AdX In-app tags serving via 3rd party SSP

[Dhanesh Zorawar]

Hi Team,

I'm looking an answer or directions on serving AdX In-app ads.

The setup is as follows:

Publisher is using DFP SB and has trafficked PubMatic tags in one of the line items.

Now, when PubMatic doesn't have an ad to serve, it returns AdX tags which are blanking on the app.

The reason that I got from the DFP support team is that the AdX calls are https and not SDK calls, so the app is not able to handle the request.

Can somebody please provide some clarity on how should the setup be done in order that AdX tags do not blank? Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Dhanesh

[Andrew Brogdon (Mobile Ads SDK Team)]

When you say "...when PubMatic doesn't have an ad to serve, it returns AdX tags..." do you mean that an actual AdX creative tag is returned by PubMatic as backfill?

If so, are you currently using the Google Mobile Ads SDK in your app, or are all the requests going through software provided by PubMatic?

-Andrew

[Dhanesh Zorawar]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your reply.

Let me explain the scenario in detail:

1) Publisher is using DFP as the ad server.

2) When a user opens the app, call goes to DFP, where a line item is won. The line item has PubMatic ad tags.

3) PubMatic runs its own ad selection process on its side. However, when PubMatic is unable to fulfill the impression with any creative, it returns the AdX tags (as passback) to the app.

4) This is where the publisher is seeing blanks on the app.

The publisher is using Google Ads SDK (latest version 6).

Please let me know if you need any further information to look into this issue.

I could think of 2 options here:

1) Ask DFP to implement PubMatic as a Mediation network on their side. So, that when PubMatic is unable to fulfill the impression, the call goes to the next mediation network.

2) Use DFP passback tag instead of AdX tags as passback. This will ensure the call is returned to DFP from PubMatic and then DFP can further call to AdX.

Let me know if this makes sense.

Regards,

Dhanesh

[Andrew Brogdon (Mobile Ads SDK Team)]

1) Ask DFP to implement PubMatic as a Mediation network on their side. So, that when PubMatic is unable to fulfill the impression, the call goes to the next mediation network.

Mediation Adapters are actually written by the partners, rather than by Google.  In order for PubMatic to be listed as a mediation partner for DFP, we would need their involvement.

2) Use DFP passback tag instead of AdX tags as passback. This will ensure the call is returned to DFP from PubMatic and then DFP can further call to AdX.

What you're describing sounds like a Custom Event.  This is something individual developers can create and incorporate into their applications to handle mediation with networks that haven't chosen to become mediation partners with Google, or have other unusual requirements.  I would recommend taking a look at our Custom Event guide for AdMob:

https://developers.google.com/mobile-ads-sdk/docs/admob/android/custom-events

The client code it shows can also be used for DFP custom events.

-Andrew