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Activation templates

Activation templates allow partners to use clean room analysis results to create audience segments for advertising on platforms like social media, programmatic ads, and streaming services.

By running their own queries in the clean room, partners can build custom audiences. These audiences are securely transferred to Instacart's Snowflake account, where they are prepared for use in the partner's targeted advertising campaigns.

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Partners don't have access to or visibility into the activation results. Instacart manages the process, sharing the audience segments with external advertising platforms on the partner's behalf to enable their advertising campaigns.

For information about how Snowflake Clean Room activation works, see Snowflake's Activation Documentation.

The following template is available for activation:

  • Activation Overlap Analysis. Creates an audience based on the matched overlap, or intersection, of an Instacart table and a partner-provided table.

Key features​

Activation templates include the following capabilities:

  • Secure data delivery. Sends audience identifiers safely to Instacart's account for use in partner campaigns.
  • Support for multiple platforms. Allows activation on external platforms approved by Instacart.
  • Encrypted data transfer. Encrypts all activation data securely during transfer following Snowflake's security standards.
  • Pre-configured templates. Uses templates approved and set up by Instacart.

How it works​

Activation templates perform in the following way:

  1. The partner (consumer) runs an activation query using the run_activation API.
  2. The query produces a list of audience identifiers based on the parameters of the given Activation template.
  3. The audience identifiers are encrypted and transferred to Instacart's Snowflake account.
  4. Instacart receives the audience identifiers and uses them to activate audiences on external advertising platforms.

Unlike standard analysis queries that return results to the partner, activation queries send results directly to Instacart's account. Partners don't have visibility into the specific matched identifiers or activation results.

This architecture ensures the following:

  • Individual user privacy is protected through hashing and encryption.
  • Instacart maintains control over the activation process to external platforms.
  • Partners can leverage their customer data for targeted advertising when applicable.

For more information about the technical implementation, see Snowflake's Provider and Consumer Activation Documentation.

When to run the query​

After you complete the activation run, Instacart requires up to 5 business days to process the activation results and enable them at the advertising platform. Make sure you plan ahead and run activation queries at least 5 business days before campaign launch to allow for processing.

Data privacy and security​

Activation templates adhere to the following privacy and security principles:

  • Hashed identifiers only. Any matching partner data occurs on hashed values; raw identifiers are never transmitted.
  • Encrypted transfer. Activation data is encrypted during transfer using Snowflake's native encryption.
  • Approved templates only. Activation is limited to pre-approved templates configured by Instacart.

Segment naming​

  • Establish a naming convention across your team for easier tracking. We recommend the following string structure:

    IC_DCR_YYYYMMDD_META_XX_XXXXXXXX_XXXXXXX

    where:

    • [IC] is the provider. Use Instacart as IC.
    • [DCR] is the clean room-initiated audience.
    • [YYYYMMDD] is the date in YYYYMMDD format.
    • [META] is the enablement platform.
    • [XX] is the partner name/advertiser abbreviation in XX, XXX or XXXX format.
    • [XXXXXXXX_XXXXXXX] is the descriptive name of the audience in a relevant character string.

  • Use clear, descriptive segment names that identify the campaign or audience, such as 'Q4_Holiday_Lapsed_Customers'.

  • Include YYYYMMDD format date in segment names for tracking.

Work with Instacart​

Work with your Instacart representative for the following:

  • Progress monitoring. Check with your Instacart representative on activation status and readiness.
  • Campaign planning. Collaborate with Instacart's team to set clear campaign goals and identify the target audience.
  • Platform selection. Confirm which external platforms will be used to run the campaign.
  • Campaign performance check. Set up regular meetings with Instacart to review how the campaign is performing.
  • Policy compliance. Ensure the campaign aligns with privacy rules and terms of service for all platforms.
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