What is Real-Time Bidding (RTB)

Real-time bidding (RTB) is a relatively new advertising technology that allows online advertising to be purchased and served on the fly. Instead of reserving prepaid advertising space, advertisers bid on each ad impression as it is served. The impression goes to the highest bidder and their ad is served on the page. The closest analogy would be to the stock market: as stocks (online advertising spaces) come up for sale, brokers (advertisers) bid for the stock. Whoever bids the highest price gets that stock (the ad is served). Then the process immediately starts all over again.

How do advertisers decide when to bid on an ad? Real-time bidding (RTB) platforms buy data about users from across the web. The data is usually in the form of behavioral data gathered from tracking cookies. This information is then fed into the real-time bidding platform, giving advertisers insight into who is about to be served the ad.

Here’s a simplistic example of how real-time bidding (RTB) would work in  the real world: A user spends a lot of time on financial websites, checking stocks and looking up Morningstar ratings. They arrive on a webpage that uses Real-Time Bidding to serve ads. 

On the back end, a major financial services provider has specified that they are interested in users that like stocks. A luxury carmaker has also indicated interest in this audience. The RTB system matches these advertisers with the user profile and they bid on the ad.  Whoever has the highest bid wins, and their ad gets served.

Of course, all this happens in the blink of an eye. Advertisers don’t literally sit and bid on individual ads. Like Google AdWords, they set maximum bids and budgets. The user criteria can also be very complex, taking into account everything from very detailed behavioral profiles to conversion data.

The amount of ads sold through RTB is still relatively low percentage of the overall $26 billion US online advertising market. However, a recent study from Forrester predicted that RTB spending will increase 130% from 2010 to $823 million in 2011.

RTB technology is at the forefront of innovations in the advertising world. This platform is not only allows access to the majority of the world’s leading exchanges, networks and premium sites, it also contains superior targeting methods and advanced bidding options.

Source: crowdscience.com

Implement 1x1 tracking pixels in DFP

What is a tracking pixel?

In some scenarios, an agency, advertiser, or other third party might decide to track DFP impressions with a tracking pixel. A tracking pixel is simply a server call that returns a transparent 1x1 image (normally a GIF file).

Where do I get a tracking pixel?

A third party typically sends a DFP publisher a URL. The publisher will insert the URL into a tracking pixel and traffic the pixel in DFP with a creative.

What are some examples of tracking pixels?

Most tracking pixels have the same format with slight variations in the style variable. It is up to the DFP publisher and the advertiser to choose which format to use. Here are a few examples:

<img src="TRACKING-PIXEL-URL-GOES-HERE" style="position:absolute; visibility:hidden">

<img src="TRACKING-PIXEL-URL-GOES-HERE" style="display:none">

<img src="TRACKING-PIXEL-URL-GOES-HERE" width="0" height="0">

Where do I put the tracking pixel in DFP?

If you want to add a tracking pixel to the creative code for a Flash or Custom type creative, simply insert the tracking pixel code at the top of the 'Creative Code' box in the creative's properties screen.

If you want to add a tracking pixel to an image creative in DFP, follow these instructions:

1. Change the creative type from image to custom.
2. In the custom creative's properties screen, upload the image creative.
3. Click Apply a Template and select the 'Image Banner Open in New Window' template. You'll be prompted to enter the 'Image-Width' and 'Image-Height' for your image creative (ex. 728x90).
4. Click Generate Code.
5. In the 'Creative Code' box, you'll see code for the template you just applied. Insert your tracking pixel above this code. An example looks like this:

<img src="TRACKING-PIXEL-URL-GOES-HERE" width="0" height="0">

< !-- Template ID = 4439 Template Name = Image Banner - Open in New Window-->

<a href="%c%u" target="_blank">

< img width="728" height="90" border="0" src="%h/2315223/728x90Image.JPG">

< /a>

Source: DFP Support