Ad Serving
`Technology
`
`Understand the marketing revelation
`that commercialized the internet
`
`POSTSCRIPT 1012
`Gregory Cristal
`
`001
`
`
`Technology
`
`Understand the marketing revelation
`that commercialized the internet
`
`POSTSCRIPT 1012
`Gregory Cristal
`
`001
`
`
`
`l
`
`002
`
`002
`
`
`
`Ad Serving T echnology
`
`Understand the marketing
`revelation that commercialized
`the Internet
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`003
`
`
`
`Copyright © 2014 Gregory Cristal
`
`Cover Design by Andreas Brooks
`
`All rights reserved.
`
`ISBN: 1484867572
`ISBN-13: 978-1484867570
`
`004
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`
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`CONTENTS
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`! Purpose - Why write a book about third party ad serving?
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`.
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`Part A - Setting the Stage
`.
`The flow of this book
`\/\/hat is~~ird p_a~!Y ad serv_i~.g?
`Getting Some Perspective
`Users
`Publisher
`Agencies
`The Advertiser
`Definitions and Methodology
`-
`--
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`·-·
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`. -•
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`1 Chapter 1- Section 1- Browsers and Devices
`The role of the browser in Digital advertising
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`[[fly.re ~-1
`Figure 1.2
`Tracking across multiple browsers
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`first party Vs. third Party Cookies
`.. ., .. --
`-- --
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`Figure 1.3
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`Cookie Deletion
`Distinction between Devices and Computers
`Ad blocking Tools
`Why is there advertising on the Internet?
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`.•.
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`Chapter 1- Section 2 -The Anatomy of Sites and Ads
`What the user sees
`Figure 1.4
`HTML
`Figure 1.5
`JavaScript
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`Gregory Cristal
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`lm~g~_?
`Text Links
`Figure 1.6
`. - .
`-·· - .
`Flash
`The advent of HTMLS
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`Chapter 1 - Section 3 - Ad Serving
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`What does the ad server do?
`Figure 1.7
`.,
`...
`~ · . - • -
`_ ~ablf! _of Definitions _(Table)
`Figure 1.8
`. - _ , " • '
`The role of the CON
`I W~it.~ng a.r()u~d for Ad_Delivery ~ th~ user experience
`P~--~ci. di_sp_l~_y ___ .. _
`°-ur~_r1_g_ad_9~sJ?.l~t__ _ _
`On ad close
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`l
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`2 Cha_p!er '!-.~_The ln~u~try Players
`T_he ~~E:':1~Y ~ol~i_ng gr()ues _
`Who a~e the b!g AgenC:_i~s?___ __
`Runni!1~. ~ Media ~gency
`Creative Agencies
`- --
`- ~- - ..
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`Figure 2.1
`Publishers
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`Chap~~r ~-- ~_ecti<~_n 1 - Advertisers_~~~ Marketers
`Who is the Advertiser?
`The Marketer
`__ _ -~~_en_~Y J?it£_h ___ _ ..
`__ _Rel~_ti<?nship ~ith the ME:~ia A~e_ncy
`R~lati_onship wiJh _the C_reative AgE:ncy __
`Figure 2.2.1
`: Controlling the pages of the Advertiser Site - the CMS
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`Ad Serving Technology
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`Landing Page
`_,, __ _ ,. --- -- - - - --
`_ ~as~~t- ~~~ _____ _ _
`Confirmation Page
`- --- --· --- - -- -
`·~--
`·-
`·---
`F{g!!_re_ ?-_2:2 __
`CRM Platform
`Onsite Behavioral data
`Ir~c~~~g the _users on, _site - Site Side Analytics
`Click to Land
`____ P_a~~ng ~~f:Y>k_e_~s in ~~-f: ~lic_k~th~o1Jgh URL
`Referral
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`-1-
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`-i
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`; Chapter 2 - Section 2 - Agency Planning and Buying
`- - ..
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`·-
`----
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`The role of the Planner
`How to plan?
`- ·• -
`-- ,.
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`____ c!g'!r~ 2.3 __ _
`Research Tools
`Figure 2.4
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`--.
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`Demographic Digital Media Consumption by
`Publisher Website
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`Unique J\~di_ence :Si_te 9verlap
`R~S_f:~ r~hth_roug_h -~enchmarki~g
`ln_::J\j~ncy plan_~!~-~ sol~tions
`Figure 2.5
`Technology for Buying
`- --- - . - - - .
`- --
`AgE:~CY __ T!~din~pes~~-.
`Fif!_Urf!_2. 6
`_ .!~_e J\g~ncy:si~e l\lledia Plan
`-~~l~c~i_n_~ __ a~ ~~ ~e~~~r __ _
`What technology-based Services do Media
`A~encies _offer?
