What is a merged object?
A merged object is a system error that happens when the platform combines two or more separate elements, such as a campaign, budget, ad group, etc. This can result in duplicated spend and pacing errors that require additional Fluency support.
What causes objects to merge?
Objects primarily merge when Fluency detects duplicated campaign names. The name of an element is its unique identifier, and having two elements with the same name within a single account combines them into one. Prevent merged objects by ensuring that campaign names are not the same within a single account.
Multi-level merges
A merge can occur at multiple levels if campaign names are identical. If two campaigns merge, their budgets merge, too. Campaigns, budgets, ad groups, and creatives can all merge if they have identical names.
Note: Element naming is not case sensitive. For example, "Brand_Search" and "brand_search" are considered identical.
Identifying a merged object
Hover over Manage in the left menu, and select Accounts.
Click the > icon to the left of an object name (e.g., Campaign Name).
When objects are not merged, only one row of data appears.
If you see multiple rows appear, then objects have possibly become merged.
Exceptions:
In some instances, you may see more than one row, but a merged error has not occurred.
1. If you are allocating a budget between Google and Microsoft, you will see separate rows for each partner.
2. If a successful partner CID swap occurred, the second row does not contain a partner icon.
Preventing merged objects
1. Duplicating campaigns
Creating and duplicating campaigns directly at the partner could result in identical campaign names during a reverse sync. Always duplicate campaigns within Fluency and ensure that their names are unique to prevent merged objects. When duplicating a campaign, rename it immediately to avoid a conflict (e.g., add “_v2” or “_OLD” as a suffix to the campaign name).
2. Launch error duplication
If a Blueprint launch fails or returns an error, do not retry it immediately. API calls and platform syncs require patience. The first attempt may have successfully created the campaigns at the partner. Retrying a launch can cause duplicate campaign errors.
Always review the partner and check if campaigns exist after a failed, errored, or stalled launch. If campaigns do exist at the partner, reverse sync those campaigns into Fluency to avoid a potential merge.
3. Migrating partner accounts
When migrating a client to a new partner account, ensure the campaign names in the new account are distinct from the names in the old one. Fluency retains the old names in our database and using them again will carry over old unwanted data into your new plan, leading to duplicated spend data.
4. Renaming campaigns and budgets
When renaming an old campaign, you must also rename the associated budget. If you leave the budget name untouched and re-launch a Blueprint, Fluency will detect the identical budget name. This automatically converts the budget from a single budget into a shared budget, linking both your newly launched campaign and the old campaign to it.
5. Fluency and partner QA
Always verify that element name changes are successfully reflected in both Fluency and the partner platform after executing an update.
What to do if you identify a merged object
Submit a help request to your Advertising Engineer. Do not try to fix a merged campaign by renaming it in Fluency or at the partner, as this can compound the issue.