Video
VAST, IBV, Remote VAST URI, nCard, VPAID, OMID
- VAST
- VAST Video
- Remote VAST URI
- How to upload Video ads?
- VAST Video Wrapping, Upload & Execution
- VAST Video placement types/tracking options.
- IBV
- VPAID & OMID
- Video + nCard
- Relevant information
VAST
VAST Video
What is VAST video?
VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) - is a video ad that is served in a video player on publisher’s page.
As it is a skippable ad format, it is more suitable for longer video ads.
The length of a video for this format can vary from very short non-skippable (5 sec.) to long videos of 6 minutes. However, keep in mind that traffic will be limited if you use long video duration, as the most significant part of publishers supports video duration up to 30 sec. Therefore we recommend using videos with a maximum video's duration 30 sec.
If the video is equal or less than 5 seconds it is served as non-skippable ad and if the duration is from 5 seconds it appears as skippable ad.
The required aspect ratio and dimensions - 720p or below is required, the optional inclusion of 1080p is recommended - either 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios are acceptable. (Examples are: 320x480, 480x320, 1024x768, 768x1024)
Requirements summary:
- File Type: mp4
- Maximum Video file size: up to 5MB.
Here are the examples of VAST video ad on desktop and mobile:
Skip offset
Skip-ability of VAST video can be an important tool for campaign performance. This is why Eskimi has the opportunity to change skip option. By default VAST video can be skipped after 5 seconds. However, it is not sufficient for some advertisers as users will definitely skip the video so it means that brand's message wasn't fully heard.
Skip option can be edited when VAST video is uploaded. The value should be added under "Skip after seconds" field. 0 - indicates that there shouldn't be any skip option. Keep in mind, that max allowed by protocols is 30s. Default is 5s.
3rd party tracking
To any VAST video campaign 1x1 pixel can be added. VAST video doesn't support JavaScript tags. However, the primary limitation of the 1x1 pixel is that it can only track impressions on 3rd party platforms like Integral Ad Science.
If the client wants to track more metrics such as viewability, brand safet, IVT on a 3rd party platform VAST video has to be wrapped into a tag.
Limitations
- Max allowed by protocols is 30s. Default is 5s.
- This functionality is only available on Doubleclick. So the traffic will be limited and will have advertising limitations.
- "External VAST URI" won't support this functionality.
Results
10 sec. tests campaigns got 82% of VCR while regular VAST video delivers around 50% of VCR.
Remote VAST URI
Step 1: Log in to your DSP account, go to Creative Sets, and click Add creative set.
Step 2: Select the type of your creative set as a video and name it as per the requirement.
Step 3: Select the type of video from the Dropdown Menu
Step 3: Paste the creative tag in the box and hit save button (Tick Tracking if there is any):
How to upload Video ads?
Step 1: Log in to your DSP account, go to Creative Sets, and on the new page click "Add creative set".
Step 2: On the next page indicate the creative sets Title and select the format.
Step 3: Select the type of video (VAST + IBV, VAST, IBV).
Step 4: Choose file to use as creative
Step 5: Select Viewability tracking method (VPAID - for websites inventory, OMID for in-app inventory) both can be selected.
Step 6: if needed - update "Skip after seconds" value. For some exchanges this is a required value (i.e. DC), default is 5s.
Not necessary: Upload companion banners. Companion banner should be one from most popular sizes: 300x250px, 320x480px, or 480x320px.
Not necessary: Add description and Call to action text. Default CTA is "Lear more" and this is changed only in placements, which support that. It will describe a call to action button for the destination URL.
Step 7: Save your video ad.
VAST Video Wrapping, Upload & Execution
Introduction
Wrapping a VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) URI into a 3rd party VPAID (Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition) tag offers several advantages in the digital advertising ecosystem.
Firstly, by utilising a VPAID tag, advertisers gain access to enhanced interactivity and engagement features for their video ads. VPAID enables the inclusion of interactive elements like clickable overlays, interactive games, and surveys within the ad unit, providing a richer user experience.
Secondly, wrapping the VAST URI in a VPAID tag allows for seamless integration with various video players and ad-serving platforms, ensuring compatibility and widespread distribution across different environments.
Additionally, the VPAID tag provides a standardized API for tracking and reporting ad metrics such as viewability, ad interactions, and performance data, enabling advertisers to make data-driven optimizations and measure the effectiveness of their video ad campaigns accurately.
