How to Choose the Right Header Bidding Container

Header Bidding
Container
Partner Checklist

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02HEADER BIDDING CONTAINER | PARTNER CHECKLIST
Introduction
It’s been said that for every problem, there’s a solution. While
that’s hardly the case, it’s still a bedrock truism for those
who make their living by way of invention. There’s a common
belief held among tech workers that logistical hurdles can be
surmounted by technological means, provided enough time
and some A/B testing.
But what happens when the tables turn, or the technologies
grow obsolete, or the market shifts, as so often it does?
What happens when a technological “solution” that tens of
thousands of people rely upon becomes, itself, a problem to
overcome?
Such is the case with header bidding containers. Originally
meant to give publishers a workaround for the challenges
posed by “closed-system” ad servers – closed in the
sense of both their pricing and functionality – header-
bidding containers have become something of a problem
themselves, lately.
A header-bidding container or wrapper ought to provide a publisher
with a way of implementing several header bidding solutions all at
once, without having to painstakingly install each solution, one by one,
and manage them as individual line items. What’s more, it ought to
provide publishers with the same kinds of transparent pricing, ease
of installation and freedom to choose whichever bidding partners
they want to work with. That, after all, was the whole concept behind
header bidding to begin with.
But there are many instances where that’s no longer the case. Taking
advantage of the relative “newness” of header-bidding containers,
a whole generation of point-solution header-bidding companies has
sprouted up. By charging publishers fees that aren’t oftentimes fully
disclosed; by operating containers that prevent publishers from seeing
which ad exchanges and networks are competing for their inventory;
and by requiring lots of hand holding and pricey “tech support” when
the technology breaks down, these new companies present, pretty
much, more of the same-old same old: What once was a means of
enabling publishers has developed into a means of hobbling them.
HERE’S HOW IT SHOULD WORK

And so we’re back at square one.
Or are we, really?
For all the fog and mystery that surround “closed-system”
header-bidding solutions, there are open-source header-
bidding solutions, too. Running on open-source javascript
like AppNexus’ own prebid.js, these types of solutions
continue to “keep it real” and transparent when it comes
to how they function.
Basically, it all boils down to this: Know your partner! Learn
how your vendor’s container operates and how much it
costs, if anything. Learn whether it has any further benefits
to it, like the ability to forecast new inventory – or provide
your company with 24-hour tech support service if things
go wrong.

Solution
To spell it all out,
here’s an easy
checklist of the
most important
questions you ought
to be asking your
container partner:
01. Do you know if they are charging you anything
for the technology they provide?
If so, they’d better have a good reason, since
there are plenty of open-source header-
bidding containers out on the market that are
transparent about fees and additional costs
related to the service – not the tech.
02. Are they charging you a service fee – and if so,
then for what services?
If they’re any good at what they’re doing, they
should be available and on call whenever you
need them, since digital advertising – and the ad
serving that comes along with it – never,
ever sleeps.
03. Is your partner bringing anything else to the
table in terms of improving the yield of your
container?
Are they ready to run the extra mile and provide
you with optimization strategies tailored for
your business’s specific needs? And if not, then
why not? Aren’t they supposed to be experts in
their field?
04. Is the script that their container runs open-
sourced or proprietary?
If it’s proprietary, then that might pose a problem
for your business over the long run. Because
there will eventually come the day when you’ll
want to know how to fix bugs and/or make
container updates yourself – and not have to rely
on another party to help you. More importantly,
you’d also lose everything if you ever leave your
partnership since they own the solution, so you’re
tied into staying with them. But if the script’s
open-source, then odds are you’ll be better off,
since the code your container runs on is readily
available for all eyes to see.
05. This one’s pretty important…
Is your container giving you transparent access
to whichever demand sources you’re looking to
do business with?
If they’re not, then that’s a big problem. Because
that means they’re repeating the same issue
header bidding was meant to fix in the first place:
the issue of transparency. If they’re not giving
you access to whom you’re working with, how will
you even know the true value of your inventory?
How are they behaving any better than, well,
Google DFP?
06. How tricky is it to set the container up and
keep it running?
Is your tech vendor willing to go out of their
way to walk you through the implementation
process – or even implement your container for
you – or are they willing to sit back and let you
try and puzzle it all out, yourself? Not that it’s
necessarily a bad thing for you to learn how to
implement and update the container script that
powers your business – but sometimes an extra
hand or bit of advice can save the day – not to
mention save you many dollars in yield.

To learn more how appnexus header-bidding solutions can help your business
grow incremental yield, feel free to contact us anytime!
Meanwhile, we hope this primer was useful!
For more information regarding choosing the right header bidding solution,
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How to Choose the Right Header Bidding Container

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How to Choose the Right Header Bidding Container