Campaign Playlists

Campaign mode lets you publish a playlist to screens automatically, based on the tags on each device. Instead of picking devices one by one every time you roll out content, you define rules like "every screen tagged Region: North and Store type: Flagship" — and the system keeps those screens in sync with the campaign playlist.

You still edit the playlist content the normal way (media, scenes, nested playlists, tag-based sources, and so on). Campaign mode only answers the question: which screens should receive this playlist?

Is this available to me? Campaign mode is an Enterprise feature. If the Campaign tab in the playlist editor is missing or marked Enterprise, it is not enabled for your account yet — contact your administrator.

When to use a campaign

Campaigns are a good fit when:

• You manage many screens and want to roll out the same content to a group defined by tags (region, store format, department, tenant, and so on).
• Screens move between groups — you retag a device and it should start or stop receiving the right campaigns without re-publishing every playlist by hand.
• You run several overlapping campaigns on the same screen and need a clear rule for which one takes over (for example a national promo that should replace local content while it runs). Priority decides the winner, not the order content is shown.
• You want a draft → review → publish workflow: edit targeting and content, preview matched screens, then push when ready.

If you only ever publish to a fixed list of screens, a normal manual publish is enough — you do not need campaign mode.

For automatically filling a playlist from tagged content (not tagged screens), see Tag-Based Playlists. Campaigns and tag-based sources work well together on the same playlist.

How it works in a nutshell

1. You turn on Campaign mode on a playlist and define device targeting rules using screen tags (with ALL / ANY / NOT logic).
2. You optionally set a schedule (when the campaign is allowed to play) and a priority (which campaign wins when several target the same screen).
3. You build the playlist content as usual — items, nested playlists, tag-based sources, and so on.
4. A Daily playback plan preview shows exactly which campaign plays on a chosen screen through the day, once priority and schedules resolve.
5. When you Publish the campaign, every matching screen receives the playlist's current content, schedule, priority, and targeting.
6. Behind the scenes, each screen gets a virtual playlist — an automatically generated playlist that references one or more campaigns. You do not edit virtual playlists directly; you edit the campaigns they point to.
7. When a screen's tags change, the system updates which campaigns play on that screen. When you change campaign content or targeting, you publish again to push the update.

Step 1 — Tag your screens

Campaign targeting is based on device tags, not content tags.

1. Open a Screen in the admin panel.
2. Assign one or more tags that describe where or how the screen is used (for example Region: North, Format: Flagship, Department: Bakery).
3. Save the screen.

Use consistent tag names across your account so targeting rules stay readable. The Matched screens preview in the campaign editor shows which devices currently satisfy your rules.

When you later add or remove tags on a screen, the system re-evaluates campaigns for that screen and updates its virtual playlist (adding or removing campaign references). Content inside an already-matched campaign still requires an explicit Publish on that campaign to refresh what plays.

Step 2 — Enable campaign mode and set targeting

1. Open the playlist you want to use as a campaign in the Playlist editor.
2. Open the Campaign targeting section in the settings panel.
3. Turn on Enable campaign mode.
4. Set a Priority (see Priority below).
5. Under Target devices that match, build your rules:
   • Each clause picks a tag field and an operator:
     • has any of — the screen must carry at least one of the selected tags.
     • has none of — the screen must not carry any of the selected tags.
   • Group clauses together with match / NOT match and the ALL of / ANY of toggle:
     • match ALL of — every clause in the group must be true (AND).
     • match ANY of — at least one clause must be true (OR).
     • NOT match — negate the whole group.
   • Groups can be nested to build expressions like (North OR South) AND Flagship.
6. Check Matched screens to confirm the right devices are included — it updates live as you edit the rules.
7. Click Save campaign targeting.

Saving only stores a draft. Screens are not updated until you publish.

Example targeting rules

• All screens in the North region — has any of → Region: North
• Flagship stores only — has any of → Format: Flagship
• North or South region flagships — match ALL of: Region has any of North, South; and Format has any of Flagship
• Everywhere except test lab — has none of → Lab: Test
• Bakery department in the North region — match ALL of: Region: North and Department: Bakery

An empty or invalid rule matches no devices — the system warns you with "Add at least one tag so the campaign targets some devices" when the campaign is enabled but targets nothing.

