Serve and analyze the performance of your video content within native website players, networks, or connected TV
In this article, you will learn:
How to build a traffic-ready, Pre, Mid or Post roll Instream ad unit
How to build a traffic-ready, Pre, Mid or Post roll Instream ad unit.
Below you will find a step-by-step process to build an Instream unit.
- Access the Instream Builder via the main menu bar, under the Builder option.
- Click "Create new ad" in the upper right-hand corner.
- Provide a unique Name for the unit, and select the advertiser from the Advertiser dropdown.
- Optionally, you may provide a description of the video ad, categorize the ad unit with industry standard taxonomies, and set a pricing model, price and currency for the unit.
- Click Next, to proceed to the Creatives configuration screen.
General Settings
The Creatives > General Settings screen provide you the ability to configure the settings on a creative by creative basis. To complete the creative configuration, follow the steps below:
- Provide a unique Creative Name for the video, click browse and select the source video file from your workstation.
- Enter a Click Through URL as the destination should the viewer click the video.
- Toggle the Skippable Video option depending on the requirements, and select a skip time or percentage of the video.
Please note that Skippable Video parameters may be ignored by the primary ad server or ad network in which the video is displayed on. This feature provides the publisher with your 'desired' configuration, but may not be enforced based on the publishers requirements.
Advanced Settings
The Creatives > Advanced Settings screen provides additional parameters to modify the playback of the video, identification programs, and privacy icons. These settings should NOT be modified unless instructed to do so by the publisher or ad network.
On the top menu bar, go to Builder.
Below this, you will now see two options: Rich Media Ad Builder and VAST Ad Builder
Select VAST Ad Builder.
This will take you to our new interface, the VAST Ad Builder console.
Existing VAST Ad creatives will appear here.
You will see the “Actions menu” next to any existing VAST Ads.
Click on the pencil and paper to edit the existing ad creative.
The magnifying glass will take you to the console preview link.
The trashcan will allow you to delete the ad, and will ask for confirmation if you choose to do so.
Creating a new VAST Ad
To create a new VAST ad, you will go to Create New Ad in the top righthand corner.
General Ad Settings:
Configure basic video ad settings
Ad Name: Create and name your ad.
Advertiser: Select an advertiser from your existing list.
Description: Add a description here with ad tags, and additional information.
Ad Content Category Authority: Select IAB Taxonomy Version 2.0 or "none"
Category: Classification of ad content.
Model: A dropdown menu to select model. CPM, CPC, CPE, or CPV.
Price: Enter the advertisement CPM/CPC/CPE/CPV cost.
Currency: Select the correct national currency for your CPM/CPC/CPE/CPV.
SAVE: Ensure that you click “Save” in the top righthand corner.
When changes have been made, the icon will immediately change to an opaque “save” icon.
When no changes have been made, or the ad has been saved and is up-to-date, the save icon will be translucent.
If you attempt to exit with unsaved changes, you will be alerted with this window, where you will have the choice to “save” or “discard changes.”
When you press “save,” you will see a turquoise bar verifying that you saved successfully.
When you click “Next,” the screen will progress to the “Creatives” tab.
Creatives
Manage creative assets for this ad
General Settings:
Creative Name: The name of your specific creative advertisement. Source File: Your video file Clickthrough URL: The website that you will link to when the video is clicked on Skippable Video: If selected, a “Skip Ad” box will appear on your video .
Allow skip after: Set a specific time for viewing before the “Skip Ad” option appears.
To add a video file, select “Browse” to the right of the “source file” category.
A window will pop up showing you your “Finder” if you use a mac, or your “File Explorer” on PC. Select the correct video file from your computer, and click “open.”
You will see a loading symbol on the right hand side, as well as a progress bar, indicating your video upload progress.
Once your source video has finished uploading, you will see a preview on the righthand side.
Clickthrough URL: Select the website that you will link to when the video is clicked on or completed.
Skip Ad: You will see “skip ad” shown at the bottom. Selecting “Skip ad” will allow the user to skip the advertisement and go on to the intended video. You have the ability to choose the duration of video that users are required to see before being presented with the “skip ad” capability.