`! Media Agency data analysts
`·' -· -·
`.. -... • - - -- ---- -
`--· -- -· - ·
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`Chapter 2- Section 3 - Creative Shop
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`5
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`The Creative Shop
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`~~-l~t!ort~~ip_v.t!t~-!~e ~dverti~er
`Relationship wi!h Pub_l __ ishers
`Relatio!'ship Y'-'~th _t~e Me_dia Agency
`£\t1_ark_etirtg bud~e,t for_ Cr_eative de'(e~~pn.,e~
`Rol~s and Re~po.!:'si_bi!itie~
`~~27
`~E:Hing the D_esig~ r!ght
`Development and Production
`- " .
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`Flash authoring
`Figure ?,_7,!
`Actionscript
`-
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`Figure 2. 7.2
`Comp_onen!s, building and publishin~ ads __
`A_d_ sto_r~~e ~ys_te_~~ (Asset Management Sy~ter11_s)..
`Localization
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`Standard QA
`Fig_'!_~e 2J.3 _
`Uploading Creative
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`What's in a name?
`Creative Inspiration
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`~hapt~r 2 - Section 4 - Publishers
`What are Publishers?
`Figure 2.8.1
`How do Publishers sell their ad space?
`CPM
`CPC
`CPA
`Publisher Networks
`Figure 2.8.2
`Niche Networks
`Blind Networks
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`Publisher ad servers
`Figu_re _??:3 _ __________
`Inventory
`-· -
`P~b_li~he~ Spe~i!i_c~t_i_ons
`Publisher QA
`Publisher Ad Ops
`- ' ...
`..
`.. Figure ?,B-'.'1_
`Ad prioritization
`' . - ---
`- -~
`_ F_reg~enc_y ~appi~g
`Over and Under Delivery
`Browser Targeting
`·---· -· -
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`Figure?.:§_-~ __
`How does Publisher reporting differ from third
`_ pa!"ly reports?
`Discrepancies
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`i Section B - Campaign Setup by Channel
`. - -
`Figure 2.8.6
`How does the end to end Campaign
`_ Management workflow work?
`Billing, -~l_ectr<?_nic 10 and Ad serving rates
`
`3 Ch_apter 3_-Ad serving Operations
`Trafficking
`The thi~dpa~y a~ ~e~ve~ _~ser _~n~e_rf~ce
`User Access for ca~pai~n _setup/ Permissi<?ns
`Using multiple third party ad-servers (double(cid:173)
`tracki11g)
`Figu_~~ ~:q.~
`Figure 3.0.2
`The golden rule of ad serving
`How does the trafficker check the ads are
`working? (Setup verification using an HTTP tracer)
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`.~ha_p~~~-3 ~ _S.«:C!!o~ ~-- Di~p~3._y_ ~~ __ seryinJ oe.e~~tio~5-
`Day in the life of the trafficker
`-- ·· -
`··•·· .
`.. .. .
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`F~-~-H!~at~_<>._rl_~~vel t~~ffic~_i_f!~ for standard di_sp_!_ay . _ __ 15~
`1. Creating a place in the ad server to setup the
`~af!.lp~~gn _ .. _
`!he_ t~ird party ad serve~ ~iera!~hy
`___ _ -~iflU!e_ ~:1__
`Setti~g~~-~ge_n~~ an~ Advertiser levels - Silo C_~~abilities
`___ _ F!g'!_~e_ ~2 __ _
`Settings at Agency and Advertiser levels - Sharing i
`Cap~_l?ilit_ies_ _ .
`2. Structuring the campaign setup to replicate
`the Publishers on the media _pla!'l
`Media Plan
`Figure 3.2.1
`T~a!!ic~!!.1g Sh_eets fo~ ou_!s.o~r~e t: af!i.!=k~"!g._
`Sites
`Identify the formats of the ads and creating
`th~_p~a~~_ments_ _ _
`Ad Formats
`Banner
`Leaderboard
`Skys~r_ap_er
`MPU
`Roadblock and Skins
`Placements and Packages
`Cost Packages
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`4:~~~i~r1J~~-~~e-~ti_ve ~~d_ SE:!t.ir1~_rotation controls
`N~m_i~g ~9_ny~~tions
`Ad & Creative
`Automated QA
`Ad Preview
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`Ad9)11_g~he ~lick-!~rough URL: clickTag
`302 Redirects
`Addi_ng m_ultiple click-_!hrough URls
`Ad classifications/ Custom Categories and searching
`Ad Duplication
`-
`-- -..
`-·-
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`Figure 3.2.2
`Figure 3.2.3
`R':~d.vin.~ th1: Ads for Assign~ent
`Backup gif
`Possible Placement Assignments
`Figure 3.2.4
`A_d assignmen!
`Multiple ads to a_ single placemen!
