About Manage Inventory

Only available in Google Ad Manager 360.

 

Multiple Customer Management (MCM) "Manage Inventory" delegation type gives parent publishers access to ad requests that the child publisher has delegated to the parent account.

To monetize non-O&O (owned and operated) inventory in Ad Manager, you have to use MCM. This requirement is outlined in sections 1.5 and 1.6 of the Google Ad Manager Partner Guidelines, which cover third-party inventory and MCM policies. This clause is applicable at all times, and is not specific to one transaction type or another.

With MCM Manage Inventory, parent publishers can manage third-party child inventory directly within their own account by using the Ad units, orders, and line items. This feature helps manage multiple child publishers in one place, as parent publishers can apply Ad units, line items, and programmatic setup to multiple children.

MCM Manage Inventory requires both parent and child publishers to have their own Ad Manager networks. For children, this requirement lets Google identify child publishers and validate that their application meets Google policies. No trafficking or ad serving needs to happen in the child network. For this delegation type, parent publishers only have access to the delegated inventory within the parent account, not to the child account.

Partner with a trusted expert

We have a list of Google Certified Publishing Partners who can help publishers manage their Google Ad Manager account. They’ll help with everything from growing ad revenue to strategizing across many areas, including setup, optimization, and maintenance. Learn more about the services they provide and find the right partner for you.

Get started with MCM Manage Inventory 

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Get started for parent publishers

1. Contact your account manager to activate MCM for your network.
2. Invite one or more child publishers.
   Important: Before sending the invitation, ask your child publisher if they have an existing Ad Manager, AdSense, or AdMob account. If they do, the email address you send the invitation to must have Admin access in the account to accept the invitation.
3. Add child sites.
4. Ask your child to complete retagging.

If a parent publisher is granted "Manage Inventory" access, the parent publisher will manage all ad requests directly from their account. All settings are in the parent account, with no visibility to the child publisher.

Get started for child publishers

As part of the invitation process, all MCM children without an Ad Manager account will be asked to create one. Child publishers must work with their parent publisher to initiate this process and complete the necessary steps. However, child publishers don’t have to use their new Ad Manager account for ad serving or monetization. With MCM Manage Inventory, child publishers can continue to authorize parent partners to monetize their inventory as usual.

With an Ad Manager account, child publishers will go through a review process consistent with requirements for other Google publisher products. By carefully vetting child publisher applications, Google ensures a more secure and transparent ecosystem for both parent and child publishers.

Child publishers should complete the following steps:

1. Accept an invitation from your parent publisher.
   Important:

   Be sure to provide the correct email address to your parent publisher. Otherwise, your account might be disapproved as a Duplicate account.

   If you have an existing AdSense, AdMob, or Ad Manager account, and:
   • You received the invitation at an email address associated with that account, accept the invitation.
   • You received the invitation at an email address not associated with that account, follow the appropriate step in the table:

     If you have...	Do this step:
     An existing Ad Manager account	Add the email address as a user to your Ad Manager account. Under "Access and Authorization", be sure to include the permission for "Edit users, roles, and teams."
     An existing AdMob or AdSense account (including through the YouTube Partner Program), but not an Ad Manager account	Your parent must send the invitation to the email address of an Admin user in that account. To use a different email address, add that email address as an Admin user in your existing account.  Learn how to add account users in AdSense or AdMob.

2. Tag sites and applications with the Ad Manager tags from the parent publisher's account. 

General policy compliance

With Manage Inventory, ad requests are made via the parent publisher's network. Therefore, privacy configuration should be made in the parent publisher's network. Use Ad Manager's tools to comply with this policy.

Restricted categories, such as alcohol and gambling, are also configured in the parent publisher's network. For details, visit Allow restricted categories. 

EU User Consent Policy compliance

The EU User Consent Policy applies to all inventory. The parent and child publisher must ensure that personalized ads are only provided after a user provides consent. 

FAQ

What if my account was disapproved as a duplicate account?

Ad Manager policies allow only one account per publisher. Child publishers need an approved account for the parents to help with monetization. Disapproved accounts can’t monetize in MCM.

An account is disapproved as a duplicate if you have an existing AdSense, AdMob, or Ad Manager account, but received the parent's invitation at an email address not associated with that account.

If you have a duplicate account

You can either close the account or use the existing account for Ad Manager. In both cases, you have to resubmit your account for approval.

To resubmit your account for approval:

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Under "You have a duplicate account," select an option:
   • I confirm I have closed my duplicate account
     Note: Before selecting this option, make sure you close your other account. For instructions to close accounts, visit Close your AdSense account or Close your AdMob account.
   • I’d like to use sample@emailaddress for Ad Manager
     If you select this option, enter the email address of your existing AdSense or AdMob account to resend the parent's invitation to that address.
3. Click Submit.

If you don’t have a duplicate account

If you don’t have a duplicate account and believe your account should have been approved, contact your parent publisher. 

How can child publishers appeal disapproved accounts?

To appeal a disapproved account, complete the appropriate form:

• If your account was disabled for violations of our program policies, complete the Policy violation appeal form.
• If your account was disabled by the Google Ad Traffic Quality team, complete the Invalid traffic appeal form.

We reserve the right to disable an account for violations of program policies. 

Note: Due to COVID-19, we are restructuring our support team. Because of our temporarily limited capacity, waiting times can be longer. We appreciate your patience and support. We are working around the clock to solve these challenges.

Where can I find reporting data for Manage Inventory traffic?

Reporting data for "Manage Inventory" traffic is available in the parent network, not in the child network.

Why is there a discrepancy between Ad Manager reports and MCM payments?

Various factors, such as times zones and date ranges, can affect reporting outcomes. For the most accurate data on MCM payments, parents should check the "Payments" tab in Ad Manager:

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Admin, and then MCM.
3. On the "Payments" tab, review the payment data.

Learn more about estimated versus finalized revenue.

Can I view a payment breakdown by Ad Exchange product?

Yes. For each child publisher, you can review a breakdown of payments for the following Ad Exchange products: Content, Content Applications, Games, Guaranteed Deals, Preferred Deals, and Video.

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Admin, and then Multiple Customer Management.
3. Next to the name of a child publisher, click Expand .
4. Under "Product type," locate the Ad Exchange product you want to review.
5. Review the payments breakdown for the following data:
   • Total payments
   • Payment to parent
   • Payment to child
   • Deductions