You may be hearing a lot of mediation and bidding these days, and its role in helping publishers maximize their inventory returns. In this article, we break down all things meditation and bidding, and give you the scoop on Smaato’s solutions to make monetization simple.
Client-Side SDK Mediation
What is Client-Side SDK Mediation?
Do you use Smaato as your primary platform? If you do, you may already know that using Smaato as your primary mediation platform gives you complete control over the entire mediation process, and allows you to manage your full programmatic ad stack in one place.
Publishers can mediate other ad platforms within SPX utilizing an SDK connection. This mediation lets additional ad platforms compete in an auction with Smaato’s own demand partners.
Using Smaato as a primary platform gives you complete control over prioritization, and lets you set parameters for the ad exchange.
Who is Supported?
At Smaato, we have a wide range of existing client-side meditation adapters.
Our SDK already has client-side mediation adapters for the following certified partners: MoPub, Facebook Audience Network, and AdMob/GAM.
We can also support any custom SDK network of your choice, using a custom class and custom data.
Need support for a different certified SDK mediation adapter? Reach out to Smaato’s Product Team.
How Does Client-Side SDK Mediation Work?
First, Smaato’s SDK requests ads from other third party SDK partners. Then, these third party partners compete in a unified auction. This auction can include priority and price-tiered waterfalls, or can happen in parallel. We make it easy for publishers to organize their waterfall by priority and price, deals, and more. That way, publishers can set specific tiers to give premium deals a chance to fill first. They can then maximize revenue by then prioritizing the mediated partners who typically respond to higher prices.
Now, these third party SDK partners and even other SDK mediation networks and publisher-owned demand (like direct campaigns) are competing with Smaato’s own demand (including open auction and deals).
As a result, increased competition helps improve fill rates and eCPMs.
Server-Side Mediation
What Is Server-Side Mediation?
If you haven’t made the switch to Smaato as your primary platform, you can still enjoy mediation benefits using server-side mediation.
Publishers can mediate other ad platforms within SPX utilizing a server-to-server (S2S) connection. This allows these other ad platforms to compete against Smaato’s robust network of demand partners.
Who is Supported?
Our platform already has certified partner connections to Inmobi and MobFox, but we can support any custom network of your choice for JS tag (display) and VAST tag (video) mediation.
If you would like us to add a particular certified mediation network, please reach out to Smaato’s Product Team.
How Does Server-Side Mediation Work?
Smaato’s platform requests ads from other third party ad partners. Then, these ads compete in a unified auction (priority and price tiered waterfalls, or in parallel) against Smaato demand (both open auction and deals). They can even compete against other mediation networks and publisher-owned demand (e.g. direct campaigns).
As a result of the increased competition, publishers enjoy higher fill rates and eCPMs without the hassle of any additional SDK dependencies. With a single mediation integration, publishers get all the benefits of working with multiple partners.
Why Use Smaato for Mediation?
So, why integrate with Smaato’s mediation as a monetization solution?
All-in-One Simplicity
On top of being completely omnichannel, we’re omni ad format, too. Our mediation solutions give you a competitive set of tools to manage your waterfall.
In SPX, you can mediate and add bidders all in one place, and have this compete with your direct deals. You also get access to the high-quality demand that’s already built into Smaato, making it easy to access a wide array of demand partners.
Our mediation solutions help publishers improve their fill rates while boosting eCPMs and revenue.
Reporting
With client- and server-side mediations, we offer robust reporting functionality across all key metrics, including revenue, served-ads, impressions, eCPMs, fill rate, and view rate. Data is power, and we want to make sure you have the insights you need to optimize performance.
Unified Bidding
What Is Unified Bidding?
Unified Bidding is Smaato’s own in-app header bidding solution. It comes with our SDK, NextGen SDK, and helps publishers increase their revenue by centralizing demand.
Publishers also get the option of bringing their own demand to compete within the Unified Bidding auction. How? Publishers can add other ad platforms as header bidding bidders (called Unified Bidders) within SPX utilizing a Prebid Server connection.
Now, these bidders can compete in a unified auction against Smaato’s own robust network of demand partners, as well as against any deals, direct campaigns, and mediated ad networks. After all, increased competition = higher ecpms!
Who is Supported?
Our platform already includes direct connection to bidders like AppNexus/Xandr, OpenX, Pulsepoint, PubMatic, and Rubicon/Magnite.
How Does Unified Bidding Work?
Smaato’s platform requests ads from other bidders and has them compete in a unified auction (in parallel) against Smaato demand (open auction, deals), and even mediation networks and publisher-owned demand (e.g. direct campaigns).
It’s simple to get started. We just need your publisher/account ID and ad placement ID from one of Smaato’s supported bidders.
Why Use Smaato for Bidding?
Header Bidding is an inherently level playing field, which lets more demand partners participate in an auction while ensuring publishers get the highest possible eCPMs for their inventory.
Smaato’s Unified Bidding solution relies on a wide range of demand, and enables publishers to add extra Prebid Server bidders for guaranteed fill. Plus, we make it simple to make informed optimizations by providing transparent reporting and the ability to run A/B tests.
Unified Bidding offers a fair, transparent, unbiased bidding solution for publishers.
As you can see, Smaato’s many mediation and bidding solutions are built with flexibility to give you complete control over your monetization strategy.
Enjoy the simplicity of a single integration to mediate and support bidding, or choose to integrate with multiple SDKs to achieve your mediation goals. The options are almost as endless as the demand sources you can tap into.
To learn more about our mediation and bidding solutions, get in touch.
