Inventory Formats and Screens
Learn how to target specific ad formats in bid requests, depending on your business needs. Contact your Platform Development Manager (PDM) for guidance or to enable any of the following features:
contents
- Targeting Mobile App Inventory
- Targeting Video Inventory
- Targeting Opt-in Video
- Targeting Video Inventory
- Targeting CTV Inventory
Targeting Mobile App Inventory
To target OpenX mobile app inventory, you need to identify mobile inventory in bid requests and set up targeting criteria in traffic sets.
Identifying Mobile Inventory in Bid Requests
You can identify mobile app inventory from OpenX by checking for the parameter BidRequest.app.storeurl which identifies the URL of the app store initiating the request, such as:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/{nameofapp}/id{bundleid}
Every request entering the OpenX Ad Exchange must include a URL for inventory. Otherwise OpenX drops the request. For mobile app inventory, since the app store URL is always passed in bid requests, it is consistently available in case the bundle ID or app name is not. Because some mobile buyers do not target based on the app store URL, OpenX augments requests with bundleID or app name when it is available.
Setting up Mobile App Targeting in Traffic Sets
When setting up traffic sets, use the following targeting criteria to target mobile traffic.
Under Add Technology and Devices, add:
- iOS (all)
- Android (all)
- RIM (all)
- WindowsPhone (all)
- WebOS (all)
Under Select Domain, allowlist:
- play.google.com
- itunes.apple.com
- market.android.com
- www.amazon.com
Targeting Video Inventory
Video in the OpenX Ad Exchange provides web and app inventory for your video ads. In addition to standard in-stream and interstitial placements, you can also bid on opt-in video and out-stream placements. OpenX does not support and, therefore, will not monetize, low-value video ad units, including in-banner video.
The key parameter is BidRequest.imp.video, the object in OpenRTB that contains all the attributes of the video placement.
To target video placements, create a new ad with the following attributes:
- Size: All in-stream video sizes
- Creative Type: VAST
Opt-in Video
Opt-in video (also known as rewarded video) motivates users to watch full-screen, non-skippable video ads by giving them a reward in exchange for watching the video ad to completion. For example, this reward could be access to premium content or features, ad-free service for a time period, or in-game items (an extra life or a new character).
Out-stream
Out-stream is also called “in-article” and is a way to describe a video ad that is shown anywhere outside of video content. For example, if you are reading an article and see a video ad between two paragraphs, this is an out-stream video ad. In-article/out-stream is designated in the OpenRTB Video object’s placement field.
Targeting Opt-in Video
Opt-in video motivates users to watch full-screen, non-skippable video ads within a mobile app by giving them a reward in exchange for their attention and time. For example, this reward could be access to premium content or features, ad-free service for a specific time period, an extra life, a new character, or a sought-after item. The reward is given after the user completes the video and either closes the ad or returns from the call to action to explore the advertiser’s content by clicking the URL provided in the end card accompanying the video. Opt-in video is also known as “rewarded video”, and is not the same as incentivized video.
NOTE
OpenX currently supports opt-in video by passing the opt-in video signal from publishers to demand partners in bid requests. OpenX does not currently provide currency management features, such as verifying a user has completed a video, or indicating that a user should be rewarded after video completion.
Opt-in Video Example
Here’s an example of a user’s experience with opt-in video for a mobile game:
- A user, Casey, runs out of coins.
- Casey chooses (opts in) to watch a video ad in exchange for more coins.
- A non-skippable video ad plays.
- An end card appears to indicate that the video ad is completed and presents Casey with the option to explore the advertiser’s content or close the ad.
- Casey chooses to click to learn more about the advertised app and clicks the URL to visit the app store.
- After Casey returns from the app store, the app developer rewards Casey with coins after the video ad ends.
Benefits of Opt-in Video
Opt-in video has benefits for all involved: publishers/developers, demand partners, and users.
Publishers/developers
Opt-in video ads are integrated into the user’s app experience with the associated access to premium app content, features, or in-game rewards, and thus drive higher user ad engagement for advertisers without impacting user retention for app developers.