Overall, wrapping a VAST URI into a 3rd party VPAID tag enhances ad interactivity, facilitates widespread ad distribution, and enables comprehensive ad measurement and optimization capabilities.
Practical implications
To wrap a VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) URI into a 3rd party VPAID (Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition) tag, you need to follow a specific process.
Retrieve the VAST URI from the ad source, which typically represents the XML-based ad response. To retrieve the necessary URI you need to first setup your video campaign on Eskimi DSP. The VAST URI will be found in the campaign's approval page under the Creatives section. Check the screenshot below:
Remember: If you are planning to wrap the VAST URI into the MOAT, IAS or any other 3rd party tracker, you will need to provide VAST URI until &preview=1. Also please add in the end of the URL &vastVersion=2 this will open more available inventory later, when delivering campaign.
Remember: The original video campaign can't be deleted, expired or rejected. Leave it in pending status until the actual campaign ends.
If you need to upload a 3rd party VPAID tag, it is necessary to select Remote VAST URI as your video type and paste the VAST URI as usual. Such VPAID tags will only run on VPAID compliant environment - mostly web publishers. To know more about VPAID check our comprehensive guide: https://manual.eskimi.com/books/creatives/page/a-comprehensive-guide-to-vpaid-web-advertising
Remember: you can select VPAID viewability tracking method which will wrap the VPAID tag into Eskimi tag. By doing so advertisers will be able to track viewability on Eskimi DSP.
It is necessary understand that such method will cause timeouts of retrieving the original video file from the tag, because of this the preview page (only) will not work, but the campaign will run as usual.
If you need to upload a 3rd party VAST tag (OMID tag), then you will need to upload the original VAST mp4 and add the OMID tag under Verification wrapper URL.
Remember: You will need to change the VAST URI located in the tag to {vast_url_enc}.
Remember: That for such setup you can enable OMID viewability tracking method.
Afterwords, set up the campaign as usual.
Troubleshooting
Before any upload we recommend to first upload the VPAID/VAST tag into VAST video validator: https://googleads.github.io/googleads-ima-html5/vsi/. This is a universally used tool that allows to instantly see if the tag will be rendering properly, if all the metrics are being fired and receive errors.
VAST Video placement types/tracking options.
All the options that we can track in bid request for VAST Videos are in the pictures below.
IBV
IBV Video
What is IBV?
IBV (in-banner-video) format is basically an HTML5 video banner, that takes up regular banner placements, and also the IBV format follows regular banner sizes.
In Eskimi DSP we serve IBV video in 300x250 size. However, other sizes are possible as custom HTML banners.
Features
Automated upload: When uploading IBV video to Eskimi DSP, our dashboard will take the file and will first convert the dimensions of the video to 300x250, then if your video for example is in 16:9 aspect ratio, we downscale the video and add letterboxing automatically, in order to scale the video properly to the 300x250 dimension.
Description (optional): here you can add a short 90 character description of your video ad ( this description does not appear anywhere visually)
Call to action text (optional): here you can change the Call-To-Action button text, which is displayed on the top left corner of the video ad. The maximum number of characters allowed is 10.
Controlling video start: If “Play when in viewport” checkbox will be selected - video will start only when banner is in-view at least 50% (our viewability standard is - 50% for 1s, so it’s pretty the same).
Limitations
Duration: the maximum duration of the IBV video is up to 30 seconds. This is the maximum time, which is recommended by all exchanges. However, if you will upload a video that is longer than 30 seconds, the user will be prompted to interact with the ad in order to continue watching the video.
Requirements summary
- File Type: .mp4
- Recommended length of the video is a maximum of 30 seconds. If more than 30 seconds the user will be prompted to interact with the video in order to continue watching.
- Maximum Video file size: up to 5MB.
VPAID & OMID
A Comprehensive Guide to VPAID - web publishers
Introduction
In the dynamic world of online advertising, there are various technologies and standards designed to enhance the delivery and measurement of video ads. One important standard in this realm is VPAID (Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition). This manual article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of VPAID, exploring its purpose, applications and the challenges it face in the market.
Understanding VPAID
VPAID, or Video Player Ad-Serving Interface Definition, is a standard that enables seamless communication between video players and ad units, enhancing the interactivity and measurement capabilities of video ads. Alongside facilitating interactive experiences like clickable overlays and interactive games, VPAID also plays a crucial role in video viewability tracking.