`A single ad to mu_ltiple placements __
`A single ad to a single placement
`Figure 3.2.5
`Adjusting the Ad Controls
`Frequency_ Capping
`Ad Rotation
`Se_q_uenci!1g
`Wei~h_tin_g
`Ad Prioritization
`-------·----
`-
`Time Based
`Post Cap Gif
`The two levels of control
`Figure 3.2.6
`,.
`5. Trafficking the Tags to the Publishers
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`Ad Tags and Tag Formats
`---- . . . . .
`Figure 3.2. 7
`-
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`Flighting
`Thoroug~ly Checking an Ad is live
`6. How does a trafficker manage campaigns
`with hundreds of Ads?
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`Gregory Cristal
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`. __ _ Bul_k _t~af!i~k!~g ~hr~~g~ __ E~c:e/_te~pl~_t~s _ _
`. ____ . ~ulk __ t~a_!fi_c~in~ ~i!~ E>5_~~{ ~s t~e _UI _ _ _ __
`! Automat~d_ tra_f:fi~_king s~t~P .".'ia _a~ _server A~I
`__ F{~'!~E? 3.2,?:1_ __ _ . __ __ _ _
`. _ __ ~he _J~y~:5~r!p! c_~rr~a,ge cap~bilit'l_ . _ .
`_. __ s~_r_v~y_ven~or Co_de an~ __ thi~d p_arty scri~ts-in ads
`Figure 3.2:_B
`_ . Trac_kin~ _ b~t __ not servi_n~ _
`Is it possible that a Publisher cannot support
`_t_hird_~ar1:y ad _sE:rvir:ig?
`Figu!~ 3.2.9 _ .. .
`A note on Click Commands
`7. Ad Replication
`
`Ad D1:)i~~ry _ar1d_ ~~pli~~tion
`Server-Side Caching
`What exactly is a tag?
`·- _ _ ~._Making a ~_igger imp."!ct ~it~ D_isplay Camp_aig~~ .
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`i C~a_et~r ~ ~_Secti~n 3 - Rich Media
`What is Rich Media?
`
`-~~'{~Se Ric~ M~~ia?
`Core Formats
`Expandable a9s
`Figure 3.3.la
`-··· - •·· • ·-·-
`---
`-
`Floating ads
`Figure 3.3.lb
`.....
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`Video ads
`Figur~}.3.lC: __
`Pushdown and Sidekick
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`··- 1 · •.•
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`--+ ___ ... __ fif!._U~e 3.3}~ ~ ....
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`Data Capture
`Home Page Takeovers, Wallpaper and Page Skins
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`___
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`__ ~ifJ'!re }·3}~--
`--~;gu~e_?-~·Y .. _ __
`Polling
`State Based ads
`Local Connection ads or Sync Ads
`-
`~!9.ur_e 3.3:1_9
`Print ads
`Standardization and Publisher certification
`From the top: Buil~i_n~_Rich Media_ a~s
`1. Ir_~ini_ng ~e creative d.evelope~_ ...
`2. Two schools of Rich Media specs: Publisher
`and Ad server
`3. Parent and Child !iles : _!he polite l~ad
`4. Expansions and Floating -the declaration of
`state
`Interaction tracking: Default and Custom
`Events
`Interactions as additional clicks
`6.
`___ _7. __ BuJ~di~g-~~~~<:_>m ~i~h ~~~i~_ a_~~(cid:173)
`Qai~~ a~~ :re_s~i~~ -R!c~ ME:dia ads
`Trafficki~g -~_ich ~e~ia ~~s _
`Publisher Troubleshooting
`Rich Media for Mobile & Rich Media for lnstream
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`5.
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`-~~apter:_~ :_~e~!i~" -~-~-~c~-- __
`___ S_!a_n~~rd_?<~L-~isp!av
`FiQure __ 3:4: !
`~ig_'!re__ ~-:4·3
`DCO Design Phase
`----- - -·-·-
`- ·-· ---
`___ Cr~~!i_n~ !h_~ ~xna111ic_ t1:111plate
`Figure 3.4.3
`_[?yn~r11ic Creative Plannin~ _
`Figure 3.4.4
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`DCO - Ad Creation Phase
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`~_i,:igle yers_i~n!ng_ ~r -~a~~a~ _~r~ation
`Excel Mass Versioning
`Mass Versioning from a Feed
`~· -
`-- . +.
`-
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`Figure 3.4.5
`... ·-· - . -
`. - "
`Using a web service to restrict load on Advertiser
`hosted i11:ag~s
`Figure 3.4.6
`- .. ,
`~ ...
`..
`. •-· ·-
`- -
`D~(_) __ - _Assignm_en~ t~ !'lac~rr1ent Phase
`Placement vs. audiences
`Figure 3.4. 7
`Targ_~ting di_ffere,nt Ver5-ions to different Audiences
`Figure 3.4.8
`~o!1r:ie~ting D_CO ~i_t~ _Audience Buying
`D~<:) -- Opt~miz~tion Phase
`~~!?-Optimiz~ Vs. Manual Ad Controls
`Figure 3.4.9 ..
