Delivering Mobile Rich Media Ads to Mobile Apps with AdMob

In January, we announced mobile support in DoubleClick Studio for rich media ads that are based on HTML5 standards. Today, we’re expanding the number of places that these creatives can be delivered in mobile. Now, both standard and rich media ads trafficked in DoubleClick for Advertisers (DFA) can run on AdMob inventory. Acquired by Google last May, AdMob is a mobile display ad network comprised of 89,000+ mobile sites and apps across 230 countries. DoubleClick is the only 3rd party ad serving platform from which rich media ads can be delivered into the AdMob network.

Today, through the mobile rich media beta with AdMob, advertisers can build HTML5 ads in DoubleClick Studio and run them across select apps on the AdMob network. AdMob’s certification of DoubleClick Rich Media covers three main HTML5 mobile rich media formats: banners, interstitials and expandables. When HTML5 ads are built in DoubleClick Studio, trafficked in DFA and run on AdMob, advertisers benefit from the integration of their mobile rich media metrics within the same reporting system they’re using for other channels such as search, online display and in-stream.

To date, advertisers have enjoyed the ability to build an ad once and run it anywhere with online display and rich media ads. Our work with AdMob gets us one step closer to making this possible for mobile display advertising too. At Google, we are committed to helping mobile scale and perform even better for brand advertisers.

Posted by Sally Cole, Product Marketing Manager

Making Creative Trafficking More Efficient in DFA

This month we are releasing two highly requested features for creative trafficking in DoubleClick for Advertisers (DFA): Flash variable detection and validation.

This update alleviates a major pain point for traffickers when uploading creatives in DFA. Previously traffickers needed to use a number of tools in order to detect and validate Flash variables in their creatives. Additionally, DFA did not detect any FlashVars that were written in ActionScript 3 so each one had to be added into the system manually. As a result, traffickers often found this process to be very time-consuming.

Now, when uploading Flash In-Page creatives, DFA automatically detects FlashVars for files written in both ActionScript 2 and ActionScript 3. We also built Flash validation directly into the interface so traffickers can do all of their work in one place instead of enlisting mulitple tools to get the same work accomplished.

The new “Override ad-level click-through” check box (as indicated above) also provides greater transparency into the URL for each exit.

These new features are just the latest in our continual efforts to make DFA more efficient and easier to use. Keep following us on this blog or in the DFA Help Center (login required) to read up on the latest product developments.

Posted by Jai Mani, Product Specialist

An Interface Facelift for DFA

Over the last ten years, DoubleClick for Advertisers has gone through many revisions and added scores of new features. The launch of DFA6 in 2008, in particular, was a significant step in improving the overall usability of the trafficking system. Now, we are entering another phase in delivering usability improvements across the DFA interface as we work to standardize DFA’s look and feel across the system.

As we roll out these enhancements you will notice that pages within the DFA interface will be:

• Shorter because we’re removing unnecessary white space
  
• Easier to scan and read because we’re incorporating color to help distinguish field labels from their values
  
• Easier to use because we’re standardizing elements across the user interface - such as buttons, drop downs and text fields

At first, we’ll be giving a preview of the updated look in the Admin tab. Soon to follow will be the Advertisers and Campaigns tabs.

These changes will definitely be noticeable, but remember: we’re not removing any fields or changing how DFA works; all the workflows will be staying exactly the same. We’re just making what we’ve got easier to use.

Keep on the lookout for other user experience enhancements coming soon!

Posted by Mike Gordon, User Experience Designer