Step 3 — Set a schedule (optional)

The Schedule section controls when the campaign is allowed to play. It is separate from targeting (which screens) — a screen can match a campaign but still see it only inside its scheduled window.

• Leave the schedule empty to play whenever the campaign is enabled — a permanent, always-on default (24/7).
• Add a schedule rule to restrict playback to specific times. Each rule can be:
  • a weekly window (for example Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00), or
  • a date range (for example a one-off promo period).
• Add several rules to cover multiple windows.

Schedules interact with priority: a higher-priority campaign with a narrow schedule overrides lower-priority campaigns only during that window, and the lower ones resume automatically when the window ends. This makes it easy to drop a short promo on top of evergreen content without retargeting anything.

Campaign exclusivity comes from the campaign-level Priority, so the per-rule priority switch found on ordinary playlist schedules is hidden here — it has no effect on campaigns.

Step 4 — Build the playlist content

Switch back to the main editor and add content the way you always do:

• Media files and scenes
• Nested playlists
• Tag-based sources to pull in tagged files and scenes automatically

The campaign playlist is the source of truth for what matching screens should play. Virtual playlists on each device are just pointers to this content (plus scheduling metadata).

Step 5 — Preview the daily playback plan

The Daily playback plan in the campaign editor shows exactly which campaign plays on a matched screen through the day, after priority and schedules resolve. Use it to sanity-check overlapping campaigns before publishing.

• Pick (or simulate) a matched screen and a day or week.
• The timeline splits the day into slices and shows the winning campaign for each slice, plus any lower-priority campaigns that are scheduled at the same time but suppressed by it.
• Slices with no eligible campaign show as nothing scheduled.

Save first. The preview reflects saved targeting and schedules. Save your changes to see them in the plan; the preview does not include unsaved edits.

Step 6 — Publish the campaign

1. Click Publish in the playlist editor toolbar.
2. Review the list of matched screens in the publish dialog.
3. If the campaign has unpublished changes, the dialog flags them; if it is already up to date, it says so.
4. Confirm Publish.

This pushes the current content + targeting + priority to every matching screen and records a published baseline. Until you publish again, further edits show as unpublished changes (the playback indicator in the editor warns you).

You need permission to publish content to devices to run this step.

Priority when several campaigns match one screen

A screen can match more than one enabled campaign at the same time. Each campaign becomes a nested playlist item inside that screen's virtual playlist, and Priority decides which one actually plays.

Only the highest-priority campaign whose schedule is active plays (larger number = higher priority). Lower-priority campaigns pause while it runs and resume automatically when it ends or its schedule window closes. This is an exclusivity gate, not a blended order. Use priority when:

• A national campaign should override local ones.
• A time-limited promo should sit above evergreen content during its window only.
• Two campaigns overlap on purpose and you need a predictable winner.

If two campaigns share the same priority and are active at the same time, the player rotates between them. Set distinct priorities when you need one to clearly win. Use the Daily playback plan preview to see how priorities and schedules resolve across the day before publishing.

Virtual (automated) playlists

You will not see virtual playlists in the normal Playlists list. They are created automatically for each screen that receives at least one campaign.

If you open one (for example from publishing history or a deep link), you see an Automated content view that explains:

• which screen the playlist belongs to,
• which campaigns currently feed it,
• links to open each campaign for editing.

To change what plays on that screen, edit the campaign playlist(s) or the screen's tags — not the virtual playlist itself.

Use cases

Regional rollout

Setup: Tags Region: North, Region: South, Region: East. One campaign playlist per region, each targeting its tag.

Workflow: Marketing maintains three campaign playlists. When a new screen is installed in the South region, tag it Region: South and publish each active campaign once (or rely on tag-driven virtual playlist updates for membership). Regional content appears without manually selecting the new screen on every playlist.

Store format (flagship vs standard)

Setup: Tags Format: Flagship and Format: Standard. A premium campaign targets flagships; a lighter campaign targets standard stores.

Workflow: Re-tagging a renovated store from Standard to Flagship moves it between campaigns on the next materialization. Publish the campaigns when their content changes.

National promo over local content

Setup: Campaign "Summer national" with priority 100, targeting all screens, with a date-range schedule covering the promo period. Campaign "Store local" with priority 10, targeting individual store tags, with no schedule (always on).