`Au~o-optimi_z_~_tion as a "Black Box Technology"
`Multi-variant testing
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`C~_apter} - Section 5 - lnstream Yideo
`What is lnstream?
`··---------··- - ----·--··-·· -· --------- ··-
`Figure ~Sl_
`Pre Roll Mid Roll Post Roll
`Figure 3.5.2
`Site Served Video
`Fig_ure 3.5.3 _
`Where do Video Ad Networks add value?
`.. ~
`-
`--
`-· ~
`VAST - the vide~.!~g 5-ta_~dard
`Companion_ Ad5-
`Figure 3.5.4
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`~
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`_ _!.d Ski_ppi~g _a~d Tr1:1e_yie"::' _
`VPAID - Standardized Interactive Video
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`Ad Serving Technology
`
`Figure 3.5.5
`-
`.
`-
`VPAID Authoring
`Figure 3.5.6
`DCO for lnstream
`Fig_ure 3.5. 7
`Beyond VAST and VPAID
`- -
`-
`Publisher Certification
`Ftgure 3S8_
`Trafficking lnstream ads
`
`-·~·-
`
`.,
`
`Chapter 3 - Section 6 - Mobile
`The Connectivity Consideration
`Internet Enabled Device Divergence
`Publisher Certification for Mobile
`Figure 3.6.1
`Ch~!lenge~ within the browser
`Responsive Design
`Whatever happened to Flash?
`The fallback Mechanism
`Trafficking ads for Mobile Browsers
`QA for mobile browser-based ads
`Figure 3.6.2
`-
`Challenges within the app
`Figure 3.6.3
`Trafficking ads_t9r ln-appad ~arnp~ign_s
`Where do Mobile Ad Networks add value?
`
`·-·•·.
`
`.
`
`1 Chapter 3 - Section 7 - Paid Search and Natural
`Search
`SEM and PPC
`Cre_atin_g_C_ampai~ns and Keywords in the Engine
`Figure 3. 7
`Figure 3. 7.1
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`Gregory Cristal
`
`1 _Sc:mr:1_ec!i~~-a ~id _Man_agen::i~n! -~yst_~m to the Engine
`___ _Fi9ure 3_.,7-2
`Why track paid search through a third party ad
`server?
`How to track Paid Search through a third party ad
`server?
`Manual Search Tracking
`-
`•· · .. -
`-
`. -
`·-· .
`- .,.
`_____ F!rJLlre}:7:3_ _ _ ___ __ _
`Automated Search Tracking
`·· ---··· - -
`. ······ -
`--
`- .
`- ··
`. ..
`fJg_l!re ~-!.4_ _ _
`__
`Ad Server tracking integrated with Bid
`M~~-a~er.n~~_t__
`_ _______ _____ _
`__ F,{gyr(! 3.7.~ ____ .. ___ _
`_E~t~~'-!in~ ~_rackE:_d __ Pai~~~a~c.h to th_~ _Ion~ ~ail
`Fiq_u_r.e ~- 7:6_ . _ . _ _
`_ _____ _
`Extending tracked Paid Search to ~obi le
`Search and other Channels
`What is SEO?
`____ Fiq_u!e ?-?.!_ __
`Referral URL to_ ~Ti_gger a click
`_ Figur.e 3. ~:.8!_ _ __ ...
`~~ _?e~yi_n~ co~ts_f?r_?earch ____ _
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`
`, Chapter 3 - Section 8 - Affiliates and Affiliate Networks
`... - ~--··· ··-· -
`. -
`- ..
`.
`-
`Affiliate Sites and Networks
`How the Affiliate Earns
`·-+··
`A_l!dJJing_th_e_ q_u~lity of the Lo~g !~ii
`. _ -~(g_ure 3.8} _ . . ______ _
`_T~~C.k(n~ ~f!i~i~~e £'-ctjv_i!Y i,:1 t~i~d pa~!Y ad servin_g
`__ fJ<:I_l!re -~·§·? __ _
`The absence of impression tracking
`Affiliates that grow
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`
`016
`
`
`
`Ad Serving Technology
`
`'- ··
`
`•··--
`
`.
`
`Chapter 3 - Section 9 - Email, in-game and Social
`-
`- ---
`-
`Permission Marketing
`-· -··--
`·- ,_
`-
`~ -
`F[9'!re 3.9_:1
`Sending Emails on Mass
`Email Marketing advertising metrics
`---
`-·-, ··- -
`-
`Third _party_ ad se_rver trackin~ for Email
`In-game an_d digital o~tdoor tracking
`Social Media tracking
`Figure 3.9.2
`The versatility of tracking pixels
`
`--· -
`
`.
