VAST stands for Video Ad Serving Template. VAST tags are lean and reliable, but are unable to support interactivity. VPAID stands for Video Player-Ad Interface Definition. VPAID tags support the use of interactivity, more detailed tracking, and advanced analytics.
To generate VAST or VPAID tags, head over to Ad Services and click VAST Service on the left side menu, as highlighted below.
1.0 | Upload creative
There are several ways to upload a creative:
- Drag and drop a video file into the area beneath “Local Upload”.
- Click “Select Files” and select the desired video file.
- Import a video using a URL.
2.0 | Manage your creatives
Here you can edit metadata, set up an endscreen for your campaign, access the Interactive Ads Studio and its reporting.
2.1 | Edit metadata and endscreen
To edit your creative’s metadata, either double click it or click the Edit button here:
On the detail page, you can add a title, description, click through URL, third party trackers and set up an endscreen.
Make sure to have the option of Clickable end-screen ticked if you want the selected endscreen visible on the end of the ad.
2.2 | Add or edit interactivity
If you’d like to learn more about adding interactivity to your creative, see our Interactive Ad Guide.
3.0 | Generate a VAST/VPAID tag
Click on the Tags button to generate a VAST or VPAID tag.
You can either preview the clip in the current window or you can click through to our VAST Inspector which allows you to test your VAST/VPAID tag in a live environment.
4.0 | VAST Inspector
Using the VAST Inspector tool, you can test how your VAST tag will behave in the Blue Billywig Player in various positions. The player will start to log its own and the IMA’s events. It will also attempt to hit any tracking URLs specified in the VAST tag. Enter a VAST URL or XML into the inspector, configure your position and test your ad.
Check out our VAST Inspector here.