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Overview

Set up Google Publisher Provided Signals (PPS) to pass Standard Contextual Cohorts into the Ad Exchange auction. This enables programmatic buyers to target your contextual inventory using standardized IAB categories.
Prerequisites:
  • Standard Contextual Cohorts enabled and activated to Google Ad Manager
  • Google Ad Manager account with AdX enabled
  • GAM integration configured in Permutive with appropriate API permissions
  • The prmtvctx key configured in GAM key-value targeting

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Understanding PPS

Publisher Provided Signals (PPS) is a Google Ad Manager feature that allows publishers to pass first-party contextual signals into the open auction. By mapping your Standard Contextual Cohorts to PPS, you enable buyers to bid more intelligently on contextually-enriched inventory.
PPS uses standardized taxonomies: Google PPS requires standardized taxonomies to ensure consistent targeting across publishers. Standard Contextual Cohorts based on IAB Content Taxonomy 2.0 are specifically designed for this use case.

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Steps

1

Ensure Standard Contextual Cohorts are activated to GAM

Before setting up PPS, verify that your Standard Contextual Cohorts are activated to Google Ad Manager in the Permutive Dashboard. Navigate to Contextual and confirm activation status.
2

Contact Technical Services

PPS mapping file generation is typically handled by Technical Services. Reach out to them to request PPS setup for your workspace.
3

Generate the PPS mapping file

Technical Services will generate a CSV mapping file that connects your Permutive Standard Contextual Cohort codes to the Google PPS taxonomy. This file maps the prmtvctx key-value pairs to PPS categories.
Sensitive categories are filtered: Google automatically excludes certain sensitive categories from PPS (e.g., war/conflicts, medical health, religion, politics). The mapping tool filters these categories automatically.
4

Upload the mapping file to Google Ad Manager

Once you receive the PPS mapping CSV file:
  1. Log into Google Ad Manager
  2. Navigate to Admin > PPS Taxonomy
  3. Upload the CSV mapping file
  4. Verify that the mapping is active
5

Enable PPS in your ad units

In Google Ad Manager, enable PPS on the relevant ad units or inventory where you want to pass contextual signals to buyers.
6

Verify PPS is working

Test that PPS values are being passed correctly:
  • Use the Google Publisher Console to inspect ad requests
  • Verify that prmtvctx key-value pairs appear in the auction
  • Check that PPS taxonomy IDs are included in the bid request

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PPS Mapping File Structure

The PPS mapping CSV file contains:
ColumnDescription
KeyThe GAM key-value targeting key (typically prmtvctx)
ValueYour Permutive cohort code (e.g., IAB1-1, IAB12-3)
PPS Taxonomy IDThe corresponding Google PPS taxonomy ID
Category NameHuman-readable category name (e.g., “Sports > Football”)
Incremental updates: If new Standard Contextual Cohorts are added to your workspace (e.g., when your classification provider adds new categories), you may need to regenerate and re-upload the PPS mapping file to ensure complete coverage.

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Measuring PPS Impact

After PPS is live, measure its impact on your revenue:
  1. Run PPS lift reports in GAM: Compare PPS-tagged inventory against open AdX baseline
  2. Calculate eCPM delta: Measure the incremental value of PPS-enriched impressions
  3. Analyze by category: Identify which contextual categories drive the highest premiums
Allow time for optimization: Buyers need time to adjust their bidding strategies to incorporate PPS signals. Allow at least 2-4 weeks before evaluating PPS impact.

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Troubleshooting

For troubleshooting PPS mapping issues such as mapping file generation failures or categories rejected by Google, see Standard Contextual Cohorts — Troubleshooting.
Cause: PPS may not be enabled on your ad units, or there’s a delay in the mapping being applied.Solution:
  • Verify PPS is enabled on your ad units in Google Ad Manager
  • Check that the mapping file was successfully uploaded
  • Allow up to 24 hours for mapping changes to propagate
  • Use Google Publisher Console to debug bid requests

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Next Steps

Google Ad Manager Integration

View full GAM integration documentation

Activating Standard Contextual Cohorts

Learn more about cohort activation

Back to Standard Contextual Cohorts

Return to product overview