Deal ad formats: how to write them so the deal can deliver
Part of Curated deals and PMPs
The short answer
A deal's ad formats state which creative its inventory accepts: banner sizes, native assets, video or audio, and rich media behavior such as expanding. Write them per placement and have the seller confirm them, because a creative that does not match the offered format is filtered before it can bid, and the deal shows supply but no spend.
Key takeaways
- Name the format family first (banner, native, video, audio), then the exact sizes or assets each placement accepts.
- In OpenRTB a bid must conform to one of the formats the impression offers, so a creative outside them does not compete.
- Confirm sizes, native assets and rich media behavior with the seller before launch, then check incoming requests once the deal is live.
- Write one format row per placement on the deal sheet, and split formats into separate deals when the platform records one format per entry.
Which ad formats should a deal specify?
Definition
- Deal format terms
- The part of a deal that states which creative types and specifications its impressions accept: the format family, the sizes or native assets, file types, rich media frameworks and any expansion or animation limits.
A deal ID carries no format by itself. The format arrives with each impression. The OpenRTB 2.6 specification (opens in a new tab) lets one impression object include a Banner, Video, Audio or Native object, and says that at the publisher's discretion the same impression may be offered as several of them. Its rule for the buyer is short: "any given bid for the impression must conform to one of the offered types."
The IAB Tech Lab Deals API 1.0 (opens in a new tab), the standard for passing deal terms from the selling system to the buying system, has an adtypes field: 1 banner, 2 video, 3 audio, 4 native. If it is empty or missing, the deal is assumed to apply to all types of ad creative. A sheet that only says display leaves the same gap: no sizes, no word on native or expanding units.
| Format family | Fields the request carries | Terms to agree in the deal |
|---|---|---|
| Banner (display) | format array of allowed sizes (w and h, or wratio, hratio and wmin for flexible ads), btype, battr, mimes, expdir, api | Each size per placement, blocked creative attributes, accepted file types |
| Rich media | Banner api values from the AdCOM list (MRAID 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0) and expdir values (left, right, up, down, full screen, resize) | Which frameworks the placement supports and which directions a unit may expand |
| Native | A request string that follows the Native Ads specification, with plcmttype and a required list of assets | Placement type, required assets, image sizes and aspect ratios, text lengths |
| Video | mimes, durations, protocols, player size, placement subtype | Covered in our video PMP guide |
| Audio | mimes, durations, feed type | Durations and file types; audio needs its own creative |
How does a format mismatch stop a deal from delivering?
A format mismatch shows up as lost impressions, not as an error on the deal. The buying platform receives the request, finds no assigned creative that fits, and drops the impression before bidding. Display & Video 360's troubleshooter for deals (opens in a new tab) counts these losses in a creative stage of its funnel and names the reasons.
| Reason as the troubleshooter names it | What it points to on the deal | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Creative dimensions don't match inventory | The line item holds sizes the deal's placements do not offer | Add a creative in a size the seller confirmed, or ask which sizes the deal sends |
| Creative type doesn't match inventory type | For example a display creative assigned against inventory offered only as video | Assign the format family the deal sells |
| Direction of expandable creative doesn't match inventory | The unit expands in a direction the placement does not allow | Use a creative whose expansion matches the expdir values sent |
| Publisher doesn't accept creative assets of this type | The placement refuses the file or technology the creative uses | Rebuild the asset in a type the publisher accepts |
| Creative size is not allowed (bid response stage) | The exchange filtered a bid that reached it, because of size | Compare the exchange's size rules with the deal sheet |
The page also lists losses after bids leave the platform, such as "Creative is not allowed in PMP deal". Native creatives are not supported by the troubleshooter, because they tend to be aspect ratio based, so a native deal's assets are checked by hand.
How do you confirm a publisher supports a format?
Display & Video 360's best practices for setting up deals (opens in a new tab) make creatives the second setup step: discuss creative sizes for display deals, other creative attributes, and whether the deal supports expandable creatives. The checks below turn that into a repeatable sequence.
Five checks before the first creative is assigned
- Ask for sizes per placement. Request the sizes each placement in the deal sends, not a general rate card. Google's rich media guidelines (opens in a new tab) list the most common display sizes but say different sites, apps and regions support other sizes.
- Ask about rich media behavior. Confirm which API frameworks and expansion directions the placements allow, and the file weight limit. Display & Video 360 caps the total download at 5 MB and warns that publisher specifications may require a smaller download size.
- Get the native request. For native, ask for the asset list a request carries: title length, main image size and aspect ratio, icon, description and call to action. The Native Ads 1.2 specification (opens in a new tab) says an asset marked required means the exchange will not accept a bid without it.
- Run an availability report before launch. An inventory availability report shows the dimensions of matching inventory, but Google notes its data can be delayed for a few days and will not have any inventory for newly created deals.
