AppNexus and Index Exchange today announced an expansion of their header bidding partnership to include the support of server-to-server integrations.
Both AppNexus and Index Exchange will work as partners in each other’s server-side solutions. In May of 2016, AppNexus and Index Exchange mutually agreed to support each other’s header-based wrapper.
“We strongly believe that publishers should have unbiased and transparent access to every exchange, not just the one that comes with their ad server,” said Tom Shields, chief strategy officer at AppNexus.
“Our server-to-server offering builds on our years of delivering fast, reliable server-side connections to hundreds of industry partners, and just like the open source prebid.js, allows publishers transparent access to the exchanges that work best for them.”
Like traditional header bidding, server-to-server integrations run a unified auction in which Supply Side Platforms (SSPs) act as demand sources and bid on a publisher’s inventory. The technology, however, is more similar to Real-Time Bidding (RTB).
The auction takes place in the technology provider’s server as opposed to the publisher’s header. By design, the server-to-server solution works best in a hybrid capacity with a traditional header bidding wrapper.
The combination of the two capabilities grants publishers the flexibility to maximise cookie matching with their header partners and increase bid density through their server partners, while managing latency and optimising revenue.
“We’ve been running server-to-server integrations for years, and our server-side wrapper solution will afford media companies unprecedented control in their integration make-up,” said Drew Bradstock, SVP Product, Index Exchange.
“Successful server-to-server connections depend on strong infrastructure and transparent reporting practices. Our solution will allow for full transparency into auction dynamics so media companies can decide which partners perform best client-side or server-side and whether mediation is the best fit for them.”
Publishers can work with AppNexus’ server-to-server solution and prebid.js independently or as a part of the full-stack AppNexus Publisher Suite.
Both tracks provide publishers with log-level data and a direct path to demand, so advertisers can optimise campaign spend and publishers can maximise yield. Similarly, Index Exchange’s wrapper solution will allow publishers the flexibility to run a mix of both client side and server-side bidders that best maximise their revenue.