`
`-
`
`..
`
`-
`
`.
`
`-
`
`4 Chapter 4 - Section 1 - Conversion Tags and Attribution
`What are conversions?
`Figure 4.1
`Where to placethe ~onve!Jion_ tag?
`Figure 4.1.1
`-·- ·•-
`---
`--
`Where to have conversion tags (table)
`CPA
`Conversio_n tag types - Sales Vs. Counter Tags
`Figure 4.1.2
`Extended data/Extended Parameters
`Figure 4.1.3
`Figure 4.1.4
`How do you test conversions?
`A. Conversion Tag_ Functionalit_y - Piggy~ackin~ _
`Container Tags
`Certified Container Tag providers
`Which conversion tag fires first?
`Selective Pinging
`.... -
`. -
`Figure 4.1.5
`Piggy_~ackingwith Ext~nded data
`F_igur~ 4.~.6
`B. Conversion Tag Functionality - Conversion Windows
`
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`Gregory Cristal
`
`+
`
`-
`
`•
`
`•
`
`·- -
`
`Window Settings
`- ·---
`- -••·
`·-
`.. -
`-
`Po~t~~rnprE:SSion an~_ ~ost-~lick wi~dows
`~ong an~ Sho~t Conversion Windows
`Shadow Tagging
`R~porting on C~:rn~~~~ioris
`R_~p_e_at Conve~sion Windo~s
`C. Conversion Tag Functionality - Attribution Modeling
`Figure 4.1. 7
`Attribution Settings
`- .
`. -
`- ··-
`·---~-
`Engagement Mappi':!g
`Figure 4.1.8
`Custom Attribution Modeling
`Challe~!t~s_ in irr1_plementing convE:!~ion ta_gs
`Tag Management Systems
`. --- ·--·--
`--
`. -·-
`Figure 4.1.9
`- --- -
`..
`•.· -
`Universal Ta_&ging Se_c~rity
`
`-
`
`~
`
`---
`
`--•
`
`Cha~ter 4 - Section 2 - Au_~iences an~targe~irtg
`Audiences and Targeting at a media/inventory
`level
`------ ··--·-------------·------··--
`Audiences and Targeting at a creative level
`- .
`-
`__ T~ird pa~y ad ser,~er targ~~irt~ rules
`Layered Targeting
`- - .
`.
`-
`······- - . .,
`Figure 4.2.1
`--
`.
`Geo-targeting
`--- ·-
`- -
`Behavioral targeting
`--- .. ~ .
`Figure 4.2.2
`Conte_xtual targetin~ Jr,age:scraping)
`Figure 4.2.3
`----·- -
`--
`---
`Search keyword tar,geting
`Tar_~eting __ based 1Jn ~erific~tion Data
`' Additional Data targe~in_g
`A/B Testing
`
`--- ··
`
`---·
`
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`
`
`
`Ad Serving Technology
`
`Figure 4.2.4
`Tru lift
`Fi[lu_re _4.2.5
`Audience ~ssig_n~e_nt
`Channels which bend the rules
`
`Section C _- Ad Server ~nalytics
`
`s Cha~t_er_ ~ ~ Reporting Technology
`What is ad server reporting?
`Agwegated D_ata
`Figure 5.0.1
`_F!gure 5.0.2
`-~e~()rt!ng .A._PI_
`!hird p(!_~ty_Ad S~rvingys. Site Side Af!alytics
`Figure 5.0.3
`When is the Data Processed?
`Real time reporting
`-·--·
`. -·•·
`.
`Pr()_cessin_g _(l_c:>ck_
`-- ~h~re is the dat_a p_ro~e?sed?
`How is the data filtered?
`-----···-·---··------·-···--··-
`---·-
`Where is the data dis_elaye~?
`
`.
`
`~
`
`Chap!er 5 -_~ection 1 - Basic A_ggregated Rep<>rting
`_ SlA_ Rep~i-1:s ..... _ _
`Global reporting
`Figyre 5._1.~
`Deliveryre~o~t_s
`Verification Reports
`- ~
`-
`Performance Reports (Conversion and Attribution
`Rep()rt~)
`Cost and ROI reports
`--
`- - .
`404 error reporting
`
`-··-
`
`17
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`019
`
`
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`Exp_iri~~ C()S! P~_~k~g_e5. _
`Cha_nnel _Se_~c(!ic Rep()rt~
`The Standard Metrics
`lmR!_essio~_s ...
`A new impression?
`.. -- --
`.
`.
`Figure 5.1.2
`.
`-· .
`Clicks and Click-t~rnugh Ra!e (C!R}
`Conversions & Conversion rate
`
`.
`
`..
`
`,.
`
`.
`
`Chapter 5 - Section 2 - Ad Verification & Viewability
`. -
`- --
`.
