Guaranteed deal
A guaranteed deal is a reservation-based media agreement in which a publisher commits to deliver a specified quantity of inventory to a single buyer at agreed terms, and the buyer commits to purchase it. When executed through automated pipes it is called programmatic guaranteed; when executed manually it takes the form of a traditional insertion order.
What are the boundaries of the term?
The guarantee covers delivery of the agreed volume, not the campaign's downstream performance. Outcomes such as clicks or conversions remain dependent on creative and audience response.
How does it contrast with related concepts?
Non-guaranteed deals, including PMPs and open auctions, deliver only the impressions a buyer wins in real time and carry no volume commitment. A guaranteed deal fixes the volume in advance.
What is a worked example?
A publisher guarantees one million homepage impressions to an advertiser over a two-week flight. The publisher is obligated to serve that volume, and the advertiser is obligated to pay for it, independent of auction dynamics.