Feature Syndication

Feature syndication is how a feature is made available on the mCards platform and then flows down to the cards that use it. It spans two APIs — the Marketer API and the Distributor API — so this guide gives the end‑to‑end picture in one place.

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The Hierarchy

A feature moves through three levels before it reaches a cardholder's card:

Feature (administered on the platform)
  │  syndicated to
  ▼
Marketer
  │  syndicated to
  ▼
Distributor
  │  assigned (and optionally bundled) to
  ▼
Distributor Card

1. A feature is syndicated to a marketer. Once a feature has been administered on the platform, it is made available to a marketer. From the marketer's perspective, this is the point at which the feature enters its control.
2. The marketer distributes the feature to its distributors. The marketer decides how far the feature reaches (see Distribution Mode below) and syndicates it to specific distributors.
3. The distributor assigns the feature to its cards. Each distributor assigns the feature to its distributor cards, and may bundle the feature with a specific card.

At every level the association is a syndication — a link that says "this feature is available to this entity."

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Distribution Mode

When a marketer distributes a feature, it chooses how broadly the feature reaches its distributors:

• All distributors — every distributor under the marketer receives the feature automatically.
• Selected distributors — only the distributors the marketer explicitly syndicates the feature to receive it.

The distribution mode is read and updated through the feature's distribution setting on the Marketer API. Features can also be all‑users (open to everyone) — the Marketer API marks these with a distribution_mode so you can tell them apart from features syndicated specifically to the marketer.

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Assignment and Bundling at the Card Level

Once a distributor has a feature, it controls how the feature applies to its distributor cards:

• Assigned — the feature is available on the distributor card.
• Bundled — the feature is tied to a specific card as part of that card's makeup.

The Marketer API exposes a read‑only view of how a distributor has assigned a feature to its cards (including each card's bundle state), and the Distributor API provides the card‑level feature management itself.

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Which API Do I Use?

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Related Guides

• Marketer API Concepts — The marketer's view of features and syndications
• Distributor API Concepts — The distributor's view and card‑level assignment
• Marketer API Reference
• Distributor API Reference