Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone who wants to understand the core concepts in order to use A2 effectively. It explains key terms such as accounts, placements, campaigns, and allocations.Concept map
The core concepts in A2 are connected as follows.Accounts and roles
A2 has three account types, each with different permissions and capabilities.Admin
The top-level permission that manages the entire platform. What you can do:- Create and manage retailer and advertiser accounts
- Allocate budget to each account
- Configure system settings (payment integration, notifications, permissions, etc.)
- Monitor overall platform performance
- View activity logs
Retailer
A media owner that owns and provides ad placements such as shopping malls, communities, websites, and apps. What you can do:- Create and configure spaces for ads (placements)
- Build placement catalogs (bundle multiple placements together)
- Approve or reject allocation requests
- Connect external ad sources
- Analyze ad revenue per placement and in aggregate, and view reports
Advertiser
A brand, product seller, or similar party that runs ads. What you can do:- Create and manage ad campaigns
- Upload and manage ad creatives (images, videos, etc.)
- Request allocations (request that ads appear on desired placements)
- Analyze campaign performance (ad impressions, clicks, sales, etc.)
- Configure targeting (define who sees the ads)
Placement
A placement is the location where an ad is displayed. It is an area a retailer designates on its service to show ads, saying “this is where ads will go.”Placement examples
- Banner at the top of the main page
- Middle of a product listing page
- Top of search results
- Bottom of a product detail page
- Side area of the cart page
Placement settings
→ Learn more: Placement guide
Placement Catalog
A unit for bundling multiple placements into a single product to sell to and manage for advertisers. It is useful when offering placements to advertisers as a package. Example: a “main banner + middle of product listing + bottom of detail page” package → Learn more: Placement Catalog guideCampaign
A campaign is the unit of advertising activity. It is an ad project an advertiser creates to achieve a specific goal. A campaign defines “to whom (Targeting)”, “what (Creative)”, and “how much (Budget)” to show.Campaign examples
- Summer new-arrivals promotion
- Brand awareness campaign
- Seasonal sale event
- Promotion for a newly onboarded brand
Campaign settings
Goal: Select the main purpose of the campaign. The billing model depends on the goal.
Budget: The total amount to spend on this campaign. Ads stop serving once the budget is exhausted.
Period: The campaign start and end dates. Ads are not served outside this period.
Targeting: Set conditions for which users see the ads.
- User attributes (age, gender, etc.)
- Behavior-based (recently viewed products, past purchase history, etc.)
- Time of day (serve only on specific days or hours, etc.)
Creative
A creative is the actual ad content that is displayed: the images, videos, text, and so on that users see.Creative examples
- Video
- Native
Creative status
You can register multiple creatives in a single campaign. A2 analyzes performance data and automatically prioritizes the creatives predicted to perform better.
→ Learn more: Creative types guide
Allocation
An allocation links a campaign to a placement. It is the setting that says “show this campaign’s ads on that placement.”Allocation process
- Request: The advertiser requests that a campaign be allocated to the desired placement.
- Review: The retailer checks the creatives and campaign details.
- Approve/Reject: The retailer approves or rejects the allocation.
- Serve: Ads for an approved allocation start serving immediately.
Allocation status
Allocation settings
→ Learn more: Allocation request guide, Allocation review guide