one Ad Item is approved
3. At least one keyword bid is approved
If the campaign meets the above eligibility criteria, the campaign will auto-schedule and go live on the sponsored video campaign’s start date.
If the campaign does not meet the above criteria, it will not go live, and the campaign status will remain in proposal. You will need to modify the campaign based on the review outcome and resubmit it for another review.

Note: You cannot update the sponsored video profile for live campaigns. To update the sponsored video profile, you will need to pause the campaign, update the profile, get it reviewed, and schedule it once again. Once the review is complete, the campaign can be re-enabled to go live if it is eligible.

Step 10: Cancel Review (Optional)

Endpoint: PUT /api/v1/review
Conditions / Recommendations:

Cancel a review when the reviewStatus is pending or in-progress
When a review is cancelled, the reviewStatus will be changed to cancelled.

Campaign Guidelines

Campaign scenarios and appropriate guidelines are discussed here

Review Status: Pending

Do's	Dont's
Disable an Ad Item or Keyword Update keyword bids, campaign budget, campaign end date Cancel the review	Add/re-enable ad items or keywords Update video profile Submit a second review for the campaign unless the current review is complete

Steps to add/re-enable item/keyword

Cancel the review request
Modify the campaign
Resubmit for review

Campaign Status: Live

Do's		Dont's
Review Required	Review not Required	Dont's
Change in keyword bids Disable a keyword	Add a new Ad Item or Keyword Re-enable an Ad Item or Keyword	Modify or Disable video profile Delete an Ad Item or Keyword

Steps to update video profile in live campaign

Pause the campaign
Make changes to the profile
Submit for review and get approval
Re-enable the profile

Note: Once approved, profile will be paused and updated, the status will switch to pending.

Additional Scenarios

If a campaign review is revised for sponsored video profile such that the sponsored video profile is rejected, the campaign will be paused. A campaign cannot stay live if profile is rejected by AdOps team. If this happens, you need to change the video profile as per guidelines and resubmit it for review.
If you extend an ended campaign, the system will auto-change the status to rescheduled and then to live as per the defined start date for the campaign.
A campaign can be auto scheduled only if it is in proposal state. A paused campaign cannot be auto scheduled.
A campaign can be auto-scheduled if it has a profile with a review status that is approved, in addition to having at least one item and one keyword bid approved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the eligibility criterion for an advertiser to be eligible for Sponsored Video?
A: All 1p advertisers are eligible for Sponsored Video.

Q: Which products are eligible to advertise on Sponsored Brands? Should the items be winning buy-box to be eligible for advertising on Sponsored Brands?
A: Products that are published, in-stock, winning buy box, and are sold online

Q: Do you have any creative guidelines for Sponsored Video advertising?
A: Yes, please refer to creative best practices section here

Q: How do API partners source video asset when creating Sponsored Video campaign?
A: From Suppliers

Q: Is there a cap on the number of items that can be added to a Sponsored Video campaign?
A: No. As there is only one placement, bid multipliers are not available.

Q: How does budget setting work for Sponsored Video campaign? Does it have both daily and total budgets similar to Keyword and Auto campaign?
A: Yes, both total and daily budgets are applicable

Q: What are bid thresholds applicable for Sponsored Video campaign?
A: US$1.50

Q: Are bid multipliers available for Sponsored Video campaign?
A: No, as there is only one placement

Q: What are the different Sponsored Video campaign statuses?
A: Here are applicable workflows for different statuses. Please refer flow diagram in campaign doc for more clarity on statuses for both Sponsored Video and Non-Sponsored Video campaign

New campaign: Enabled>Proposal (set by system)>Enabled>Scheduled (set by system)>Live (set by system)
Pause Live campaign: Live>Paused>Enabled>Rescheduled (set by system)>Live (set by system)
End Live & Extend Completed campaign: Live>Completed>Extend>Rescheduled (set by system)>Live (set by system)

Q: Are closed captions required for Sponsored Video?
A: Closed captions are required for video ads with spoken words

Q: Why is it mandatory to provide closed captions when you create Sponsored Video campaign?
A: Sam’s Club is required to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) policy requirements. Therefore, it is mandated to include a closed caption file associated with video ads with spoken words. Advertisers need to ensure that their sponsored video ads are ADA compliant

Q: What if a closed caption file is not provided by the advertiser for the video campaign?
A: As we have mandated the requirement for closed caption files and we are aware that most advertisers might not have closed caption files available, we developed the automatic closed caption generation functionality. The system will automatically generate closed caption files for your video assets. This functionality is available via API or Self-Serve, once Self-Serve is launched

Q: How to sync Sponsored Video campaign?
A: You can synchronize your sponsored video campaign using the Entity Snapshot API endpoint

Q: What is the recommended duration of a video file?
A: Video can be 5 to 45 seconds long

Q: How many videos are allowed for a campaign?
A: Currently, only one video is allowed per ad group

Q: What are the Measurement metrics available for Sponsored Videos?
A:

Metric	Formatted Name	Definition
videoImpressions	Video Impression	The number of video impressions that met the MRC delivered impression standard, the first frame of the video is rendered.
viewableImpressions	Viewable Impressions	The number of impressions that met the MRC viewability standard, which is 50% viewable with 2 seconds playback completed.
viewThroughRate	View-Through Rate (VTR)	This is calculated by dividing the views by the video impressions.
ctrForViews	Click-Through Rate for Views (vCTR)	This is calculated by dividing the total clicks by the total viewable impression.
viewThroughSales3days	View-Through Attributed Sales 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only, no Other sales.
viewThroughSales14days	View-Through Attributed Sales 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only, no Other sales.
viewThroughSales30days	View-Through Attributed Sales 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only, no Other sales.
viewThroughOrders3days	View-Through Orders 3 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders only, no Other orders.
viewThroughOrders14days	View-Through Orders 14 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders only, no Other orders.
viewThroughOrders30days	View-Through Orders 30 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders only, no Other orders.
viewThroughUnitsSold3days	View-Through Units Sold 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold only, no Other units sold.
viewThroughUnitsSold14days	View-Through Units Sold 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold only, no Other units sold.
viewThroughUnitsSold30days	View-Through Units Sold 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a view of the ad (MRC defined view) for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold only, no Other units sold.
totalCompleteViewAttributedSales3days	Total Complete View Attributed Sales 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 3 days.
totalCompleteViewAttributedSales14days	Total Complete View Attributed Sales 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 14 days.
totalCompleteViewAttributedSales30days	Total Complete View Attributed Sales 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 30 days.
completeViewRevenue3days	Advertised Complete View Attributed Sales 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only.
completeViewRevenue14days	Advertised Complete View Attributed Sales 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only.
completeViewRevenue30days	Advertised Complete View Attributed Sales 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU sales only.
haloCompleteViewRevenue3days	Other Complete View Attributed Sales 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 3 days. Includes Other SKU sales only.
haloCompleteViewRevenue14days	Other Complete View Attributed Sales 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 14 days. Includes Other SKU sales only.
haloCompleteViewRevenue30days	Other Complete View Attributed Sales 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 30 days. Includes Other SKU sales only.
totalCompleteViewOrders3days	Complete View Orders 3 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders and Other SKU orders.
totalCompleteViewOrders14days	Complete View Orders 14 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders and Other SKU orders.
totalCompleteViewOrders30days	Complete View Orders 30 days	This measures the orders that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU orders and Other SKU orders.
totalCompleteViewUnits3days	Complete View Units Sold 3 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 3 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold and Other SKU units sold.
totalCompleteViewUnits14days	Complete View Units Sold 14 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 14 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold and Other SKU units sold.
totalCompleteViewUnits30days	Complete View Units Sold 30 days	This measures the sales that are attributed based on a complete view of the ad for 30 days. Includes Advertised SKU units sold and Other SKU units sold.
videoFirstQuartileViews	Video First Quartile Views	The number of impressions where the video was viewed to 25%.
videoMidpointViews	Video Midpoint Views	The number of impressions where the video was viewed to 50%.
videoThirdQuartileViews	View Third Quartile Views	The number of impressions where the video was viewed to 75%.
videoCompleteViews	Video Complete Views	The number of impressions where the video was viewed to 100%.
videoUnmutes	Video Unmutes	The number of impressions where the customer unmuted the video.
video5SecondViews	5 Second Views	The number of impressions where the customer watched at least 5 seconds of the video.
video5SecondViewRate	5 Second View Rate	The percentage of impressions where the customer watched at least 5 seconds of the video.

Q: Why are these quartile metrics important for analyzing video performance?
A: These quartile metrics provide a detailed view of viewer engagement at different stages of the video. They help identify how well your video holds viewers' attention and where they may lose interest. Understanding these metrics allows you to optimize your content for better engagement and retention.

Q: How can I use videoUnmutes to improve my video content?
A: If videoUnmutes is low, it might indicate that viewers are starting the video without sound, which could suggest the need for more compelling visual content or on-screen text. High videoUnmutes rates suggest that the audio is engaging and potentially critical to the viewer experience.

Q: What should I do if I notice a significant drop-off between video5SecondViews and videoFirstQuartileViews?
A: A significant drop-off might suggest that viewers are losing interest quickly after the initial few seconds. Consider reviewing your video’s introduction to make it more engaging and to better capture the audience’s attention right from the start.

Q: How can these metrics help in content strategy and optimization?
A: By analyzing these metrics, you can identify patterns in viewer engagement and retention. For instance, if many viewers drop off before reaching the videoCompleteViews stage, you may need to adjust the content’s pacing or enhance its relevance to keep viewers engaged throughout.

Q: Where can I find these metrics in my video analytics platform?
A: These metrics are usually available in the analytics or performance report section of your video hosting platform. Look for sections related to viewer engagement or detailed performance metrics.