Click “Next” on the bottom righthand corner to proceed to “Advanced Settings.”
Advanced Settings:
Advanced playback settings: These settings affect video playback and are customizable. Scalable Video: Allows video to be resized based on viewer’s media platform
Maintain aspect ratio: Maintains correct ratio of height and width as video is scaled.
Media type: You may select 2D, 3D, or 360 video. Playback bitrate: The number of bits that are processed in a unit of time.
Frame Rate: Select your frame rate based on region, and how video was filmed.
Standard sizes are 24fps (Cinema), 29.97fps (NTSC for TV/Broadcast) and 25fps (PAL).
Bitrate and frame rate will be filled automatically based on the source video file.
Ad-ID: Enter your unique identifier provided by either Ad-ID or ClearCast.
Icon Positioning: X position, Y position, duration.
Select your media type, 2D Video, 3D Video, or 360 Video.
AD Identification and Privacy Programs
VAST Ads are required to comply with the iAB and to provide their universal Ad Id.
This ensures that the ads delivered are compliant with the demographic viewing content, and that the ads are not misleading, harmful, or offensive.
Universal Ad ID Authority:
You will see a drop-down menu that allows you to select between Disabled, Ad-ID, and ClearCast. Disabled would be used if the country you are in does not have any required identifier.
Ad-ID is the advertising industry standard unique identifier for all commercial assets airing in the United States. https://www.ad-id.org
ClearCast is the advertising industry standard unique identifier for all commercial assets airing in the United Kingdom.
https://www.clearcast.co.uk
Privacy Program Icons: Positioning for your AdChoices, NAI, and EDDA icons.
Privacy Program Authority: Select from disabled, AdChoices, NAI, or EDDA.
Icon positioning: Customize the location and placement of your privacy program icons.
Privacy Program Authority:
Disabled: Only the ad you have uploaded will play. No privacy program icons will be shown.
AdChoices:
If you have multiple ads in an ad pod, you will be offered the choice of which ad to play. Advertising based on your likely interests gives you more relevant ads and offers, and helps pay for the online content and services you enjoy. Provides information about the ad server and data providers used to select the Ad,
https://youradchoices.com/
NAI- Network Advertising Initiative:
A Code requiring notice and choice with respect to Personalized Advertising. Limits are places on the types of data that member companies can use for advertising purposes, as well as restrictions on member companies’ collection, use, and transfer of data used for Personalized Advertising.
https://www.networkadvertising.org/
EDDA- European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
EDAA created YourOnlineChoices.eu, a consumer-facing website, to ensure that companies have the means necessary to provide consumers with greater transparency, choice and control over Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA).
https://www.edaa.eu/
Click "Closed captions" tab on the top menu bar selection.
Closed Captioning:
Upload closed captioning files to pair with your video.
To add closed captioning, click the "add" button.
Once you click "Add," this screen will appear.
Select the language for your closed caption files, by clicking on the dropdown arrow.
Select "Browse" on the righthand side, which will lead to your "finder" or "file explorer" window. Locate the desired file and click "open."
You will see your caption file has been added.
You will also see a confirmation on the bottom righthand side that your caption file was successfully uploaded.
If you have added captions in multiple languages, you will see them listed below.
Click “Third-Party Tracking” tab on the top menu bar selection, or click “Next” if you do not wish to add Third-Party Tracking.
Third Party Tracking:
Tracking options for playback tracking and player interaction tracking.
Adventive automatically tracks these through our analytics and reporting. Users also have the ability to add third-party tracking for the following analytics:
Playback Tracking
Start: This event is used to indicate that an individual creative within the ad was loaded and playback began. As with creativeView, this event is another way of tracking creative playback.
First Quartile: The creative played continuously for at least 25% of the total duration at normal speed.
Midpoint: The creative played continuously for at least 50% of the total duration at normal speed.
Third Quartile: The creative played continuously for at least 75% of the duration at normal speed.
Complete: The creative was played to the end at normal speed so that 100% of the creative was played.
Accept Invitation Linear: The user activated a control that launched an additional portion of the linear creative.
