IAB Tech Lab posts draft standard for header bidding containers

The IAB Technology Laboratory has released for public comment a draft standard describing how header bidding containers would work with ad servers.

This is the first proposed IAB spec relating to the increasingly popular header bidding, which bypasses Google’s waterfall auction in favor of a simultaneous auction from demand partners prior to the ad server call.

The pending standard is the work of a Header Tag Task Force within the IAB that has sought to establish “baseline open protocol.” Comments can be sent to [email protected] by July 28.

The draft standard describes considerations and best practices for line-item setup, setup of demand sources, data to be passed between container and server, and reporting.

IAB Tech Lab GM Alanna Gombert pointed out via email that publishers have implemented various strategies for integrating their header bidding with ad servers, plus there are a variety of ad servers. The draft standard, she said, is intended to be “non-biased and neutral with regards to technology functionalities.”

She added that the standard might help improve publishers’ planning, could be used as a guide for technology providers and can help publishers scale up for international volume.

These guidelines, Gombert noted, do not relate to Google’s Exchange Bidding, which has been provided by the tech giant as an alternative to the grassroots header bidding approach.