VAST URL Response

[Anton Roslov]

Hi all,

There is some confusion in how SSPs support VAST URL responses, where content of the ad is delivered via a URL (as opposed to inline XML).

So far we've come across at least 3 versions of how SSPs implement this:

1) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/vastad?price=..." } - ad returned on win notice (all good here)

2) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/win?price=...", "adm" : "http://adserver.com/vastad" } - URL returned inside "adm" field

3) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/win?price=...", "ext" : { "video_url" : "http://adserver.com/vastad" } } or variation of such "ext"

In cases 2 & 3 exchange calls "nurl" with bid price, and returns the VAST Ad URL to the publisher. VAST Ad URL is then called directly from the player.

Questions:

1) Is returning URL inside "adm" OK from the OpenRTB standard point of view? 

1.1) In a similar way, can we send a Native URL response (decoupled from win notice) in this field?

2) When bid request (section 5.8) says "Wrapper" does it actually mean the VAST Wrapper Response as described in VAST protocol? Or it means the VASTAdTagURI?

3) Can anyone suggest "better" ways of doing the above? Ideally without altering the standard?

Thanks,

Anton

[Antoine Bonavita]

Hello Anton,

Please see my comments inline below.

On 06/08/2015 10:51 AM, Anton Roslov wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> There is some confusion in how SSPs support VAST URL responses, where
> content of the ad is delivered via a URL (as opposed to inline XML).
>
> So far we've come across at least 3 versions of how SSPs implement this:
>
> 1) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/vastad?price=..." } - ad
> returned on win notice (all good here)
> 2) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/win?price=...", "adm" :
> "http://adserver.com/vastad" } - URL returned inside "adm" field
> 3) "bid" : { "nurl" : "http://adserver.com/win?price=...", "ext" : {
> "video_url" : "http://adserver.com/vastad" } } or variation of such "ext"
>
> In cases 2 & 3 exchange calls "nurl" with bid price, and returns the
> VAST Ad URL to the publisher. VAST Ad URL is then called directly from
> the player.

From my understanding of the specs (chapter 4.3, adserving options), 1
and 2 are OK. 3 is not. But if SSP and DSP mutually agreed to this, why not.

> Questions:
>
> 1) Is returning URL inside "adm" OK from the OpenRTB standard point of
> view?

The 2.3 specs say (adserving options): "...a VAST document video
object..". Based on that, I would say that putting a URL in the adm
field is not compliant.

Please note that version 2.2 of the specs (adm definition) were even
more clear: "...or VAST XML if response to a video object...".

> 1.1) In a similar way, can we send a Native URL response (decoupled from
> win notice) in this field?

Watch out, a native bid request is not a video bid request. My
understanding so far was that you were talking about video bid requests.

> 2) When bid request (section 5.8) says "Wrapper" does it actually mean
> the VAST Wrapper Response as described in VAST protocol? Or it means
> the VASTAdTagURI?

My reading of this is that the player will be able to understand a VAST
response that is a VAST Wrapper (thus including a VASTAdTagURI element).

> 3) Can anyone suggest "better" ways of doing the above? Ideally without
> altering the standard?

Not sure what you are trying to achieve but the specs clearly state
(chapter 4.3) that "...an OpenRTB compliant exchange is expected to
support all methods are defined in the subsections that follow.".

HTH,

A.

>
> Thanks,
> Anton
>
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[Anton Roslov]

Hi Antoine,

First lets get it right re interpretation of "VAST Wrapper".

When someone sends "video" : { "protocols" : [5,6] } what is the expected response from the bidder? 

If you take someone like OpenX, http://docs.openx.com/ad_exchange_adv/index.html#openrtb_bidresponse_video_sample.html then it will be "adm": "http://example.com/video1"

This looks reasonable (as they probably return this URL back to the video player), but not a strict interpretation of terms "wrapper" and "adm".

What do you think?

Thanks

[Antoine Bonavita]

Hi Anton,

Comments inline.

On 06/09/2015 06:59 AM, Anton Roslov wrote:
> Hi Antoine,
>
> First lets get it right re interpretation of "VAST Wrapper".
>
> When someone sends "video" : { "protocols" : [5,6] } what is the
> expected response from the bidder?

The response can be either a VAST2.0 wrapper or a VAST3.0 wrapper
document. So, to me it means the response should be a VAST document
containing the VASTAdTagURI element.

Honestly, I would expect protocols to be { "protocols" : [2,3,5,6] }
because I have never seen a player supporting VAST2.0 wrapper but not
VAST2.0. But this is not mandatory per the specs, just surprising.

> If you take someone like OpenX,
> http://docs.openx.com/ad_exchange_adv/index.html#openrtb_bidresponse_video_sample.html
> then it will be "adm": "http://example.com/video1"
>
> This looks reasonable (as they probably return this URL back to the
> video player), but not a strict interpretation of terms "wrapper" and "adm".
>
> What do you think?

To me OpenX example is just not compliant. Others might have different
opinions but I'll let them speak their mind.

A.

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>
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[Jim Butler]

I concur.  The "adm" attribute (and the alternative win notice response) is spec'ed to be markup ("adm" was named for ad markup); not a URL to the markup.  No exception was made for video; it should be the VAST XML document.  We can debate the merits of URL alternatives to markup for a future version, but all OpenRTB versions to date have specified that actual markup be delivered to the exchange, be that HTML with or without embedded JavaScript for banners, VAST XML documents for video, or the new Native JSON document for Native.

:JB

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