`Effective and Ineffective lmpr~ssi~n_s __
`Reactive, Preventative and Pre-Emptive
`Verification
`·----------~-- --·••·---···
`Figure 5.2.1
`Publish~r _and_ pla~e~ent Qu_alityJ!1dicators
`Contextual Verification Quality Indicators
`Content Classification
`
`... . . -··· .
`
`~
`
`••-
`
`__
`
`~_ra~~--?-~fety
`Ff.gu~e__5_:_?.?
`Demographic or Audience Verification
`The panel-based Audience Verification Method
`..•
`·• ~- -
`- ·---- . -
`--- . . - . . ---
`--
`~
`Figu~e 5:?-~
`. .. . _
`The social profile-based Audience Verification
`Method
`. -· -
`.. .
`....
`-
`_ !J9.ur~~~_2.4
`Discoverability Verification Quality Indicators
`~eo Repe>rting
`Device Verification
`_ ~ie~_able. in'!pressi_()ns_
`.
`F~~L!~~ 5.2._5 _
`Double Implementations and Fraudulent Serving
`t~chniqlles
`Figure 5.2.6
`
`•
`
`- -
`
`•
`
`· • · e - •
`
`••
`
`- · · · -
`
`• ••
`
`'
`
`- - •
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`.. ¥
`
`-
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`020
`
`
`
`Ad Serving Technology
`
`Pag_E: ~evel ~~~!ficati~n qua_lity_ln_dicat':)_l"S
`D9m~n--~~L- ~e~o-~_i':}~ _ __ _
`Oth_~r use~ f<:>r -~~ge Level _inf'?rm_ati~n
`White Lists and Black Lists
`_Figur.~ 5.2.7__
`.... _
`See through, View through and Recordability Rates
`-· -
`-----
`···--
`Figure 5.2.8
`Preventative - Ad blocking _ ___ _
`- - .
`. . - ,
`.. - '
`- -
`-
`Pre_-e_mptiv_e ~ V~_~ific~tic.n in P~ogramn,a_tic
`The Verification landscape
`
`·
`
`- - •
`
`..
`
`.
`
`• ··
`
`""
`
`.
`
`.
`
`I_ __
`
`Chapter 5 - Section 3 - Advanced Aggregated Reporting
`-·
`.
`---
`Cross Channel analysis
`- .
`- .
`D~y Part A~alysis
`Cross Channel Reports
`~- __ ,, ___
`--- - -
`--· --· -
`~--
`• • ~ig_L!_r~ ~:3• ! _
`Advanced Conversion Analysis
`Time to Convert
`Fig_ure_5.3.2 __
`Engagement _Ma_~pi~g Factors report
`Reach and Freq_u_E:n~y _R~pC?rting
`Un,ique_R~ac_~_ .
`Avera_ge_ F~eqw~n~~
`!igure 5.:.~.3
`_Eff~c!!Ye _ F_requ,€:n.cy
`Figure 5.1.4
`-· - --
`- -· ---
`_Reach_ and F_~e9uency_ Report
`Fif!_'!re_5.:_~.5__ __ _ ····-_
`~~j-~ste~ '-!niq~e _
`Figure 5.1.6
`-- . -
`-
`.
`Advanced Site and Creative Analysis
`Uniq_t:Je S_ite qverlae_
`Figure 5.1.7
`
`·•
`
`.
`
`19
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`: <i38
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`021
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`7. What is the methodology behind these
`metrics?
`- -- - . . ... - - - -
`8. Is the shown granularity providing enough or
`too much information?
`.. - - .... -.
`-
`.. ~-
`-
`-
`. "" ' .
`-
`9. Is there enough data in the report or were the
`traffic volumes large enough to gauge decent
`stati_sti_~al ~cc_uracy? _
`10. Is there a chance that the data in the report
`be _a~jus!ed_~g-~i_n !~_tl:~ _o_n? _ _
`11., A~~ all !he ro_""J -~~-d ~o_l~n,_n~ displayin_g_? _
`12. Was the campaign setup in way that might
`af:f~_ct_a _go~em_ed o~tcom_e?
`13. Did the ad server encounter any kind of
`: c~untin~ fault?
`___ _ What is O_P.~im_iza_ti°-~?
`_Op!i_i:n_izing !°- ~~r~pai~~ (?bj~ctiy_es .
`__
`Optimizing towards Delivery Goals (ideal for
`8-_r~nd Ad".~r!!sers)
`Unique Reach
`..
`-
`· ·--
`Target Audience
`.. - -··
`-·. -· --
`·-
`- ...
`-
`·•. .