With VPAID, advertisers and web publishers can track the visibility and engagement of their video ads by integrating JavaScript code within the ad unit. This code captures visibility-related events and communicates them to the video player, allowing for the measurement of viewability metrics such as full view, partial view, and non-view. By leveraging VPAID's standardised API for video viewability tracking, advertisers gain insights into viewable impressions and viewability rates, enabling them to optimise their campaigns for maximum ad visibility and effectiveness.
Even though VPAID can be used across various platforms and devices to track viewability metrics for video ads. The biggest adoption is seen only between web publishers. Therefore, if advertisers will use VPAID adapter or tags they will mostly serve ads on web publishers.
How it is used
VPAID is widely used by video web publishers and advertisers to enable interactive features, track user engagement, and measure video viewability. By integrating VPAID-compliant ad units, advertisers can incorporate video viewability tracking capabilities into their campaigns. This allows advertisers to and optimise their campaigns for enhanced ad visibility and effectiveness. Furthermore, web publishers can leverage VPAID to offer transparent viewability metrics as a value-added service, promoting trust and accountability in their advertising inventory.
How VPAID is used at Eskimi?
Eskimi, a leading advertising platform, leverages the Google VPAID adapter to enhance their video ad capabilities, particularly when it comes to measuring viewability. By utilizing the Google VPAID adapter, Eskimi seamlessly integrates their video ad-serving technology with the widely used Google IMA SDK (Interactive Media Ads Software Development Kit) which is used by web publishers. This integration allows Eskimi to ensure that video ads served through their platform are not only interactive but also accurately track viewability metrics.
The Google VPAID adapter provides Eskimi with the tools needed to deliver engaging video ads while effectively measuring viewability, giving advertisers and web publishers the insights they need to optimise their campaigns for better visibility and overall performance. By utilising the power of the Google VPAID adapter, Eskimi enables advertisers to achieve greater transparency and accountability in their video ad campaigns, ultimately driving more effective and impactful advertising experiences.
Practical implementations
To enable video viewability tracking advertisers should select VPAID when uploading original VAST video or remote VAST/VPAID URI ads. See the example below:
Keep in mind that by selecting this tracking method you will only search for ad placements which supports VPAID. Therefore, the traffic may be limited to web publishers which support VPAID.
Also, VPAID and OMID can be selected simultaneously if a VAST video mp4 is uploaded.
A Comprehensive Guide to OMID - app publishers
Introduction
In the dynamic world of online advertising, there are various technologies and standards designed to enhance the delivery and measurement of video ads. One important standard in this realm is OMID (Open Measurement Interface Definition). This manual article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of OMID, exploring its purpose, applications, key differences, and the challenges it faces in the market.
Exploring OMID
OMID, or Open Measurement Interface Definition, is a standard developed by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) to facilitate third-party verification and measurement of ad impressions. It allows independent verification providers to measure various metrics, such as viewability, ad verification, and audience measurement, in a consistent and standardised manner. OMID provides an API that enables measurement and verification scripts to interact with the ad container, ensuring transparency and accountability in the advertising ecosystem.
How it is used
OMID plays a crucial role in enabling viewability measurement for app publishers. By integrating the OMID SDK into their mobile applications, app publishers gain access to standardised viewability measurement capabilities across different platforms and devices.
With OMID, app publishers can work with third-party verification providers (MOAT, IAS, DV etc.) to measure viewability metrics such as the percentage of fully viewable impressions and average viewable time. The OMID SDK allows for consistent and transparent measurement, ensuring accurate and reliable viewability data.
By leveraging OMID, app publishers can assess the visibility and impact of their video ads, optimise their placements for maximum viewability, and provide advertisers with the necessary insights to enhance the effectiveness of their campaigns. OMID's standardised approach to viewability measurement in the app environment contributes to increased trust and accountability, benefiting both app publishers and advertisers in achieving more impactful and successful mobile ad experiences.
How it is used at Eskimi?
Eskimi utilises OMID for viewability measurement to enhance transparency and optimise the performance of their ad campaigns. By integrating OMID into their platform, Eskimi gains access to standardised viewability metrics from mobile apps.
When bidding on ad impressions, Eskimi leverages OMID-compliant measurement scripts to verify viewability. These scripts communicate with the ad container through the OMID API, collecting standardised viewability data. Eskimi then uses this data to evaluate the viewability performance of the impressions they purchase, optimising their bidding strategies and ensuring that their ads are seen by the intended audience.
