Header bidding

1. Header Bidding

1.1 What is Header Bidding

In-app Header Bidding is a real-time programmatic ad bidding technology that allows all demand parties to bid for the same ad display at the same time. The highest bidder gets the display opportunity, which ensures that publishers can get higher returns for each display.

 

1.2 The principle of Taku header bidding

(1) Each time an ad is requested, the header bidding ad source will be queried for a price, and the returned price will be sorted with the price filled in when the regular ad source is created. Ad requests are made according to the sorted waterfall priority.

(2) The biggest difference between header bidding and regular ad sources is that each request will first query a price, rather than being fixed to the price filled in when the regular ad source was created.

Note: The process labels in the following figure represent the corresponding data metrics of the Taku background mediation. Each label identifies the data corresponding to the above process. You can view the funnel data of the bidding ad source in the mediation by combining the labels.

 

2.Taku supported header bidding networks

Currently, Taku platform has supported in-app header bidding of multiple networks. The specific ad types are as follows:

 

3. How to use header bidding

3.1 Configure header bidding through Taku background

Taku already supports the network of header bidding. After creating the header bidding code position ID on the corresponding network, directly configure it in the Taku ad source and check "header bidding". If the network supports client bidding and server bidding, select the corresponding bidding type.

Path 1: Taku Backstage → [Mediation] → [Add Ad Source] → Header Bidding

Path 2: Taku Backstage → [Network] →[Monetization]→ [AD Source Setting ]→ Add Ad Source → Header Bidding

 

3.2 Configure header bidding through various mediation networks

Please refer to Mediation Network Guide

 

3.3 View header bidding through Taku background

You can view the bidding type of the current ad source in the mediation

 

4. Header Bidding Bid Floor Filtering Settings

(1) When the bidding price of the network is lower than the bid floor, Taku will filter the bidding result. At this time, no request will be made to the bidding ad source.

For example: Set the bid floor to 10. When the bidding ad source A returns a price query result of 9, no ad request will be made to A

(2) If the bid floor is set in both the segment and the ad source, the bid floor of the ad source will be used first.

(3) Setting the bid floor will reduce the fill and revenue of the bidding ad source, please set it with caution (the minimum bid floor is RMB ￥ 0.1 and USD $ 0.01)

(4) Setting path:

① Setting the bid floor of the ad source:Taku Backstage → [Mediation] → [Add/Edit Ad Source] → Modify the bid floor

② Segment bid floor setting path: Taku background → [Mediation] → [Setting] → Modify bid floor

 

5. How to configure Taku SDK

Note: The header bidding function only needs to complete the import of Taku SDK and the corresponding Network SDK, and no code modification is required.

(1) How to obtain Taku SDK and Network SDK

① When using the Header Bidding function, it is recommended to use the latest version of Taku and the supported Header Bidding Network SDK.

② Taku SDK and Network SDK can be downloaded from Taku developer backend

 

6. How to view header bidding related data in the report

You can choose one of the following paths

(1) Mediation path:

[Mediation] →Custom Metrics→Check “Bid Request”, “Bid Response Rate”, “Bid Fill eCPM”

Or select the “Bidding Data” metric template

 

(2) Full report path:

① Bidding Type = Header Bidding

② Report → Full Report → Custom Metrics → Check “Bid Request”, “Bid Response Rate”, “Bid Fill eCPM”

 

7. FAQ

(1) Why the number of Bidding requests is less than the number of layered requests

Please refer to the header bidding principle of Taku (see the figure below). Generally speaking, after initiating a request, Taku SDK will initiate a price bid request to the header bidding ad source.

Among them, the number of [Bid Request] of the header bidding ad source is close to the number of [Ad Requests] of the header layering.

 

(2) Why is the eCPM so high but the exposure is so low/the eCPM is so low?

First, distinguish the following metrics:

① Bid Fill eCPM: The average eCPM returned by the network when the header bidding ad source responds to the bid request. For example, if the platform returns an eCPM of 1000 and an eCPM of 1, the bid request response eCPM=500.5.

② eCPM API: Taku calculates the eCPM API by obtaining the actual revenue and display API from the network through the report API. The calculation formula is: (revenue/display API)*1000.

③ eCPM: Taku calculates eCPM based on the actual revenue obtained from the network through the report API and the display statistics of Taku. The calculation formula is: (revenue/display statistics of Taku)*1000. It can be understood as the eCPM of the advertisement that has been exposed.

