Dive Brief:
- Google is responding to programmatic header bidding in two ways: it is testing exchange bidding in Dynamic Allocation, and is offering First Look to all DoubleClick for Publishers clients.
- First Look began beta testing late last year as a response to header bidding, and according to Google, offered publishers a 10% lift in ad revenue.
- Google says both new moves increase publisher revenue through real-time bidding and efficient server-side connections.
Dive Insight:
In a Google blog post Jonathan Bellack, director of product management, wrote, “Our goal is to help publishers thrive and create sustainable businesses with advertising. With the transition to mobile, publishers only have a split second to deliver the most relevant and highest paying ads to maximize their overall yield."
Bellack explained that research has shown that even one extra second of load time on mobile can result in 58% higher bounce rates, which is why they are pushing out these features.
"We’ve been working on two new features that use the power of real-time bidding and the efficiency of server-side connections to generate greater revenue for publishers without compromising user experience," he said.
With exchange bidding in Dynamic Allocation, publishers can invite third-party exchanges to compete with DoubleClick Ad Exchange and the publisher’s reservation campaign price bids so the publishers can choose the bid with the highest price.
The First Look beta including Gannett, Grupo Zeta, Gumtree, Sankei Digital, Scripps, Time Inc., and Zoopla.