Real-time bidding

Mobile real-time bidding (RTB) refers to the means by which ad inventory is bought and sold on a per-impression basis, via programmatic instantaneous auction, similar to financial markets.^[1] With real-time bidding, advertising buyers bid on an impression and, if the bid is won, the buyer’s ad is instantly displayed on the publisher’s site.^[2] Mobile real-time bidding lets advertisers manage and optimize ads from multiple ad-networks by granting the user access to a multitude of different networks, allowing them to create and launch advertising campaigns, prioritize networks and allocate backfill percentages.^[3]

Real-time bidding is a dynamic auction process where each impression is bid for in (near) real time versus a static auction where the impressions are typically bundled in groups of 1,000.^[4]

Entities

The mobile real time bidding (RTB) ad ecosystem:^[5]

• Buyers and systems that use demand side platforms (DSP)
  • 161Media^[6]
  • 24/7 Trader (MIG/24/7 Real Media)^[7]
  • AcuityAds^[8]
  • Adfonic^[9]
  • Adform^[10]
  • AdIQuity^[11]
  • ADMAXIM ^[12] enables brands to navigate the complexity of mobile media and capture the full potential of engaging with consumers on-the-go.
  • ADMIZED^[13]
  • AdPilot^[14]
  • ADREACH^[15] by Adstream is a leading edge, end-to-end digital advertising and marketing platform that uses the most advanced learning algorithm technology to deliver significantly improved returns for clients, agencies, media owners and developers across mobile and online display, text, video and live streaming video ads.
  • Adsmobi^[16]
  • AdServingSolutions.com (ad serving RTB DSP)^[17]
  • Airpush^[18]
  • AppNexus^[19]
  • Avazu DSP^[20]
  • BidMath,^[21] is a Self-serve RTB DSP, exclusively for mobile and largest in Canada
  • BidTheatre^[22]
  • Bonadza^[23]
  • ChoiceStream^[24]
  • Collective Roll,^[25] a leading results-driven managed RTB provider
  • Crimtan^[26]
  • DataXu^[27]
  • Delta Projects^[28]
  • Digilant^[29]
  • DoubleClick Bid Manager (formerly Invite Media)^[30]
  • EQ Works^[31]
  • Fiksu^[32]
  • Fractional Media^[33]
  • Glow^[34]
  • Go2mobi^[35] is a company at the forefront of real-time bidding, driving over 2 million clicks every day.
  • Hyperbidder^[36] is an Ad Exchange Network with RTB and Re-Targeting, serving thousands of Publishers with over 20 Billion Page Views.
  • Impulse^[37]
  • Infectious Media^[38]
  • Jampp^[39]
  • Jumptap^[40]
  • LucidMedia^[41]
  • MediaMath^[42]
  • Mediasmart^[43]
  • OpenX^[44]
  • Platform161^[45]
  • PocketMath^[46] is a mobile DSP for buying in-app and mobile web inventory for smartphones and tablets, worldwide - all via RTB.
  • Reduce Data (Programatic DSP)^[47]
  • ReTargeter (retargeting DSP)^[48]
  • Revcloud^[49]
  • Rocket Fuel Inc.^[50]
  • RTB House^[51]
  • SiteScout^[52]
  • Smadex^[53]
  • StrikeAd^[54]
  • Tapit^[55]
  • The Trade Desk^[56]
  • TLVMedia^[57]
  • Tradelab^[58] Independent Trading Desk based in Paris and Singapour.
  • Triggit^[59]
  • Turbo^[60]
  • Turn^[61]
  • Wave Digital Media^[62] Real-Time Bidding, Evolved.
  • WAY2TRAFFIC / W2T DSP^[63]
  • x+1^[64]
  • Zebestof^[65] International Trading Desk