Time spent viewing: Amount of video viewed at normal speed in seconds, or other appropriate time-based units. If a rewind event occurs during play, time spent viewing may be calculated on total amount of video viewed at normal speed, which may include additional amounts of video viewed after rewinding.
Other Ad Interaction: an optional metric that can capture all other user interactions under one metric such as hover-overs, or custom clicks. It should NOT replace clickthrough events or other existing events like mute, unmute, pause, etc.
Player Interaction Tracking
Mute: The user activated the mute control and muted the creative.
Unmute: The user activated the mute control and unmuted the creative.
Pause: The user clicked the pause control and stopped the creative.
Resume: The user activated the resume control after the creative had been stopped or paused.
Rewind: The user activated the rewind control to access a previous point in the creative timeline.
Skip: The user activated a skip control to skip the creative, which is a different control than the one used to close the creative.
Expand, Fullscreen, or Player Expand: The user activated a control to extend the player to a larger size.
Collapse, Exit Fullscreen, or Player Collapse: The user activated a control to reduce player to a smaller size.
Click “Next” on the bottom righthand corner, and you will be taken to the Preview tab.
PREVIEW
Preview Video Ad Unit
Preview: Your ad will be shown along with a demo video.
If you have set your ad to be skippable, you will see the "Skip Ad" button appear on the bottom righthand side.
Player Events: Shows tracking information based on your creative, including quartile views, impressions, and play/pause.
Share Preview Link: A preview link will be generated for you to send to others.
Copy and paste the preview link, as needed.
Next, you will set up your campaign.
Creating and Managing Your Campaign
Please note: If you are creating a campaign from the VAST Builder, you will see:
Ad Units
Ad units are the creatives that will be displayed on site.
Once you’ve added a placement to your site, you can now add ad units. To add an ad unit, click the + icon located to the right of the placement name for a dropdown or select Add Ad Units “click here” from the Placement Actions dropdown menu.
A list of your ad creatives will open in a popup window. The 2 dropdown menus in the upper right hand corner of the window allows you to sort by creative type (Rich Media, VAST, Image File, All) and from Newest to Oldest (alphabetically or by last modified date).
- Rich Media files – files that include advanced features such as video, audio, animations, or any other elements that engage a viewer.
- VAST - VAST videos that were created within the VAST Ad builder
- Image Files – Static images (any image file - png, jpg or gif uploaded to assets will populate. Image files can have one click URL assigned, but allow for multiple impression trackers.
Select "VAST" to add your VAST ad. You will see all existing VAST Ads, as well as a preview image on the lefthand side.
If you have rich media files, as well, they will appear in a list when "Rich Media" is selected.
Click to select the ad units you want to add to the campaign. To unselect an ad, just click it again. Click Submit to add your ad units to the campaign.
Ad units will be displayed under your placement as single line items. The ad name and click-through URL are inline-editable and can be updated by clicking on the underlined text. The creative name is not editable as it represents the creative asset to be displayed (to change the creative asset name, see Guide: Ad Builder).
The type of file/dimensions will show:
Image file/ Static image:
Rich Media file:
VAST file:
To view a tag, go to the
symbol to the right of the ad unit, within the campaign. Select "View Tag."
A window will pop up containing the VAST 2.0, VAST 3.0, and VAST 4.1 tags. Copy the desired tag, and paste it within your player.
To export a tag, go to the 
symbol to the right of the placement within the campaign. You can also go directly to the right of the individual ad unit, if you only require tags for an individual ad unit.
To export a tag sheet, select "Export tag."
This will prompt you to select your first party ad server, your export format, and your export method. Once you have selected these, press submit.
A spreadsheet will download to your computer if you have selected XLS Trafficking sheet and download.
As you will see, multiple VAST tags will generate for version 2.0, 3.0, and 4.1.
Proceed to your player, and embed the code.
Adventive's VAST Video Ad Builder is compliant with
Players
JW Player
Ooyala
Brightcove
Theo Player
Ad Networks
Google AdSense for Video & Google AdX
AppNexus
SpotX
Verizon (Oath Ad Platform)
OpenxX