If a placement (plan item) that has already been booked and partially run needs to be canceled, it is important to correctly record the running time and the performance already delivered in Mercury and to inform the publisher. Such a plan item cannot be deleted, but only canceled.

Instructions: Cancellation of a running placement

To correctly reflect the cancellation of a running placement in Mercury and to inform the publisher, we recommend the following procedure (please consult your Mercury SuperUsers if you have any questions about the process):

  1. Adjust Runtime: Adjust the End Date of the plan item to the date of the cancellation. The Start Date remains unchanged.
  2. Adjust Performance Data: Set all Forecast Values (e.g., quantity/volume, costs) to the actual Actual Values (realized performance) at the time of cancellation.
  3. Create Change Insertion Order: Send a new booking to the publisher. Since you have already sent a booking for this placement, this will automatically become a Change Insertion Order.
  4. Add Remark: Use the free text field of the Change Insertion Order to include the Reason for Cancellation and the Request for Cancellation of the Placement.

By adjusting the Forecast Values to the Actual Values, you ensure that the quantities and costs incurred up to the cancellation date are transmitted to the publisher in the Change Insertion Order. This serves as the correct basis for their billing.

Note: If you do not yet have the final Actual Values from the publisher at the time of cancellation, this is usually not a problem. It is important that the runtime and the Forecast Values are aligned as closely as possible with the realized performance. The final reporting and clarification can take place subsequently with the publisher.
Note: Please also note that a cancellation is generally a goodwill service on the part of the publisher. A cancellation initiated from Mercury cannot change this.

Alternative and why we recommend the adjustment

You could optionally simply send a Change Insertion Order without adjusting the runtime and Forecast Values and only announce the cancellation in the free text. However, we recommend adjusting the values because otherwise the Change Insertion Order transmits incorrect (too high) Forecast Values to the publisher. This can lead to ambiguities and an incorrect billing basis.