Demand partners
The video ads that users see are full-screen and non-skippable, with high viewability and completion rates. Additionally, the option to include an end card display ad provides a clear call to action for the user. For advertisers, these features of opt-in video ensure marketing effectiveness and drive higher performance with measurable results.
How to Get Started with Opt-in Video
You can easily identify a bid request for opt-in video via BidRequest.imp.video.ext. The associated fields are skip and videotype. You can also access programmatic direct deals for opt-in video by contacting your Platform Development Manager or OpenX Buyer Development Team.
End Card Implementation
You can include an optional end card as a companion ad to be served at the end of your opt-in video. When rendered, it will appear in the center of the viewable area of the video ad slot. End cards help the user realize that the video is over and provide an opportunity to interact with the ad, for example, to install a game from the app store or visit your web page. The user may also choose to close the end card without clicking through.
What you need to know
As a best practice, you may want to include multiple companions in your opt-in video bid response to account for different possible screen sizes.
If you include multiple companions, they are prioritized based on resource type: HTML, iFrame, then Static. Multiple resources of type Static are prioritized by size, starting with the highest resolution.
If you include multiple resources in one companion node, the video player polls the resource files to find the most appropriate file to display.
If end cards are not supported by a publisher’s SDK, they are ignored but your video ads are still displayed.
End card reporting metrics, such as views and clicks, are available in the Video Events Reports for publishers and demand partners. The availability of these metrics is dependent on each app and its support for VAST tracking events.
If you do not implement an end card, in the last frame of the video, OpenX displays a Learn More URL and a Close button with no companion ad information.
Implementation
In the VAST response, inside the
<CompanionAds>element, define at least one<Companion>node with the desired resource file information for the end card. The resource file can be of type<StaticResource>,<IFrameResource>, or<HTMLResource>.Specify the clickthrough URL for your end card using the
<CompanionClickThrough>field of the<Companion>node.Set a custom impression tracker for the end card using the
<Tracking event="creativeView">node.(Optional) If using VAST 3.0, set a custom click tracker for the end card using the
<CompanionClickTracking>field of the<Companion>node.
Targeting Video Inventory
Video in the OpenX Ad Exchange provides web and app inventory for your video ads. In addition to standard in-stream and interstitial placements, you can also bid on opt-in video and out-stream placements. OpenX does not support and, therefore, will not monetize, low-value video ad units, including in-banner video.
The key parameter is BidRequest.imp.video, the object in OpenRTB that contains all the attributes of the video placement.
To target video placements, create a new ad with the following attributes:
- Size: All in-stream video sizes
- Creative Type: VAST
Opt-in Video
Opt-in video (also known as rewarded video) motivates users to watch full-screen, non-skippable video ads by giving them a reward in exchange for watching the video ad to completion. For example, this reward could be access to premium content or features, ad-free service for a time period, or in-game items (an extra life or a new character).
Out-stream
Out-stream is also called “in-article” and is a way to describe a video ad that is shown anywhere outside of video content. For example, if you are reading an article and see a video ad between two paragraphs, this is an out-stream video ad. In-article/out-stream is designated in the OpenRTB Video object’s placement field.
Targeting CTV Inventory
You can target attributes of the video content that a Connected TV (CTV) device is playing, such as a specific program or type of program.
CTV refers to video watched on a TV with internet connectivity. Defined as such, CTV is a subset of over-the-top (OTT), which traditionally refers to devices that are placed over a cable box to give a viewer access to TV content. OpenX defines OTT as video that is delivered independently of a traditional pay-TV service, irrespective of device.
CTV devices include the following:
- Roku
- Amazon FireTV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- SmartTV or TVs with apps such as Samsung, Vizio, Sony, LG, etc.
- Sony Playstation 3 and 4 gaming consoles
- Microsoft Xbox 360 and One gaming consoles
Targeting CTV in Traffic Sets
You can target attributes of the video content that a CTV device is playing, such as a specific program or type of program. When creating a traffic set, select the following Add App Bundle ID & Content dimensions to include in bid requests:
- Content Category
- Content Duration
- Content Title
After you target those dimensions, CTV attributes appear in the Content object of your bid requests.
The deviceType integer for CTV in a bid request is 3 or 7. See a sample bid request with CTV attributes.