`__ 1_ V_e_ri_!i~at_io~ _(quality_ saf~ty) go~ls and i~J?act
`; Optimizations towards Performance Goals (ideal for
`_ ! _ ~i_r~_ct Re~p_<?!'\Se A~v~rtisers)
`Ei:t~a~_e!1)ent _a~_d (nte~~_ction _
`Total Clicks
`Total Conversions or E-Conversions
`_ __ ~9_1 J8t E:X!en~_e~-~~ta) go~ls _ __ .... ___
`.. Op!im~~t_io_n ?amJ?le --------··-·--·-·-·------·-··-·-·
`R~~~rdjng_ ~~~-~ges __ i~ qp_timization strat~gy ...
`
`. ..
`
`·-·
`
`-~
`
`7 ~h.ap!f:!r._7 - -~~ta_r.gf:ti!!~ ~!'~ Privacy
`Retargeting Tags
`
`22
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`569
`
`571
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`.
`
`Figure 8.4
`-----·· -
`St!a!eg!~s _b~s~d _on Publi~h_er_ ~u~ience Descriptors
`Cookie level Data Providers
`~a!a M_a~~~e_r,t1e~t ~l_atforms (Dtv1P)
`Figure 8.5
`. -
`-
`-
`Pa~e Leve_l C?.ata _ P!ovide_r? .. .
`C~~~_nel-~p~~ifjc_ ~-o~plic~ti_~_ns in RTB
`DSP - ad server of the Future?
`. --
`- - -
`-·
`
`• · ·-
`
`-
`
`9 Cha~ter 9 - The Bi~_ Pict~re .
`. Fig1.f r~_9.1 - D_isplay anq Prog,:a_mma~~~
`Figure 9.2- Layering in Paid Search
`---
`- -
`.. __ .
`.
`..
`Figure 9.3 - Layering in Affiliates
`--
`. •'• .
`-
`-
`-
`···-
`.•
`. .
`-
`.
`Figure 9.4 - Layering in Users, Advertiser
`Properties, Ads and Trafficking
`Figu_re_~.5 - Layer_i'!_g_ in_ Retarge!ing .
`Figu_~e _9.6 - Third ~arty Ad Servin_g_ - t~f: Diagram
`
`Further Reading and Study
`'" - -- --
`.. - - - -
`- . . -
`- -
`--
`---
`~-
`-
`
`Acknowledgements
`
`Glossary
`
`24
`
`026
`
`
`
`Ad Serving Technology
`
`PURPOSE
`
`Why write a book about third party ad serving?
`
`Working in online media or digital advertising, there are certain
`levels of technical expertise which exist across any connected
`organisatiohs in the space. From a distance it would be easy to
`assume that everyone has the same level of training but when it
`comes to using the technical tools which enable to work that we
`do, the space is complex and the idea of learning everything is
`daunting. Some of us that work in Online believe we do not need
`to learn everything, that the task is too great and the necessity,
`trivial. The truth is that the knowledge in any on line advertising
`organisation is unfairly balanced between those that take the
`time to learn as much as they can and those that rely on the
`learned. Learning the role of the Media Agency planner, The
`Advertiser marketer, The Creative Agency developer or the
`trafficker only lifts the lid on a corner of the complex technical
`workflow of which we are all mandatory parts.
`
`I wrote a book about ad serving for one reason: there are not
`enough educational resources about Digital Marketing, Online
`Advertising and third party ad serving to satisfy any of its
`stakeholders.
`
`When a topic this complex comes along and the work requires an
`academic background which does not exist, the number of
`experts in the field shrinks and the circulation of verifiable
`knowledge becomes thin. The knock on effect is a culture of
`assumptions, a culture of the fear to ask too many technical
`questions of the few that have the knowledge and an
`environment which is risky to conduct business within.
`
`25
`
`027
`
`
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`This book provides in academia, a record of the technology as it
`stands today. I have grown up with technology that is growing at
`the same pace, and I am sharing what I know. I have tried my very
`best to not make any assumptions about how this technology
`works but despite asking many sources, the sources are too few
`to be completely verifiable across the board and for this reason I
`apologise for any incorrect assumptions I may have made about
`how this technology works. My aim is to keep the information up
`to date by offering revised editions and maintaining an internet
`presence; I am open to technical questions you may have
`regarding this material.
`
`I currently work for a well-known third party ad server but I have
`tried my best not to be bias towards its technology. Indeed there
`are some features mentioned in this book that the technology
`provider I work for does not offer today but that exist elsewhere
`in the industry.
`
`I really hope you get enjoyment and value from this book and that
`it helps your personal and professional understanding of these
`technologies. I put a lot of effort into bringing the parts together
`in a digestible way (which given the matrix-nature of the subject
`matter, is not easy). I welcome with open arms any feedback you
`may have regarding the content and any opinions I may have
`expressed within (my contributing editors have helped me to keep
`these to a minimum).
`
`Thanks for buying and happy reading!
