TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Flexible Comparison Periods in Media Insights
• 2. Investment-Based Portfolio Optimisation with Product-Level Constraints
• 3. Unlocked Excel Templates for Weekly Simulator Input
• 3. UI Fixes

1. Flexible Comparison Periods in Media Insights

This enhancement allows users to select preset comparison periods w when analysing media performance.

Steps to configure:

1. Navigate to the Periods filter in the global filters bar.
2. In the Period selector, choose from the preset options:
   • Last 365 days of data
   • Year to date
   • Last month of data
   • Last quarter of data
   • Last year of data
3. Under Comparison Period, select from:
   • Same period last year (default)
   • Preceding period

Example:
In the screenshot below, the selected period is 1 Jan 2024 → 5 Jan 2025 and the comparison is set to Same period last year.

Key Benefits:

• Enables deeper insights by comparing performance across multiple time windows.
• Default remains "Same period last year" for continuity, unless changed.

Note: Custom date range for comparison periods will be supported in a future release

2. Investment-Based Portfolio Optimisation with Product-Level Constraints

This new optimisation workflow introduces greater flexibility by allowing users to set constraints and budgets at the product (child model) level, rather than only at the overall portfolio level.

Steps to run optimisation:

1. Go to the Predictions module.
2. Select Optimise.
3. Choose Investment Optimisation.
4. In the Optimise for Product Model dropdown, select:
   • Entire portfolio (default)
   • One or more child models (e.g., Product A, Product B and so on)
5. Define your budget:
   • Total budget across all selected models
   • Or, budget for selected combination of products 
6. Add product-level investment constraints for tighter control.
7. Set the Optimisation Period and Media Investment value.
8. Click Predict.

Notes:

• Feature is only available for Investment Optimisation workflows.
• Target Optimisation for individual child models will be availabe through future releases.

3. Unlocked Excel Templates for Weekly Simulator Input

This feature allows users to provide weekly scenario values for selected variable combinations (e.g., Media Grouping, Publisher, Channel) by downloading and re-uploading an unlocked Excel template.

Workflow Steps:

1. Navigate to the Simulation module. Click on Simulate.
2. Click on view weekly values at the top right corner of the screen.
3. Select media groupings and click on view weekly values.
4. When you click Modify Weekly Values, you are guided through the following steps:

• Select variable combinations – choose which media groupings/channels you want to include.
• Download template – an Excel file is generated with the selected combinations.
• Fill in and upload the template – update weekly values offline within your team and upload back into the system.
• Validation – system checks your file for completeness and consistency.
• Completed – values are successfully applied.

What’s New?

Previously, Excel templates for Simulator inputs were fully locked. Users could not type directly into cells, copy and paste values, apply formulas, or add additional sheets. This often made editing tedious and error-prone.

With this update, the templates are now fully unlocked, offering far greater flexibility. Users can:

• Copy and paste values in bulk, across multiple UIDs.
• Use Excel formulas freely within the Media input sheet.
• Retain redundant or leftover values in the file without triggering validation errors.
• Upload modified files without needing to clear formatting or spacing issues.
• Add extra sheets for reference, these will not interfere with validation.

Only the Media Input sheet is considered during validation.

Important Validations

To ensure Simulator inputs are uploaded correctly, please follow these rules:

• UID order must not be changed — reordering UIDs will cause validation to fail.
• Baseline values should not be altered. They remain unlocked for visibility but serve only as reference guidelines.
• Scenario values must be entered only in the designated editable cells.
• Extra sheets are permitted — but only the Media Input sheet is validated.

Known Limitations & Upcoming Improvements

• Because baseline and scenario rows are interspersed, bulk copy-pasting from external datasets may still require manual adjustments (e.g., dragging formulas or filtering).
• In a future update, we plan to release a two-sheet templateto simplify this process:
  • Baseline sheet: informative, reference-only.
  • Scenario sheet: fully editable and optimised for bulk copy-paste (while preserving UID order).

3. UI Fixes

1. Hover behaviour on EOT bars now correctly highlights the intended bar only.

2. In BI charts, the time period previously shown as Previous Period is now displayed as Comparison Period. This change makes it clearer that the values represent the selected comparison timeframe, not only the immediate prior period.

3. The default period in Sub-Model Insights now matches the period set in the MI page for portfolio long-term models.