TTD Platform Fundamentals and Advertiser Onboarding
Domain 1: TTD Platform Fundamentals and Advertiser Onboarding
This domain tests how The Trade Desk (TTD) account structure, user roles, and advertiser onboarding work before any campaign goes live. Expect questions on object hierarchy, permissions, and the setup data that later drives targeting, bidding, and reporting.
Core rules and concepts
- The hierarchy is Advertiser → Campaign → Ad Group → Creative. Campaign owns budget, flight, and pacing; Ad Group owns bid, targeting, creative, frequency, daypart, and deal selection.
- Onboarding starts with a signed insertion order and seat provisioning. Create one advertiser per brand/region where reporting and permissions require separation; avoid duplicate advertisers.
- Required setup: conversion pixel or server-to-server event, data connections (first-party, third-party, UID2), brand assets, creative approval, and billing.
- Time zone and currency are fixed at advertiser creation for reporting; changing them later requires a new advertiser.
Worked example
Agency X onboards Brand Y for US and Canada. They create two advertisers because currency (USD/CAD) and reporting time zones differ. They place the conversion pixel on the order-confirmation page, map UID2, upload creatives, then build campaigns and Ad Groups. If they had used one advertiser, Canada spend would report in USD and the time zone would misalign daily pacing. Reasoning: separate advertisers protect reporting integrity and permissions.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the Ad Group as budget owner; budget belongs to the Campaign.
- Onboarding creatives before the pixel, then launching without conversion data.
- Using a test advertiser for live spend, which pollutes reporting.
- Forgetting that user roles are seat-level and can restrict advertiser visibility.