Multi-Format Ad Zones
May 13th 2021
What’s new?
We're happy to announce that Publishers can now create Multi-Format ad zones, which allow them to combine up to ten of their existing Banner and Native Ad zones into a single zone. This versatile, cutting-edge format will allow Publishers to:
- Choose multiple existing ad zones and let them compete against each other, showing the zone with the highest eCPM multiple times, horizontally or vertically.
- Choose multiple existing ad zones and let them compete against each other, showing the zone with the highest eCPM only once.
What can this new feature do for me?
As a Publisher, using Multi-Format ad zones will enable you to significantly increase the performance of your ad zones, as it allows you to show multiple ad formats in a single zone.
As an Advertiser, Multi-Format ad zones allow you to serve multiple ad formats in a single zone. This can enable you to reach more users without the need to create specific creatives for each placement.
Performance increases
Using Multi-Format ad zones can significantly increase your revenues, impressions, and ad spot bidding values. We carried out A/B testing with a well-known Publisher. The Publisher did four separate tests on four different ad placements:
- Desktop NTV 300x250 banner
- Desktop Footer 900x250 banner
- Mobile Footer 300x250 banner
- Mobile NTV 300x250 banner
For Variant A, the traffic was sent to the website’s original Banner ad zones.
For Variant B, the ad zone was changed to a Multi-Format ad placement.
The table below shows the difference between Multi-Format and Banner for each of the four ad placements:
| Ad Placement | eCPM | eCPC | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Desktop NTV | +22% | +22% | +20% |
| 2. Desktop Footer | +49% | +94% | +216% |
| 3. Mobile Footer | +68% | +2% | +79% |
| 4. Mobile NTV | +68% | +55% | +71% |
- A: Banner 300x250 -> B: Native x4 & Banner 300x250
- A: Banner 900x250 -> B: Ad Group Banner x3 300x250 & Native x3 & Banner 900x250
- A: Banner 300x250 -> B: Native x4 & Banner 300x250 & Banner 300x100
- A: Banner 300x250 -> B: Native x4 & Banner 300x250 & Banner 300x100
Details
Creating a Multi-Format Ad Zone
To create a Multi-Format ad zone, go to Sites & Zones, click New Zone, and select Multi-Format. Once you choose what site you want to create the zone on, you will see a list of ad zones on that site that you can use for your Multi-Format ad zone.
Choosing zones for your Multi-Format Ad Zone
To add zones to your Multi-Format ad zone, tick the box on the left side of them.
When you select multiple zones, you are setting them to compete against each other to show in the Multi-Format ad zone. For this, you can select both Banners and Native Ads (Recommendation Widget).
Note: The maximum number of zones you can select is ten.
Setting the Multi-Zone layout
Once you have selected zones, then in the Multi-Zone Layout drop-down, you select how the ad zone that wins will display:
- Choose Single Zone to show the winning zone only once in the Multi-Format ad zone.
- The other options (Horizontal/Vertical x2, x3, x4) will show the winning zone multiple times horizontally or vertically.
- These Multi-Zone Layout options only apply to Banner ads. Native Ads are marked N/A, because if they win the auction, they will always display just once, as a Single Zone.
Note: If there are no zones on that site yet, or no zones of Banner or Native Ad format, you will not see any in the list, and will not be able to create a Multi-Format Ad Zone.
Note: The maximum size for Multi-Format zones using Banners is 1200 px, vertical or horizontal. Those using Native ads can be larger.
How Multi-Format ad zone bidding works
As we have seen, when a Publisher selects multiple zones to compete against each other, the zone that shows is the one that gets the highest eCPM price.
- In the case of Native ads, this eCPM price is the sum of the prices for each ad in the native widget.
- Similarly, for Banners, when a Multi-Zone layout is used, the eCPM price is the sum of the price for each ad zone in the Multi-Format ad zone:
- e.g. if the Publisher selects Horizontal x 3, the eCPM price that wins is the sum of the eCPM price for each of the three ad zones that display.
- When a Banner ad zone using one of the Multi-Zone layouts wins the bid to display in the Multi-Format ad zone, the ads that display will be the two, three, or four ads with the highest eCPM price.
Statistics
The individual Banner and Native ad zones that are used in your Multi-Format ad zones will show in your Statistics tab just as they normally would.
Note: When you create a Multi-Format zone, you can add Sub IDs to it to track it in the Statistics tab.
Videos
Introduction to Multi-Format Ad Zones
Watch this video to learn about the concept and advantages of Multi-Format ad zones.
Setting up a Multi-Format Ad Zone in the Admin Panel
Watch this video to learn how to set up a Multi-Format ad zone.