As you probably know, the email landscape has changed drastically in the past 9 months. With 80% of emails now being filtered through proxies, the signals we used to depend on to gauge performance aren’t as reliable as they once were. Open rates and impressions–once the gold standards for email ad performance–have now been skewed by changes made to protect user privacy.
But change is also an opportunity for innovation, and that’s something we’re pretty keen on around here.
That’s why we’ve launched a new Ad Cache feature for our AdServe product that ensures greater accuracy in ad rendering and reporting, along with the flexibility and control GAM-based publishers need. This new service not only enhances advertiser satisfaction but also delivers a seamless experience for the user.
Here’s how it works.
To ensure accurate delivery and metrics, Jeeng automatically locks in the ad served in every email based on the first load of that email. If a user opens that same email again on any device, the same ad will appear for that user across all devices for 24 hours. After that default period from the first load, AdServer refreshes the content if a new ad is available, pulling directly from GAM inventory, as usual).
But for publishers who want more control and granularity in ad delivery settings, we also offer custom Ad Cache settings.** That means you can adjust the cache time period at the account, email or even container level. Want 24 hour caching at the account level, but 8 hours for a specific newsletter? No problem. Need 8-hour caching for the newsletter, but zero caching for real-time refresh in specific containers? You got it.
Why the change?
Like most publishers, you’ve probably seen email open rates skyrocket since September 2021. That’s because recent changes to Apple Privacy and Apple Proxy for Apple Mail have caused an upswing in “phantom” opens, impressions and CTRs as a result of Apple’s pre-load and caching of email images and links. For example, when an iPhone user with Apple Privacy enabled leaves their phone charging and on WiFi, Apple pre-loads the content of emails in their inbox autonomously, without the user even opening Apple Mail or taking any action to load their email.
This new process not only skews CTR and open rates much higher (creating “phantom” opens, impressions and CTR), but it also means Apple does not reliably refresh those cached images and ads upon open by a real human user. Because Jeeng typically refreshes the ad at EVERY load, Apple Privacy doesn’t respect the new load and serves up the older ad image. That creates a mismatch between what you intended to deliver and what the user actually sees: if they click the “old” ad image from the cache, the link has already been updated, directing them to the landing page of the new ad.
No bueno.
The new Ad Cache feature solves that problem by keeping the ad image and link static for 24 hours by default or whatever parameter you choose to set.
**One caveat: Lowering the cache window could lead to that mismatch between the ad image and the landing page link, so this is only advised to support specific use cases.
Let’s take a look at a real-world example.
Your subscriber, Daniel, has an iPhone with Apple privacy enabled and leaves his device plugged in overnight and connected to WiFi. Daniel uses the Apple Mail app on his iPhone but also views his emails on Gmail in the Chrome browser on his laptop, plus has an iPad he uses occasionally (also with Apple Privacy enabled).
Your Super Cool Newsletter goes out daily at 6AM to all users. Daniel’s Apple device loads the content of that email at 6:05 AM, but Daniel has yet to see the content. Jeeng serves a direct sold ad as defined by your GAM account to Daniel at 6:05AM, and ad is cached for 24 hours.
At 8:30 AM, when Daniel opens Apple Mail and reads the Super Cool Newsletter, he sees the ad that loaded at 6:05AM. At 9:30 AM when he opens the same newsletter in Gmail using Chrome, he sees the same ad. And again at 10:00 PM when he opens the same email on his iPad.
Jeeng has cached the ad experience across devices for Daniel.
At 7AM the NEXT day, Daniel opens the same email. But this time, Jeeng looks for new ad creative based on your GAM settings and if it’s there, Daniel sees the new ad now and for the next 24 hours.
Technical Note: If you send emails to the same list multiple times a day, Ad Caching requires that your Jeeng ad tags include a Send ID so that we can distinguish between a new send and a reload of the same email. If you’re unsure if Send IDs are included in your tags or need help configuring them, please contact support@jeeng.com.
Innovation to Drive Your Success
At Jeeng, we know that accurate ad delivery and accurate metrics to gauge email and ad campaign performance are essential for your business. And advertiser and user satisfaction are paramount for driving engagement and growth.
That’s why we’re committed to delivering innovations that keep your email monetization programs running smoothly and seamlessly to maximize performance in the face of ever-changing technical challenges.
For questions about the new Ad Cache feature or to discuss any specific adjustments to the default setting you may need, make an appointment now to talk with your Customer Success Manager. Your success is our #1 priority and we’re here to help!
