Preview dynamic creatives

To preview every iteration of your dynamic creative, go to the Preview step of the Dynamic Content tab.

Previewing in Dynamic Content is different from previewing in the Creatives tab. The Preview in the Creatives tab shows you only the creative template and any testing values used in the assets. The Preview in Dynamic Content shows the content from your dynamic feed. You can also use this dynamic preview to test different values in profile fields if you're using them.

Preview a dynamic creative

You can choose which feed rows to preview by selecting filtering values from your dynamic profile. You can also use these filtering options to create groups of previews for each creative concept in your campaign. After filtering, you can add a group of previews to a preview sheet to organize and share them for review.

When you need to preview creatives using hundreds of combinations of dynamic filtering values, you may find it easier to import a custom preview sheet.

Preview dynamic creative variants

When you first open the preview, it will be blank until you add filters. You can filter based on the rules in your dynamic profile or you can filter using feed row IDs, formerly called "forced preview".

1. To show or hide creatives in the preview, use the Creative filter.
   • To show creatives, check the checkbox next to the creative name.
   • To hide creatives, uncheck the checkbox next to the creative name.
2. Choose a preview type:
   • To preview using the filtering rules you set up in your profile, select filter by dynamic criteria.
   • To ignore your filtering rules and force a preview of a specific row ID, select filter by feed row ID.
3. Select values for each filter to preview the creative content for the matching rules. If you choose filter by feed row ID, select the feed row ID to preview. 
   • If the feeds in your profile have more than 10,000 rows, dynamic preview filters do not include autocomplete feed values. Instead, type the first 3 or more characters of a value to search. The feed values matching your search will appear in the drop-down.
   • You'll also need to enter full values if:
     • Values are less than 3 characters, for example, country codes
     • Values are dynamic targeting keys (Note: you can separate multiple targeting keys using commas)
4. Click Apply to preview the matching creative content.
5. Each creative in the preview sheet includes 2 options:
   1. Refresh : Replay a creative's animation.
   2. Information : View details about the creative.

Filter by dynamic criteria

When you want to preview creative variants using the filtering rules you set up in your profile, filter by dynamic criteria.

1. The filterable columns from your feed appear as menus you'll use as preview filters. For each field, select a feed value from each of the drop-downs to preview creative content.
2. To preview the creatives matching your filters, click Apply. The preview updates to show the creative variations that match your filter selections. If the filters don't match a feed row, you'll see either your defined default creative or an error. Change or remove filters to match the creative variation you want to preview.

Example

If the feed uses Campaign Manager 360 ID filtering based on Campaign Manager 360 placement IDs, you'll find a menu connected to the Placement ID column in your feed. Use this menu to select a placement ID and preview that placement's matching creative content.

Filter by feed row ID

When you want to preview a particular feed row without using filtering rules, filter by feed row ID.

1. Select a value from the unique ID column in your feed using the menu. The matching creative content appears in the preview. 
2. If your feed is large, you may need to type the first few characters or copy and paste the feed row ID.

For complex feeds in draft mode, avoid filtering by feed row ID. Filter by dynamic criteria instead. Complex feeds use multiple filtering strategies like dependent selection, proximity targeting, and date scheduling.

With date scheduling, first draft previews are filtered by feed row ID, then the preview is filtered by date. If the selected feed row ID is within the date range, the feed row is shown. If the selected feed row ID is not within the date range, a random feed row is shown. This only happens in draft mode. After the feed and profile are published, filtering by feed row ID will show the correct row.

Preview with dependent (parent and child) feeds

Child feed values are only selectable after you enter the associated parent value. If you enter a value for a parent that's not in the parent feed, the preview will still attempt to show results for the value you entered, but the child feed values will not match.

After you select a parent and child value, parent fields will turn gray to indicate the selected child value depends on that parent. Clear the selected child value to choose another parent value.

Example

Let's say "New York" is a geographic value in the parent feed, but you enter "New York State" instead. You'll still see previews for the New York area, however, the values in drop-downs from dependent feeds will not match. Enter precise parent feed values to see the correct child feed values.

Preview with Campaign Manager 360 dynamic targeting keys

If your profile uses Campaign Manager 360 dynamic targeting key filtering, you can add more than one targeting key in the "CM dynamic targeting key" field and separate each key with a comma. Searches for more than one key will use "OR" logic, which means the resulting previews will match one or more keys.