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Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO): What It Is and When to Use It

A practical guide to modular, data-driven creative — from inputs and platforms to strategy and measurement.

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What Is DCO?

DCO assembles ads from modular components (images, headlines, CTAs) in real time using audience, context, time/location and behaviour signals to personalise at scale.

Why DCO Matters

Personalisation at scale

One template → hundreds of relevant variations without dozens of static assets.

Faster testing

Automated A/Bs & rapid learning cycles.

Relevance & efficiency

Right message, person, and moment improves engagement and conversion.

Omnichannel

Display, video, social, and programmatic with brand consistency.

How DCO Works

  1. Templates built with variable zones.
  2. Rules/logic map segments & signals to content.
  3. Real-time assembly chooses and renders the best variant.
  4. Reporting tracks element-level performance for optimisation.

DCO vs Standard Creative

Asset volume

Standard: many files • DCO: one modular system.

Testing & speed

Standard: slow/manual • DCO: automated, real-time.

Targeting

Standard: broad • DCO: user-level signals.

Cost efficiency

Lower long-term production and faster learning.

Components of a DCO Template

Background visual

Swaps by audience, location, or weather.

Headline slot

Dynamic value props & offers.

CTA button

Text/colour tuned to journey stage.

Logo

Consistent branding across variants.

Dynamic fields

Location, product, time, or offer pulled from feeds.

Types of DCO Inputs

  • Geo (city/region offers).
  • Behaviour (viewed product, cart status).
  • Persona (life-stage, interests).
  • Time/daypart and weather triggers.

Platforms That Support DCO

Adform Creative Studio

Dynamic display/video with built-in analytics.

Google Studio (CM360)

Rich media + deep Google integration.

Meta Advantage+ Creative

Native AI optimisation for FB/IG.

DV360 integrations

Programmatic delivery & bidding.

Others

Teads, Yahoo, Quantcast for specific formats/inventory.

When to Use DCO

  • Multiple segments/locations to personalise.
  • Automated rotation/testing needed.
  • Ongoing campaigns with fatigue risk.
  • Product/catalogue or dynamic inventory.

Executed well, DCO often delivers significant gains in CTR/CPA vs static builds.

When Not to Use DCO

  • Only a few variants required.
  • No clear audience/trigger strategy.
  • Sub-2-week flights (insufficient learning time).
  • No design resource to build templates.

Building a DCO Strategy

  1. Define segments & triggers.
  2. Map decision logic (rules/weights).
  3. Build flexible master templates.
  4. Connect feeds (DMP/CDP/URLs).
  5. Monitor variants and iterate.

Local Use Cases in NZ

Retail

Regional offers (Auckland vs Christchurch), seasonality.

Health

Life-stage messaging by region.

Tertiary

Programme highlights by prospect interest.

Finance

Location-based product variants (e.g., rates, products).

Data & Feed Management

  • Use Sheets/product feeds/CRM exports.
  • Keep fields clean, compliant, and validated.
  • Agree update schedules with vendors/platforms.

Creative Best Practices

  • Design modularly with clear dynamic zones.
  • Limit permutations (start with 3–5 variables).
  • Maintain brand consistency across variants.
  • Prioritise logic to weight proven messages.

Performance Tracking

  • Slice by segment, format/size, headline, placement/context, and time/day.
  • Track delivery (reach, viewability, completion), engagement (CTR, interaction), and conversion (CPA, ROAS, incrementality).
  • Use DV/MOAT/IAS for verification.

Reporting Insights You Can Expect

Headline winners, audience-message pairings, context effects (daypart/weather), device-template fit, creative element attribution, and sequential messaging reads.

Challenges & Watchouts

  • Approval timelines; plan multiple review cycles.
  • Feed integrity and fallbacks.
  • Cross-team alignment (creative, media, data, tech).
  • Platform limitations and measurement complexity.
  • Technical setup for advanced decisioning.

DCO & Privacy

  • Avoid PII; use anonymised segments/context.
  • Comply with NZ Privacy Act 2020; obtain consent where needed.
  • Run periodic privacy audits of logic/feeds.

How KBR Supports DCO

Template design & build

Responsive HTML5 via Adform Creative Studio, animation and interaction.

Audience logic & feeds

Integrations with 1P/3P data, segmentation rules, real-time feeds.

Platform integrations

DSP/CDP connections and API-based workflows.

Testing & monitoring

A/B frameworks, dashboards, and continuous optimisation.

Ready to Launch DCO?

We’ll help you build dynamic creative that scales across audiences, channels, and formats in NZ.