Display Ad Servers versus Video Ad Servers

Display Ad Servers versus Video Ad Servers

In some ways, display ads and video ads seem to be opposites. They feature a variety of creative, have varying average CPMs, appear in a variety of settings, and are available in a variety of unit types.

What about ad servers, though? What distinguishes video ad servers from display ad servers?

Even though the end result is very different, most mainstream ad servers can easily serve both video ads and display ads. However, there are some significant distinctions to be aware of, which we will discuss in this article. Find out everything you need to know by reading on.

Frequently, they are the same thing.

Let me start by saying this: Nowadays, you can use most hosted ad servers to serve both video and display ads. To put it another way, they are both display and video ad servers, not just one or the other.

Why? because so many publishers are interested in running both video ads and display ads. And just like advertisers, they want to reach their target audiences in a variety of ways, and two of those ways are through video and display ads.

A display or video-only ad server simply would not make sense in many situations. That simply amounts to them restricting their ability to profit from particular kinds of publishers.

In the meantime, the technology that is needed to serve video ads and display ads is mostly the same, with a few small differences. There was no reason not to run video ads because adding video to the mix didn’t put a lot of pressure on the technological resources of most of the existing ad servers.

What you see on the screen is the difference.

There is clearly a difference. It’s like the difference between a still image and a video for the end user. A display banner ad and a video player that is either embedded in the content or floats alongside the content viewport are two examples of this.

However, that is the primary distinction. You still have a user, publisher, advertiser, piece of creative, and ad server, and the other parts of the equation remain largely unchanged. Ad servers, on the other hand, must be able to respond to video player requests in order to be video-capable.

Beyond that, there are only minor differences. The majority of users and publishers would not know the difference.

Dedicated Server for Video Ads?

Why do dedicated video ad servers even exist if video ad servers and display ad servers are so similar?

To begin, they are pretty uncommon. However, it makes sense that some publishers would want an ad server that focuses on video because they only publish video content. These ad servers may be able to accommodate more advanced video ad units and delve deeper into video-specific reporting, analytics, and forecasting by concentrating on video ad serving.

Do you require a specialized platform for serving video ads? In the end, that question can only be answered by you. However, in reality, the only circumstance in which you should actively seek a dedicated ad server is if you never intend to run any other kind of advertisement.

You may be able to save yourself some trouble by selecting a top ad server that is able to accommodate both video and display because the majority of publishers can’t be sure that they will only ever do one kind of ad campaign or content.