Pontiac Intelligence DSP

Run programmatic advertising campaigns across Display, Video, Connected TV (CTV), Audio, Native, and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) channels. Pontiac is a self-serve demand-side platform (DSP) with no campaign minimums — ideal for SMBs ready to scale beyond social platforms.

What It Does

Pontiac Intelligence DSP integration enables:

• Multi-channel programmatic ads: Display, video, CTV, audio, native, and DOOH from one platform
• First-party audience syncing: Create audience segments from your ILLIXIS retargeting audiences
• 350,000+ third-party segments: Access behavioral, demographic, and intent data
• Creative upload: Push banner ads and video creatives directly from ILLIXIS
• Conversion tracking: Place pixels to track purchases, leads, and other conversions
• No minimums: Unlike enterprise DSPs, Pontiac has no campaign spending floors

Prerequisites

Before connecting Pontiac:

1. Pontiac account: Sign up at pontiac.media
2. API credentials: Request API username and password from Pontiac support
3. Existing ILLIXIS audiences: Create retargeting audiences to sync
4. Creatives ready: Banner images or video files for campaigns

Connecting Pontiac

Step 1: Navigate to Integrations

1. Go to Settings → Integrations
2. Scroll to the Advertising Platforms section
3. Find the Pontiac Intelligence card

Step 2: Enter API Credentials

1. Click "Connect" on the Pontiac card
2. Enter your Pontiac API username
3. Enter your Pontiac API password
4. Click "Authenticate"

ILLIXIS will authenticate with Pontiac's API and store a secure token for subsequent requests.

Step 3: Create or Select Advertiser

After authentication:

1. If you have existing advertisers, select one from the dropdown
2. Or click "Create New Advertiser" and enter your business name
3. Click "Confirm Selection"

The advertiser ID is required before creating campaigns or uploading creatives.

Step 4: Verify Connection

After setup:

1. Return to Settings → Integrations
2. The Pontiac card should show "Connected" with a green badge
3. Your advertiser name appears below the connection status

Syncing Audiences

One-Click Sync from Audience Detail

1. Go to Advertising → click on any audience
2. In the sidebar, find the Pontiac card
3. Click "Sync to Pontiac"
4. Wait for sync to complete (usually 5-15 seconds)
5. Once synced, the card shows:

• Segment ID in Pontiac
• Pixel URL for website embedding
• Sync timestamp

Understanding the Pixel URL

When you sync an audience, Pontiac returns a segment pixel URL:

```html

```

Place this pixel on your website pages to add visitors to the audience segment. Visitors who load pages with this pixel are added to your Pontiac audience and can be targeted with ads.

Sync Status Indicators

| Status | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Not synced | Audience not yet sent to Pontiac |
| Syncing | Sync in progress |
| Synced | Successfully created in Pontiac |
| Error | Sync failed (see error message) |

Advertising Channels

Pontiac supports 6 programmatic channels:

| Channel | Description | Typical CPM |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| Display | Banner ads on websites and apps | $2-8 |
| Video | Pre-roll, mid-roll, and outstream video | $10-25 |
| CTV | Connected TV streaming apps (Roku, Fire TV, etc.) | $20-40 |
| Audio | Podcast and streaming audio platforms | $8-15 |
| Native | Ads that match platform content style | $5-12 |
| DOOH | Digital billboards and out-of-home screens | $15-30 |

Note: CPMs vary based on targeting, inventory quality, and competition.

Creating Campaigns (Line Items)

Campaigns in Pontiac are called "Line Items." ILLIXIS can create line items for you:

From Advertising

1. Go to Advertising → Prospecting or Retargeting tab
2. Click "New Campaign" → select "Pontiac DSP"
3. Configure your campaign:

• Name: Campaign identifier
• Budget: Total budget in dollars
• Start/End Dates: Campaign flight dates
• Channels: Select display, video, CTV, audio, native, or DOOH
• Bid Type: CPM (per 1,000 impressions), CPC, or CPA
• Bid Amount: Your bid in dollars

4. Select Targeting:

• Your synced ILLIXIS audiences
• Third-party segments from Pontiac's library
• Geographic targeting (countries, states, zip codes)

5. Attach Creatives (upload or select existing)
6. Click "Create Campaign"

Third-Party Audience Segments

Pontiac provides access to 350,000+ third-party segments from data providers:

Browsing Segments

1. Go to Advertising → Audiences → Third-Party Segments
2. Search by keyword (e.g., "car buyers," "fitness enthusiasts")
3. Filter by category:

• Behavioral: Based on browsing and purchase behavior
• Demographic: Age, income, education, household
• Intent: In-market signals for specific products/services
• Contextual: Content categories being consumed

Using Third-Party Segments

1. When creating a Pontiac campaign, click "Add Third-Party Segments"
2. Search and select relevant segments
3. Segments are added to your targeting (may incur additional CPM costs)

Creative Upload

Uploading Display Creatives

1. Go to Advertising → Creatives → Upload
2. Select Pontiac as the destination
3. Upload your banner image (JPG, PNG, or GIF)
4. Enter:

• Creative name: Identifier
• Click URL: Landing page destination
• Dimensions: Width × Height (auto-detected from image)

5. Click "Upload to Pontiac"

Supported Creative Sizes

| Size | Use Case |
|------|----------|
| 300×250 | Medium rectangle (most common) |
| 728×90 | Leaderboard |
| 160×600 | Wide skyscraper |
| 300×600 | Half-page |
| 320×50 | Mobile leaderboard |
| 300×50 | Mobile banner |

Video Creatives

For video campaigns, upload:

• MP4 format recommended
• 15-30 seconds for pre-roll
• 6 seconds for bumper ads
• 720p or 1080p resolution

Conversion Tracking

Track conversions to measure campaign effectiveness:

Creating a Conversion Pixel

1. Go to Advertising → Pixels → Create Conversion Pixel
2. Select Pontiac as the platform
3. Enter:

• Pixel name: e.g., "Purchase Confirmation"
• Conversion type: Purchase, Lead, Signup, Add to Cart

4. Click "Create Pixel"

Installing the Pixel

Place the conversion pixel on your thank-you page or confirmation page:

```html

```

When a user who saw your ad loads this page, the conversion is attributed to your campaign.

Reporting & Metrics

Available Metrics

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Impressions | Number of ad views |
| Clicks | Number of clicks |
| CTR | Click-through rate |
| Spend | Amount spent |
| CPM | Cost per 1,000 impressions |
| CPC | Cost per click |
| Conversions | Tracked conversion events |
| CPA | Cost per conversion |

Viewing Reports

1. Go to Advertising → Pontiac Campaigns
2. Click any campaign to view detailed metrics
3. Use date range picker to filter by period
4. Export reports as CSV for further analysis

Automation Schedule

| Task | Schedule | Description |
|------|----------|-------------|
| Token refresh | Automatic | JWT tokens refresh before 1-hour expiration |
| Audience sync | On-demand | Triggered manually per audience |
| Metrics refresh | Every 6 hours | Campaign performance data updated |

Troubleshooting

"Pontiac not connected"

Cause: Connection expired or credentials changed. Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations
2. Click "Reconnect" on the Pontiac card
3. Re-enter your API credentials

"No advertiser ID configured"

Cause: Advertiser wasn't created or selected during setup. Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Pontiac
2. Click "Configure Advertiser"
3. Create new or select existing advertiser

"Rate limit exceeded"

Cause: Too many API requests in a short period. Fix:

1. Wait the time indicated in the error message
2. Avoid bulk operations during peak hours
3. Contact Pontiac support if persistent

"Creative upload failed"

Cause: Image format, size, or dimensions not accepted. Fix:

1. Verify image is JPG, PNG, or GIF
2. Check file size is under 150KB for display ads
3. Ensure dimensions match standard IAB sizes

"Authentication failed"

Cause: Invalid API credentials. Fix:

1. Verify your Pontiac username and password
2. Contact Pontiac support to confirm API access is enabled
3. Check if your account is active

Pontiac vs. Other Platforms

| Feature | Pontiac DSP | Meta Ads | Google Display |
|---------|-------------|----------|----------------|
| Campaign minimums | None | None | None |
| CTV inventory | Yes | No | Limited |
| Audio inventory | Yes | No | No |
| DOOH inventory | Yes | No | No |
| Third-party data | 350K+ segments | Limited | Limited |
| First-party audiences | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-serve | Yes | Yes | Yes |

When to use Pontiac:

• You want CTV, audio, or DOOH advertising
• You need access to premium third-party data segments
• You want true programmatic buying across the open web
• You've maxed out social platforms and need new channels

Related Features

• Retargeting Audiences — Create audiences from GA4 visitor data
• Advertising — Central hub for all ad platform management
• Lookalike Audiences — Build expansion audiences
• Visual Ad Builder — Create banner ads in ILLIXIS
• Roku CTV — Another CTV advertising option
• Spotify Ads — Audio advertising integration

FAQ

Q: What's the minimum budget for Pontiac campaigns? There's no minimum. You can start with as little as $1/day, though we recommend at least $25-50/day for meaningful results.

Q: How long does it take for audience segments to populate? First-party segments are created instantly. User population happens as visitors hit pages with your segment pixel. Third-party segments are immediately available.

Q: Can I target specific publishers or apps? Yes. Pontiac supports allowlist and blocklist targeting. Contact Pontiac support for premium publisher deals.

Q: What's the difference between a Segment and a Conversion Pixel? Segments build audiences (add users for later targeting). Conversion pixels track actions (measure campaign success). Use both for full-funnel tracking.

Q: Does Pontiac work with cookie deprecation? Pontiac supports multiple identity solutions including LiveRamp, UID2, and contextual targeting that don't rely on third-party cookies.

Q: Can I run ads on specific CTV apps? Yes. Pontiac has direct integrations with major CTV publishers including Roku, Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, and others. Specify app targeting in campaign setup.