By leveraging OMID viewability measurement, Eskimi enhances transparency, providing advertisers with accurate reporting and actionable insights to optimise their campaigns for improved viewability and effectiveness.
Practical implementations
To enable video viewability tracking advertisers should select OMID when uploading original VAST video or remote VAST URI ads. See the example below:
Keep in mind that by selecting this tracking method you will only search for ad placements which supports OMID. Therefore, the traffic may be limited to app publishers which support OMID.
Also, VPAID and OMID can be selected simultaneously if a VAST video mp4 is uploaded.
Market Challenges
The adoption of OMID faces challenges due to varying implementation timelines and compatibility across platforms. Additionally, the integration and implementation of OMID-compliant measurement solutions require technical expertise and coordination between advertisers, publishers, and measurement vendors.
Video + nCard
Rewarded video with nCard (public)
Introduction
This feature allows us to show video ad and display ad together for the same "impression". Our special rewarded video traffic segment allows us to serve video+end card through companion ad attribute. While uploading video MP4 file, using VAST URI, together we will add companion ad - either static or html/js creative tag.
End card gets 5s as default to view so it’s also always viewable element. If user interacts with HTML/JS tag, creative stays open till user decides to close it.
In campaign reporting companion ad will have "Companion impression" and "Companion clicks" metrics under “Event metrics” part. Companion clicks also reflects on main reporting data.
Practical implementation
To create video VAST campaign with end card, you just need to follow standard video VAST + companion ad upload process we have here >> just don't forget to add companion banner. Companion banner should be one from most popular sizes: 300x250px, 320x480px, or 480x320px.
Remember: as all inventory will be delivered in-app environment, we need to select only OMID viewability targeting.
"Skip after seconds" default value can be changed but not recommended to change to 0. Value should be from 5-30s. By adding longer skip value, we are filtering supported bid requests and most common is 5s.
3rd party verification tools can be used only with static and simple HTML/JS creatives (without MRAID library support in html).
Preview
After creating VAST video creative with companion we will get separate assets preview in creative edit form. We can re-upload video for same creative. We can re-upload static companion image, we can edit HTML or just re-upload a new version of HTML zip.
Real creative preview will be showed in campaign preview page, where companion ad will be delivered after video.
Campaign delivery
To deliver such campaigns where companion ad needs to be delivered together with the video file we need to select from campaign approve page, under "Video player requirements":
- Rewarded
and depending on used companion ad type - select
- Companion type Static or Companion type HTML
Currently such campaigns should be delivered only under specific exchanges. Please check here or contact our Adops for more information.
Relevant information
What are video ads formats and what do I see in report?
SIZE
To run video ads, we suggest to use these dimensions:
300x250, 320x480
DURATION
It's suggested to run video ads up to 30sec but video length is unlimited
FILE TYPE
MP4
FILE REQUIREMENTS
Video size can be up to 5MB, companion banner - up to 50 kb
ADDITIONAL FILES (not necessary )
If you’re launching a video campaign, you might add a Companion banner. One from most popular sizes 300x250px, 320x480px, 480x320px.
WHERE DOES VIDEO APPEAR
VIDEO REPORT
In the report you see impressions, clicks, CTR, reach, spend, and other general information. Additionally, you see how many users started watching the video, how many of them watched the first quartile (of the total video length), how many watched till midpoint, third quartile, and, finally, how many users completed the whole video. Also, you can see how many users watched the video muted/not muted and how many of them paused/resumed the video. You would also see split by browsers, OS, operators, age and gender, campaign performance by site/APP, by creatives, and others.
Example of video campaign (length: 0.30 min., VTR: 23%, CPV achieved: $0.018)
Example of video campaign 2 (length: 1.16 min., VTR: 45%, CPV achieved: $0.004)
Example of video campaign 3 (length: 1.00 min., VTR: 6%, CPV achieved: $0.06)
Example of video campaign 4 (length: 15 sec., VTR: 82%, CPV achieved: $0.002)
VIDEO RECOMMENDATIONS
As seen in the examples above, video campaign results may vary and CPV reached can start from $0.002 and go up to $0.06. We recommend to use videos not longer than 30 seconds, more important we recommend to pay more attention to the content of the video from the user perspective: don't try to put all the information in one video, rather try to make it more engaging, light, and in a popular format.