The challenge
A publishing group ran several sites and apps on a legacy ad server that its vendor was winding down. Years of ad units, key-values and line items had built up with little documentation, and nobody knew which setups still served live campaigns.
Our approach
We mapped every ad unit, placement, key-value and targeting rule to a clean Google Ad Manager 360 structure and retired what was unused. Orders were rebuilt in batches, checked in a parallel QA phase, and cut over site by site.
The outcome
The group moved to Google Ad Manager 360 without a break in campaign delivery. The inventory structure is documented, trafficking follows one naming standard, and the in-house team runs day-to-day work from a runbook with AdOps Media on call for harder issues.
The Client and Context
The client was a publishing group running several sites and apps on a legacy ad server that its vendor was winding down. Years of ad units, key-values, line items and targeting rules had built up with little documentation. Nobody was certain which setups still served real campaigns.
The constraints were tight. Sales could not afford paused delivery during the move, and the in-house team was too small to rebuild trafficking while also running the live business. The group needed a clear plan, a trusted rebuild and a cutover advertisers would never notice.
How the Work Was Organized
AdOps Media began with an audit of the old server. Every ad unit, placement, custom key-value and targeting rule was mapped to a clean Google Ad Manager 360 inventory structure, and anything no longer used was retired. Our trafficking team then rebuilt orders and line items in batches, using naming conventions the group could keep. See our ad server migration solution for the general method.
A parallel QA phase ran old and new setups side by side, checking creative rendering, targeting, pacing and reporting. Cutover was done site by site on an agreed schedule, followed by a hypercare period with a named support desk. Our platform implementation and migration service provides this kind of structured transition.
What Changed for the Team
The group moved to Google Ad Manager 360 without a break in campaign delivery. Sales teams kept selling while the rebuild was under way. The new inventory structure is documented and consistent, so new sites and ad units can be added without guesswork.
Trafficking now follows one naming standard and reporting lines up across properties. The in-house team took over day-to-day work with a clear runbook, and kept AdOps Media on call for harder issues and later releases. Teams planning a similar move may also want our guide on signs your team needs managed ad services.
Key takeaways
- Audit and retire unused setups before rebuilding; migrating clutter simply moves old problems into the new system.
- Run old and new systems in parallel during QA, so differences in rendering, targeting and pacing appear before cutover.
- Cut over one site at a time with a support desk ready, which limits the effect of any surprise.
- Document the new structure and naming standard, so the in-house team can keep it clean after the project ends.
A digital media group moved off a legacy ad server to Google Ad Manager 360 without pausing live campaigns.