`
`26
`
`028
`
`
`
`Ad Serving Technology
`
`Part A
`
`Setting the Stage
`
`27
`
`029
`
`
`
`Gregory Cristal
`
`Part A
`Setting the Stage
`
`• The flow of this book
`• What is third party ad serving?
`• Getting some perspective
`• Users
`• Publisher
`• Agencies
`• The Advertiser
`• Definitions and Methodology
`
`The flow of this book
`The interconnected nature of Online Advertising technologies
`reminds me of neurons in the brain. Their connected nature could
`be drawn two dimensionally and the resulting image would be a
`weave of connections. But the truth is that almost all nodes of this
`image would communicate with each other in some way,
`spanning distances that would make a visual connection in three
`dimensional space, too painful on the eyes to observe and too
`detailed for the brain to absorb. I was asked by colleagues and my
`network contacts as I was planning this book as to how I would lay
`it out given this almost quantum nature of the technology
`landscape. I decided to focus on the campaign management
`workflow and build concepts up from there.
`
`In this sense the book starts with some background for the reader
`(Part A), relating each of the concepts back to third party ad
`serving, such as the base technologies on a user's machine and in
`"the Cloud" (Chapter 1) and the industry players or stakeholders
`that assemble and pay each other to bring an online ad campaign
`to life (Chapter 2). In Part B we look at campaign management
`
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`Ad Serving Technology
`
`broken down by the various channels available today (Chapter 3)
`before looking at the concept of conversion tracking (attributing a
`sale online as a result of an ad campaign). Part C then focusses on
`understanding the analytic and reporting capabilities of an ad
`server (Chapter 5) before looking at strategies to act on that data
`such as Optimization (Chapter 6) Retargeting (Chapter 7) and
`Programmatic buying (Chapter 8).
`
`This book also contains a whole heap of words and phrases that
`have been more or less adopted across the industry. Due to the
`infancy of the digital advertising industry the meanings of some of
`these words are not wholly universal or understood therefore
`there is a convenient glossary located at the end of this book for
`your reference. Words which appear in quotation marks can be
`referenced in the glossary at the back.
`
`There are also some technology and company names that will
`appear in italics. These names are used as examples of
`technologies that may not be available in every market around
`the world but are growing or well adopted technologies used by
`big Agencies and Advertisers in Europe and the US. To provide the
`most balanced understanding of the technology landscape I have
`tried to offer the names of as many technology providers as
`possible although a large number of technology companies such
`as Google now offer many of the discussed features as part of
`their core DoubleC/ick marketing suite. The names featured are
`suggested examples. It is recommended that if you choose to
`utilise these technologies for digital marketing activity that you
`test their products first, preferably against a control group where
`a technology is not in use and also against a competitor tool
`which claims to offer the same results. This on-going
`experimentation will ensure that you are using the best tools
`available in the market today.
`
`As the flow of the various chapters suggests, the campaign
`management workflow is cyclical; the setup of all the ads can be
`
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`Gregory Cristal
`
`changed at any point during a campaign based on trends in the
`analytics data which is accessible just by logging into the ad
`serving interface. In this way the ad serving interface is made up
`of two core areas: campaign management and reporting.
`
`Perhaps most importantly let's address the elephant in the room:
`
`What is third party ad serving?
`A third party ad server is a business to business machine or
`system that does a specific service. This machine lives in various
`locations around the world to complete the tasks of the service; it
`lives in "the Cloud". As with other services that live in the Cloud it
`is possible to access them only via a web browser. Third party ad
`serving core "customers" are Media Agencies and Advertisers.
`These customers pay to have access to be able to log into the
`third party ad serving interface. Once inside the interface, the
`tasks are broken down into two separate areas: campaign
`management and reporting.
`
`Customers choose to use a third party ad server for these main
`reasons:
`
`Accredited Independent third party
`1.
`Consistent Counting Methodology
`2.
`Reliability to serve and Server uptime
`3.
`Format Support and Publisher certification
`4.
`Single location Reporting
`5.
`'6. De-Duplicated Reporting
`7.
`Campaign Specific Needs and Features
`
`Customers of third party ad servers pay initially for the ad space
`and then pay a tiny fee on top for each advert to benefit from the
`above. The third party ad serving space, as a section of the
`advertising technology industry has matured, the third party ad
`servers available to potential customers today is rather small. In
`
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`Ad Serving Technology
`
`fact there are only really two truly global third party ad servers
`left choose from: DoubleC/ick and DG/Mediamind. The others
`have seen diminishing growth or have never seen adoption
`beyond a handful of countries and a global ad server is important
`so that global Advertisers are seeing the above benefits in all
`markets. These more local third party ad servers include Adform,
`Mediaplex, AdRiver, Atlas, Flashtalking and Weborama. Thankfully
`there is uniformity among these technologies - they all work in
`basically the same way so all the concepts in this book are valid
`across the board although one or t
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