Media file targeging, slot positioning, supply allocation, flight date timezones, default pod settings, and much, much more.
Core Improvements
Mediafile Targeting
SpringServe now allows you to set media file targeting on your supply and demand tags. In the targeting tag, the Media File Targeting section expands and there you can set allowed durations, mimetypes, and bitrates.
When targeting specific durations, SpringServe will block the any ad outside of the allowed durations. In this case, SpringServe fires VAST error code 1641 for the demand tag.
Because an ad can contain multiple media files with various mime types and bitrates, SpringServe will not block an ad if it contains at least one media file that passes mime type and bitrate targeting.
Therefore, if any media file has a mime type / bitrate that passes targeting, it can still serve. In the case where no media file in a returned ad passes targeting, then we will fire a VAST error code: 1642 for bitrate and 1643 for mime type.
Please see our wiki for more information about media file targeting.
Slot Positioning
SpringServe now allows more granular control of where demand can serve in a pod. In the Pod Settings tab you can select how to build the waterfall for the entire tag, or per slot.
By selecting Slot as your Waterfall Build, you can access additional options.
Slot positioning of All will call your full waterfall for each of the slots in the pod. In this case, you set demand within your tiers as usual and there is no change to the appearance of the Demand tab.
Other options for slot positioning are Order and Number. With both of these options, you can create separate demand stacks for the slots in the pod. When Order is selected, you will see tabs for First, Middle, Last, and All on the Demand tab.
Add demand on the slot tabs, and see the totality of the waterfall on the all tab. For example, if your pod has 5 slots, SpringServe will call the demand on the Middle tab for slots 2, 3, and 4.
If you select Number slot positioning, you can create separate demand stacks for each of the slots in the pod. Note that number positioning is only available for custom pods where the number of slots in the pod is defined.
Quickstats summary data displays based on the tab selected and includes slot and time metrics.
For more information on slot positioning, please see our wiki. Let your account manger know if you are interested in beta testing this feature.
Header Bidding
We continue to expand our support with additional header bidding platforms, including TripleLift, DMX, and DistrictM in server side header bidding. Additionally, the names of some platforms have been updated in the dropdown list to properly reflect the inventory.
- SpotX Joint Solution –> SpotX TC+
- AppNexus –> Xandr
- RhythmOne –> Unruly
- Telaria –> Magnite: Telaria
- Oath –> Verizon Media
Feature Additions
VAST Caching for Budgets
SpringServe’s VAST caching adjustment feature helps protect budgets from overspending on supply that cache responses for longer periods of time. When setting an impression budget, you can check the box for Allow VAST Caching to enable this feature.
If your supply uses pods, this feature may be especially useful to you since pods often cache responses. Talk to your account manager if you would like to enable this feature for your account.
Supply Allocation
Our new supply allocation feature allows you to declare that some supply is more important than others. Demand tag budgets will look at the supply tag allocation and spend on the better allocation before spending on lower allocation supply.
You can set Supply Allocation on the partner or tag level. On the Settings tab of a supply partner select Custom in the Default Supply Allocation Setting pillbox and then select a rank from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most important.
New tags in this partner will inherit the partner’s supply allocation settings.
On the supply tag level, you can override the partner default in the Advanced section of the Settings tab.
Supply tags with allocations will have a highlighted award icon in the full view of targeting icons.
Certain demand tags may not need to respect supply allocations. SpringServe allows you to flag budgets that should ignore supply allocation and spend strictly according to how volume hits the demand tag.
If you are interested in beta testing supply allocation, please let your account manager know.
Macros
QPA Macros
Passthrough macros now support arrays of values. SpringServe allows you to pass custom arrays from the supply tag endpoint into the macro on the demand tag. These macros are supported in the endpoint url or in HB bid parameters.
For example, on a supply tag, you might include the following string in the export tag “&colors=red,yellow,blue”. In a SSHB tag, you may have a custom bid param field where you can pass {{QPA_colors}}.
SpringServe will populate this macro with the array [“red”, “yellow”, “blue”].
If using regular non-array passthrough macros with {{QP_colors}}, SpringServe will populate the macro with a single string “red,yellow,blue”
Macro Overrides
We have made macro overrides more robust. SpringServe now supports replacement of the macros for content_genre and app_store_url in Open RTB and header bidding.