• Sellers who use Supply Side Platforms (SSP)
  • 24/7 Media^[66]
  • AdIQuity^[67] Mobile Ads
  • Adloop - Your Revenue Driven Gateway.^[68]
  • AdMarvel^[69]
  • ADMAXIM^[12]
  • Admeta^[70]
  • Admeta^[71]
  • ADREACH^[15]
  • Adtech^[72]
  • AppNexus exchange^[73]
  • Burstly^[74]
  • Google Admeld^[75]
  • Hyperbidder^[36] is an Ad Exchange Network with RTB and Re-Targeting, serving thousands of Publishers with over 20 Billion Page Views.
  • Improve Digital^[76]
  • Mobclix^[77]
  • Monetize More^[78]
  • MoPub^[79]
  • Nexage
  • Open Adstream (24/7 Real Media)^[80]
  • OpenX^[81]
  • PixFuture
  • PubMatic^[82]
  • Ripple^[83]
  • The Rubicon Project^[84]
  • WAY2TRAFFIC / W2T SSP^[63]

• Real time Ad Exchanges
  • 24/7 Real Media RTB for Publishers
  • 360 Platform by Improve Digital^[85]
  • AdBroker^[86]
  • Adcloud
  • AdECN^[87]
  • DoubleClick^[88]
  • Flurry^[89]
  • Hyperbidder^[36] is an Ad Exchange Network with RTB and Re-Targeting, serving thousands of Publishers with over 20 Billion Page Views.
  • Index by Casale Media^[90]
  • Microsoft Ad Exchange^[91]
  • Mobclix^[92]
  • OpenX^[93]
  • PulsePoint^[94]
  • Right Media^[95]
  • Smaato^[96]
  • WAY2TRAFFIC / W2T AdExchange^[63]
  • Zenovia^[97]

• Trading Desks
  • Accuen^[98]
  • AirDSP
  • B3^[95]
  • Cadreon^[99]
  • Densou Trading Desk^[100]
  • The Exchange Lab^[101]
  • IMPAQT
  • iProspect^[102]
  • Varick Media Management^[103]
  • Vivaki^[104]
  • Xaxis^[100]

How it works

A typical transaction begins with a user visiting a mobile website. This triggers a bid request that can include various pieces of data such as the user’s demographic information, browsing history, location, and the page being loaded.^[105] The request goes from the publisher to an ad exchange, which submits it and the accompanying data to multiple advertisers who automatically submit bids in real time to place their ads.^[105] Advertisers bid on each ad impression as it is served.^[106] The impression goes to the highest bidder and their ad is served on the mobile page.^[106] This process is repeated for every ad slot on the mobile page.^[106] Real time bidding transactions typically happen within 100 milliseconds from a user visiting a website.

The bidding happens autonomously and advertisers set maximum bids and budgets for an advertising campaign.^[106] The criteria for bidding on particular types of consumers can be very complex, taking into account everything from very detailed behavioral profiles to conversion data.^[106]

Demand side platforms

Demand side platforms (DSPs) give buyers direct RTB access to multiple sources of inventory.^[4] They typically streamline ad operations with applications that simplify workflow and reporting.^[4] DSPs are directed at advertisers.^[4] The technology that powers an ad exchange can also provide the foundation for a DSP, allowing for synergy between advertising campaigns.^[4]

The primary distinction between an ad network and a DSP is that DSPs have the technology to determine the value of an individual impression in real time (less than 100 milliseconds) based on what is known about a user’s history.^[107]

Supply side platforms

Large publishers often manage multiple advertising networks and use supply side platforms (SSPs) to manage advertising yield.^[4] Supply side platform utilize data generated from impression-level bidding to help tailor advertising campaigns.^[4] Applications to manage ad operations are also often bundled into SSPs. SSP technology is adapted from ad exchange technology.^[4]

Difficulties in implementation

A consumer’s history is currently very difficult to determine in the mobile world.^[107] This is due to technical limitations that continue to make the type of targeting and tracking available on the desktop essentially impossible on smartphones and tablets.^[108] The lack of a universal cookie alternative for mobile web browsing also limit the growth and feasibility of programmic ad buying.^[108] Mobile real time bidding also lacks universal standards.^[108]

See also

• Programmatic Marketing
• Ad exchange
• Mobile advertising
• Demand-side platform
• Supply-side platform

References