This guide will show you how to add a VAST 2.0 ad item to a campaign, assign the campaign to a VAST ad zone zone, and get the zone tag. To learn how to create campaigns, read About campaigns. To learn how to create zones, read About zones.

In this guide, you will learn:

1. What a VAST ad item is.
2. How to add a VAST wrapper that connects to a third-party server.
3. How to add a linear ad.
4. How to add a non-linear ad.
5. How to assign a VAST campaign to a VAST ad zone.
6. How to set a VAST ad item zone tag.

VAST ad items

A Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) ad item is meant to be played or displayed within a video player, such as the ads in YouTube videos. Aside from supporting various video and image files, VAST allows AdButler to track various indicators of user behavior, such as how long someone watched an ad or if they muted it. This guide is about creating and serving ads that are compatible with the VAST 2.0 specification. We also have a guide on creating and serving VAST 4.2 ad items.

Step 1: Add a VAST ad item

When adding a VAST ad item, you can choose to add a linear ad, a non-linear ad, or to simply point to a third-party resource using a wrapper.

1. Create a VAST campaign.
2. Go to the VAST campaign's section (Advertisers > Your Advertiser > Your Campaign).

3. Click on Add New v2.0 under the VAST Ad Items table. The New VAST Ad window will appear. From here, you can:

   • Add a VAST wrapper
   • Add a linear ad
   • Add a non-linear ad
   • Add one or more companion ads to a linear ad

Add a VAST wrapper

1. In the Summary tab, give the VAST ad item a name. The click through link is optional. If you enter a URL, you can test it by clicking Open Destination URL to the right of the field.
2. Add one or more metadata tags to the ad item. (optional)
3. Under Assets, check Use a Wrapper Ad.
4. Paste the wrapper ad URI from the third-party server.
5. Click Save Ad Item.

Add a linear ad

1. In the Summary tab, give the VAST ad item a name and add a click through link. You can test the URL by clicking Open Destination URL to the right of the field.

2. Add one or more metadata tags to the ad item. (optional)

3. Click on the Linear Media tab.

3. Under Linear Media Files, enter the URL of the online media source, select a file in the Media Library, or upload a file from your computer.

4. Click Advanced Options if you need to specify other settings, such as enabling scalability, maintaining the aspect ratio, or adding the parameters for executable media files or interactive files.

5. Click on the Tracking Events tab then select one or more events to track alongside their parameters. You can send the same event to multiple URLs, but you have to make a separate entry for each URL. (optional)

6. Click Save Ad Item once you've finished configuring all the components of the ad item.

Add a non-linear ad

1. In the Summary tab, give the VAST ad item a name and add a click through link. You can test the URL by clicking Open Destination URL to the right of the field.

2. Add one or more metadata tags to the ad item. (optional)

3. Click on the Non Linear Media tab.

3. Under Non Linear Media Ads, enter the URL of the online media source, select a file in the Media Library, or upload a file from your computer.

4. If the image is from an online source, select its file type and enter its dimensions in the appropriate fields.

5. Click Advanced Options if you need to specify other settings, such as the bitrate, the codec, or the required API for interactive files.

6. Click on the Tracking Events tab then select one or more events to track alongside their parameters. You can send the same event to multiple URLs, but you have to make a separate entry for each URL. (optional)

7. Click Save Ad Item once you've finished configuring all the components of the ad item.

Add a companion ad

You can add up to five companion ads to a linear ad. For tracking events, the ads will be identified as Companion 1, Companion 2, and so on up to Companion 5, based on the order that they were created.

1. Click on the Companions tab.
2. Select the display requirement for the companion ad.
   • Any - the video player must atttempt to display at least one of the companion ads alongside the linear ad.
   • All - the video player must attempt to display all of the companion ads alongside the linear ad.
   • None - let the video player decide whether or not to display any companion ad.

3. Select the resource type of the companion ad's creative.

4. Select the creative from the Media Library, or upload the file from your computer.

5. If the image is from an online source, select its file type and enter its dimensions in the appropriate fields.

6. Click Advanced Options if you need to specify other settings, such as alternative text, ad slot ID, or the ID of any required API.

7. Click on the Tracking Events tab then select one or more events to track alongside their parameters. You can send the same event to multiple URLs, but you have to make a separate entry for each URL. (optional)

8. Click Save Ad Item once you've finished configuring all the components of the ad item.

Step 2: Assign the VAST campaign to a VAST ad zone

1. If you already have a VAST ad zone, skip to step 2. Otherwise, create a VAST zone.
2. Go to the VAST campaign's section (Advertisers > Your Advertiser > Your Campaign).
3. Click Assign to Zone under the Zone Assignments table. A list of eligible VAST zones will appear.
4. Select the VAST zone to which you want the campaign to be assigned.
5. Choose a serve method. The New Placement page will appear.

6. Configure the settings as needed. For more information, read Pacing & Schedule, Targeting, and Frequency Capping.
7. Click Save.

Step 3: Set the VAST ad item zone tag

1. Go to the publisher's section (Publishers > Your Publisher).
2. Click on the Get Tags button on the far right of the zone to which you assigned the VAST campaign. The Zone Tags window will appear.

3. Ensure that the Protocol is set to https (Default).
4. Copy the link and paste it into your video player. You can also email the link from the Zone Tags window.