- Read live requests in the first days. Once a line item targets the live deal, the troubleshooting view shows incoming request data under Targeting, then Creatives. Compare those sizes with the sheet.
Native needs particular care, because two publishers can both sell native and ask for different assets. The specification suggests an integration checklist showing which parameters the supply side sends and which the demand side requires. For a deal, that becomes a short asset table the seller fills in before the deal ID is shared.
Should one deal carry several formats?
OpenRTB allows one impression to be offered as banner and native, or banner and video, so a multi-format deal is possible. Whether it is wise depends on the buying platform and the reporting. Display & Video 360's form for adding an inventory source (opens in a new tab) records one inventory format, audio, display or video, that cannot be changed once saved, while its display line items take standard, expandable and native creatives, per its page on assigning creatives (opens in a new tab).
| Approach | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
| One deal, several formats | One deal ID to manage; the seller can fill whichever format a page offers; fewer setup steps | Harder to read delivery by format; one format's creative problem can hide inside the total; some platforms record one format per entry |
| One deal per format | Clean reporting and pacing per format; each entry matches the platform's format field; a creative fault affects one deal only | More deal IDs, sheets and line items to keep in sync; smaller volume per deal |
The Deals API shows why the choice should be written down. Its field table defines adtypes on the deal, while its implementation notes call the same idea inclinventory.adtype. Whichever field a partner uses, the sheet should say in words which format families the deal includes.
How should formats be listed on the deal sheet?
The curated deal sheet holds the full set of deal terms. Its format block works best as rows, one per placement, using the field names the bid request uses, so a trader can test each line against live requests without translation.
Format block on a deal sheet
- Each row names the format family as banner, native, video or audio, not only display.
- Banner rows list every accepted width and height, or the ratio and minimum width for flexible units.
- Rich media rows list the API frameworks, the allowed expansion directions and the seller's file weight limit.
- Native rows list the placement type and each required asset with its size, aspect ratio or character limit.
- Each row records who on the seller side confirmed it and the date.
- The sheet states whether the deal includes one format family or several, in words.
What does a format plan look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A musical instrument retailer plans display and native in Illinois and Indiana
An unnamed musical instrument retailer with stores in Chicago, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne wants ads beside music lessons, gear and local concert coverage in Illinois and Indiana, in English. Its agency agrees a USD private auction with a regional arts and entertainment publisher group. The client's studio plans a 300 by 250, a 728 by 90, a 320 by 50 and an expanding 970 by 250.
Asked for sizes per placement, the seller says its mobile article pages send 320 by 50 and 300 by 250 only, its homepage slot sends 970 by 250 expanding downward, and its in-feed native unit asks for a title, a 1.91 to 1 main image, a brand name and a short description.
The desk splits the buy into a banner deal and a native deal, each matching its line item, with one dated sheet row per placement. In week one the creative stage of the troubleshooting view shows losses on 728 by 90, which no placement sends, so the trader removes that creative instead of asking for more volume.
How does PlacementGraph help carry formats into the deal package?
Frequently asked questions
Do responsive or flexible creatives remove the need to list sizes?
Not entirely. OpenRTB 2.6 lets a placement describe a flexible unit by ratio and minimum width, and Display & Video 360 says a responsive creative serves in the appropriate dimensions for the inventory. Still record the ratios and minimum widths each placement sends, since a flexible creative cannot serve below them.
Can a private marketplace deal include audio?
Yes. The Deals API uses value 3 in adtypes for audio, and OpenRTB carries audio in its own Audio object. Display & Video 360 records audio as a separate inventory format and allows only audio creatives on audio line items, so an audio deal needs its own entry and line item rather than sharing a display one.
Who approves the creative before it serves on a deal?
Both sides can. The troubleshooter lists rejection reasons such as a creative not approved by the exchange, and the buying platform runs its own policy review. Display & Video 360's deal best practices say "It's best to upload creatives beforehand to make sure they are synced and get reviewed before the start date of the deal," and creatives are reviewed only once assigned to a line item that is active or has a future start date.
Does a native deal accept the same creative as a banner deal?
No. A native placement asks for separate assets, such as a title, a main image, a brand name and a description, which the page assembles in its own style. The Native Ads 1.2 specification says a bid response must comply with the assets in the request, so a finished banner image cannot stand in for them.
Sources
- OpenRTB 2.6 specification: Imp, Banner, Native and Format objects (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, OpenRTB repository
- OpenRTB Dynamic Native Ads API Specification Version 1.2 (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, Native Ads repository
- AdCOM 1.0: API Frameworks and Expandable Directions lists (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, AdCOM repository
- Deals API Specification version 1.0 (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, deal-api repository
- Troubleshoot your deals and line items (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Best practices for setting up deals (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Guidelines for rich media creatives (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Add an inventory source to Display & Video 360 (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Assign creatives to a line item (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.