How the math stays CPM-neutral

AffordX shifts impression distribution without inflating costs—here's how the bid strategy balances.

The core principle

Suppression + emphasis = neutral net CPM

When you suppress low-fit deciles (e.g., 0.4x multiplier on deciles 1-3), you reduce impression volume and spend in those buckets.

When you emphasize high-fit deciles (e.g., 1.5x multiplier on deciles 8-10), you increase spend—but only on a smaller, higher-fit pool.

The math is designed so the savings from suppression roughly offset the increased spend from emphasis, keeping your net CPM flat.

Example walkthrough

Before AffordX

  • 100,000 impressions evenly distributed across deciles
  • $5 baseline CPM
  • Total spend: $500
  • Conversion rate: 2%
  • Total conversions: 2,000

After AffordX

  • 60,000 impressions (shifted toward high-fit deciles)
  • $5.00 net CPM (same as baseline)
  • Total spend: $300 (lower due to suppression)
  • Conversion rate: 3.3% (higher due to better fit)
  • Total conversions: 2,000 (same or better)
Key insight: You get the same or more conversions with less spend—because you're avoiding wasted impressions.

How bid multipliers work

Suppression (0.4x)

Applied to deciles 1-3 (low fit). Reduces CPM bid by 60%, which pushes most of those impressions out of the buy.

Effect: Saves spend on low-converting audiences.

Neutral (1.0x)

Applied to deciles 4-7 (moderate fit). No change to baseline CPM—these impressions stay in the mix.

Effect: Maintains campaign pacing and scale.

Emphasis (1.5x)

Applied to deciles 8-10 (high fit). Increases CPM bid by 50%, which shifts more impressions toward these audiences.

Effect: Allocates more spend to high-converting audiences.

Why this matters for traders

Pacing + performance

Most bid optimization strategies either (a) inflate CPM to chase high-intent users, or (b) suppress so aggressively that the campaign under-delivers.

AffordX is designed to shift distribution while preserving pacing—so you hit your flight goals without overspending or under-delivering.

Practical impact: You can pilot AffordX without re-forecasting budgets or adjusting flight dates.

Technical details

Multiplier tuning

Default multipliers (0.4x, 1.0x, 1.5x) are tuned to balance suppression and emphasis for most use cases.

You can adjust these—e.g., use 0.2x for more aggressive suppression—but the default config is CPM-neutral by design.

DSP integration

Multipliers are applied as a bid adjustment layer in your DSP (e.g., The Trade Desk, DV360).

AffordX provides the decile assignments; you control the execution logic.

Ready to try it?

Generate a plan and see how AffordX shifts distribution without inflating CPM.