Description:

① Taku will only display the header bidding advertisement when the eCPM returned by the header bidding advertisement source is at the highest position in the waterfall flow. For example, if the header bidding advertisement source returns an advertisement with an eCPM of 200 and is at the highest position in the waterfall flow, Taku will display the advertisement with an eCPM of 200. At this time, the bid request response eCPM is 200, and eCPM=200.

② When the header bidding advertisement source returns an advertisement with an eCPM of 200 and an advertisement with a price of 10, and the advertisement with an eCPM of 200 is at the highest position in the waterfall flow, Taku will display the advertisement with a price of 200. However, since the ad with a price of 10 is not competitive, the ad with a price of 10 is not displayed. At this time, the bid request response eCPM is 105, and eCPM=200 (because only the eCPM of the displayed ad is calculated).

Summary:

When checking the eCPM of Bidding, the bid request eCPM is more valuable for reference. The bid request eCPM can be used to understand the price ranking position of the header bidding ad source in the waterfall flow.

 

(3) Why are the number of bidding ad requests less than that of third-party networks?

Please refer to Section 6, Point 1, and select the inquiry indicator in the report to view it.

Generally speaking, Taku's inquiry indicator represents the number of inquiry requests sent to third-party networks.

You can add up the number of inquiries in each location and compare it with the total number of third-party networks.

 

(4) Why is the number of Bid Request less after adding A Bidding placement than B Bidding placement?

For example:After adding the bidding of Youlianghui, it is found that the number of Bid Request of Youlianghui is only 180,000, while the number of Bid Request of Baidu is 500,000.

Explanation:Generally speaking, when entering the client, the previously cached strategy will be requested first. Therefore, it is possible that after a period of time after configuring Bidding, the requested strategy is a strategy that has not yet been configured for Bidding. It is recommended to observe whether the number of Bid Request is normal two to three days after configuring Bidding.

 

(5) Why is the bidding winning rate of a certain platform so high, and the display rate of the ad source so low? 

① Assume that the configured bidding is platform A, and the same applies to other aggregation platforms or multiple bidding platforms.

② First, refer to the bidding logic of Taku and refer to the following figure.

③ The bidding logic of Taku is this: waterfall starts requesting and inquiring about bidding at the same time.

④ Assuming that the price returned by bidding is 20 at this time, it will participate in the sorting in the waterfall.

• At this time, Taku SDK starts to request from the top layer of the waterfall head downwards. For example, if the top layer of the waterfall is 25, then if the top layer 25 is returned, then Taku will request the ad source of 25. At this time, the bidding platform is considered to have lost the competition.
• If the previous waterfall has not returned, and the bidding of platform A with a price of 20 is requested, we will initiate a request for the bidding of platform A and request the 20 ad of platform A. However, if the price of platform A is 16, the previous high-priced ad 25 is returned, such as the ad of 25 yuan, or any ad higher than 16 yuan in the waterfall.

⑤ At this time, platform A is considered to have won the competition, but Taku SDK will choose to display the higher-priced ad of 25 yuan in the cache.

Brief summary:

In fact, it is best to compare the display rate with the ad sources in the regular waterfall flow with the same platform price close to the bid request eCPM (that is, approximately equal to the bid request eCPM). For example, the bid request eCPM of Bidding on platform A is 20, and the display rate is 20%. If the display rate of the 20th layer of the regular waterfall flow on platform A is also 20%. Then, it can be considered that the display rate is reasonable. (Note that this should not be compared with the display rate of platform B or platform C, and it is also recommended not to compare with ad sources with too much difference in price)

Note:

Taku will optimize the statistical caliber in version v5.9.71 and above, and will send a winning notification only when the request is actually initiated in the future, which is expected to increase the display rate of the Bidding platform after the winning.

 

(6) Why is the eCPM of the bidding ad source higher than the estimated eCPM?

For example: Tencent code position ID A: inquiry eCPM=50, estimated eCPM=40.

Explanation:

① In the waterfall request process, the inquiry eCPM only indicates the average bid of this code position ID. For example, his inquiry eCPM=50, assuming that there are 2 bids in total, 1 for 40 and 1 for 60, the inquiry eCPM=50.

② However, during the bidding process of 60, another network B bid 70 and got the display opportunity. Tencent failed in this head bidding process.

③ During the bidding process of 40, the bids of other networks were not as high as Tencent. In the end, Tencent 40 got the display opportunity.

So: this code position A: inquiry eCPM=50, estimated eCPM=40.

In the end, the result of inquiry eCPM>estimated eCPM will appear. This situation is also normal.