Workflow: Both match the same screens, but during the promo window the national campaign wins (higher priority) and the local one pauses. When the scheduled window ends, the national campaign stops on its own and local content resumes — no need to retarget or unpublish anything by hand.

Tag-based content + campaign targeting

Setup: A campaign playlist uses a tag-based source (Weekly Promo) for content and targets Department: Deli devices.

Workflow: Staff tag new promo images with Weekly Promo → items appear in the campaign playlist automatically. If Auto-publish is on for that tag source, matching deli screens can receive content updates without opening the publish dialog. Targeting or non-auto-published edits still use Publish.

Onboarding a new screen

Setup: New device paired and tagged Region: North, Format: Flagship.

Workflow: Virtual playlist is built from all enabled campaigns that match. Publish each campaign you want live on day one. The screen does not need to be added manually to each playlist.

Retiring a campaign

Setup: Seasonal campaign should stop everywhere.

Workflow: Disable Campaign mode (or delete the playlist), save, and publish if needed. Devices that previously matched lose the campaign reference on the next materialization. Screens with no remaining campaigns keep an empty or unchanged virtual playlist until other campaigns match.

Draft vs live: what updates automatically?

• Save campaign targeting (draft) — targeting, schedule, and priority are saved as a draft; does not reach screens; publish required.
• Edit playlist content (manual items) — does not reach screens; publish required.
• Tag-based source with Auto-publish off — playlist updates in the editor only.
• Tag-based source with Auto-publish on — yes, for screens already playing this playlist (including via campaign virtual playlists when nested in their snapshot).
• Screen tags added or removed — virtual playlist membership updates (which campaigns apply).
• Disable or delete campaign — affected devices are re-materialized (campaign removed from virtual playlist).
• Explicit Publish — yes; full content and targeting push to all matched screens.

The editor's playback indicator shows unpublished changes for enabled campaigns so you know when a publish is still pending.

Tips and good practices

• Separate "where" tags from "what" tags. Device tags describe the screen (Region, Format, Floor). Content tags describe media (Weekly Promo, Menu). Campaign targeting uses device tags only.
• Preview matched screens before publishing — especially after changing match ALL of / match ANY of groups.
• Check the Daily playback plan when campaigns overlap in time, to confirm priority and schedules resolve the way you expect.
• Use schedules for time-limited promos instead of duplicating playlists — give the promo a higher priority and a date range, and it overrides evergreen content only during that window.
• Use priority deliberately when campaigns overlap; do not rely on tie order.
• Publish after content edits even if targeting did not change — saving the playlist does not push new media to campaign screens by itself (unless tag-based auto-publish handles that specific change).
• Name campaigns clearly — virtual playlists and publishing history refer back to campaign names.

Frequently asked questions

Does campaign mode replace manual publishing to a device? No. Campaign mode replaces picking devices manually for this playlist. You still publish explicitly when you want content and targeting changes to go live. Schedules and other playlists on a screen work as before.

Will my campaign appear in the Playlists list for every screen? No. Users see and edit the campaign playlist. Each screen gets a hidden virtual playlist that references it.

Can one screen receive multiple campaigns? Yes. All matching enabled campaigns are included. At any moment, the highest-priority campaign whose schedule is active plays; the others wait and resume when it ends. Equal-priority campaigns active at the same time rotate.

What does the schedule do, and what if I leave it empty? The schedule limits when a campaign may play. Leave it empty and the campaign plays whenever it is enabled (24/7). Add weekly windows or date ranges to confine it; a higher-priority campaign then overrides lower ones only inside that window.

How can I tell what will actually play before I publish? Use the Daily playback plan preview in the campaign editor. Save your changes first, then pick a matched screen to see, slice by slice, which campaign wins and which are suppressed.

What happens if I remove a tag from a screen? The system re-materializes that screen's virtual playlist. Campaigns that no longer match are dropped. Campaigns that still match stay referenced; update their content with Publish when needed.

Can I use nested playlists inside a campaign? Yes. Nested playlists behave the same as in any other playlist. See Nested Playlists.

Why does the editor show unpublished changes after I saved? Saving targeting or content updates the draft. Only Publish syncs to screens and clears the warning (unless tag-based auto-publish already pushed that specific content change).

What if no devices match my rules? Publish completes with zero targets. Fix your tags or rules, save, and publish again.