Additionally, if you would like to override a macro with a null value, we now support blank values for any macro in the dropdown list.
In reporting, the replacement value will be shown for all downstream tags in a call chain.
UI/UX Improvements
IP Address Obfuscation & Suppression
Obfuscation
On the supply tag in Advanced settings, select a reason to obfuscate the IP address: Coppa or GDPR.
In both cases, SpringServe will zero out the last group of digits in the IP address when passing it to your demand. This type of obfuscation allows for application of limited targeting while still meeting Coppa and GDPR standards.
Suppression
On the demand tag in Advanced settings, choose to suppress the IP address in the X forwarded for (XFF) header. When enabled, SpringServe will completely suppress the IP address in the XFF in the headers and pass 0.0.0.0 (IPv4) or 0000:0000:0000:0000 (IPv6)
Default Pod Settings
You can now set default settings for pods in your account on the Default Settings tab in your account settings. If your default supply environment is CTV, you can set defaults for pod settings, and if applicable, blocking duplicate creatives.
Index Tables
Weight Calculations
SpringServe displays a calculated weight based on user-entered ratios for house ads in a waterfall and for supply tags within a router. If inactive tags have non-zero ratios, they will no longer be included in the calculated weight.
Including inactive tags in the calculation is misleading because they will never see any requests. This update affects the table on demand tab of a supply tag and the supply tab of a router.
In the case of supply tags that belong to a router, the breadcrumb also shows the updated calculated weight.
Inactive DC Account Filter
Supply and demand partner index pages now have a filter for inactive DC accounts, with the default filter excluding inactive DC accounts. Therefore if an account is deactivated, the partner will no longer be visible by default in the index. You can still access these partners in the index table by switching the filter.
Metric Names
For clarity, we now include % in the metric names in index tables when the metric is a rate calculation. This change makes metric names consistent between quickstats and metric selection on the reporting page.
Targeting Usability
Flight Dates
When applying flight dates to your demand, you can now select the timezone. The default timezone is UTC. The end hour is inclusive, as indicated in the date selector by the 59 minutes displayed for the end date hour.
On campaigns we now display a warning message if your flight date is in the past. This message was previously only displayed on demand tags.
Key-Values
You can now target empty values by selecting Empty from the pillbox in the Key-Value Group container. When selecting Empty, specify whether the key is or is not empty by selecting is in or is not in from the dropdown, respectively.
Note that the key required is checked for empty value targeting; the key must be included in the request when either allowing or blocking empty values.
Targeting Icons
When associating demand and supply or adding tags to routers, campaigns, or labels we now display all targeting icons. Previously, targeting icons only included the “lite view” icons.
Miscellaneous Improvements
Waterfall Tiers
In addition to the First Look tier, you can now place demand in up to 10 separate tiers in your waterfall. This limit was previously five.
Endpoint Validations
SpringServe does not support direct links to media files in the vast endpoint url. You will receive a validation error upon save if the endpoint url ends with a video extension such as .mp4.
Reporting
Content Dimensions
Content metadata are now available in reporting as dimensions and filters. These include genre, series, season, episode, and title. Content dimensions will be lowercased in reports.
Note that aggregation of these metadata can only occur if the content parameters are included in the supply tag request. On the Export Tag tab of a supply tag, you can add all content macros.
Slot Metrics
Pod metrics previously only included time metrics. We now include slot metrics for supply reports. These metrics include the following:
- pod slots avail: the number of possible slots in the pod
- pod slot opps: the number of slots returned in the pod
- slot opp % = pod slot opps / pod slots avail : the return rate of slots in a pod
- slot opp fill %= impressions / pod slot opps: the fill rate for returned slots in the pod
- slot fill %= impressions / pod slots avail: the fill rate for slots available in the pod
The Pod Report template now includes slot metrics, along with Requests, Opps, Imps, pod time metrics, and some financial metrics.
State Reporting
SpringServe now offers more granular geographical reporting for states and provinces of the United States, Canada, and India.
Talk to your account manager if you would like to enable state reporting for your account. Note that aggregation will begin when your account is enabled and historical data is not available.
Alerts
DC Clearing Change Deadline
DC deadline for clearing changes updated to last of the month – if changing clearing terms, you now have until the last day of the month at midnight UTC for your partner to reconnect with updated terms. note that this is a change not only in the day, but in the time of the deadline – it was previously midnight pacific time.
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