To add assets for your in-stream video creative, upload video files to Campaign Manager 360 or add URLs that point to publisher-hosted videos.
Step 1: Create an in-stream video creative
To get started, create a new in-stream video creative in your campaign or advertiser-level "Creatives" tab.
- Open your campaign or advertiser.
- Click New > In-stream video.
- Name your creative in the Creative name field. Or leave it blank, and Campaign Manager 360 will name your creative based on the video file you upload.
Optional
- Universal Ad ID: Include a registered industry-wide identifier for your video creative that will be included in VAST tags. You can add IDs from Ad-ID, Clearcast, another provider, or use a Campaign Manager 360-generated ID. In VAST 2.0 and 3.0 tags, this ID will appear in the
<adID>node, as well as in the extensions node for VAST 2.0 tags. In VAST 4.0 tags, this ID will appear in the<UniversalAdID>node. - Description: Enter any notes you have on your creative.
About default video ads
Is this the first video creative in your campaign?
- If your campaign includes in-stream video placements, Campaign Manager 360 will automatically create a default ad for your first video creative in each available orientation and assign it to all your in-stream placements. For example, if the first video creative you make for a campaign has both portrait and landscape assets, you’ll get a portrait default ad and a landscape default ad. If the first video creative you make for a campaign is a square asset, you’ll get a portrait default ad and a landscape default ad.
- The default ad has no targeting and will serve if no other ads on your placement are available. Learn more when you set up ads and placements for in-stream videos.
Step 2: Add video assets
Follow the steps below to traffic a creative with a single video asset. If you have multiple assets with the same creative message that you’d like to traffic as one in-stream video creative, use dynamic asset selection.
- Under Creative assets in your in-stream video creative, click Add asset and select your video file.
- The maximum size allowed is 1 GB.
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Always upload a source file with the highest possible specifications you have available so that Campaign Manager 360 can transcode the asset into as many serving files as possible. We recommend you use a high-definition video that meets the following requirements:
Video:
- Supported file formats: .avi, .mov, .mp4, .m4v, .mpeg, .mpg, .webm, .wmv
- Dimensions:
- Landscape/horizontal: 1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080, or 1440 × 1080
- Portrait/vertical: 720 × 1280, 1080 × 1920, or 1080 × 1440
- Square: 720 × 720, 1080 × 1080, 1920 × 1920
- Aspect ratio:
- Landscape/horizontal: 16:9 or 4:3
- Portrait/vertical: 9:16 or 3:4
- Codec: H.264
- Frame Rate: 23.98 or 29.97
- Bitrate: At least 20 Mbps
- Length: 15 or 30 seconds
- File size: Up to 1GB
- Black bars: No black bars
- Letterboxing: No letterboxing
Audio:
- Codec: PCM (preferred) or AAC
- Bitrate: At least 192 Kbps
- Bit: 16 or 24 bit only
- Sample rate: 48 kHz
- Audio settings: Required
- Loudness aligned with IAB US spec of -24LKFS +/- 2LKFS (Campaign Manager 360 will normalize to target loudness of -24 LKFS)
- If you do not have video assets and will only use a URL for a publisher-hosted video, skip to the end of these steps below.
- In VAST 4.0 tags, your uploaded source asset will be included as the mezzanine file.
- For videos serving on connected TV devices, we recommend 1920 × 1080 as the creative's dimensions.
- Save your creative so that Campaign Manager 360 can process your asset. Campaign Manager 360 will not begin processing it until you save.
- Wait for Campaign Manager 360 to process your asset. Campaign Manager 360 will now detect whether your uploaded video asset satisfies the video requirements for the key publishers in the specification (spec) library, validate the asset, and transcode it into a set of serving files. If you want, you can leave the page and work on other things while you wait. Nothing you do will interrupt the processing.
- You can continue when the "Progress" column shows that transcoding is complete for the serving files you need.
- If you have issues, see the FAQ below.
- The uploaded video asset will be checked to ensure it meets the publishers spec requirements for fields such as:
- Frame rate
- Aspect ratio
- Kbps bounds
- File type
- Required transcodes
- Loudness
View the status of your asset in the Publisher eligibility tab in your In-stream video settings.
If your campaign is associated with a spec library publisher, Campaign Manager 360 will automatically toggle the site and placement transcodes to match said publisher’s required transcodes. If desired, this can be changed at the site or placement level under “In-Stream Video Settings”. If your campaign sites are associated with DV360 or The Trade Desk, you will also have the option of selecting the transcode requirements underneath your placement's settings for any of our supported publishers.
- Choose which serving files to include with your video. Make this choice in the Serving files section: select ON under Include in serving to include a file.
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Add additional assets if needed. Campaign Manager 360 will use all of the assets you add to generate serving files.
Notes on duration in your files:
- If you add more assets, make sure they are all about the same duration. No asset you add can be more than a second longer or shorter than the others. In other words, if the duration varies, it must vary by less than a second.
- Campaign Manager 360 rounds duration up to the nearest second in the UI and your VAST tags. For example, if you upload a video asset of 15.7 seconds, Campaign Manager 360 will round that up to 16 seconds in the UI and in your VAST tags.
- When you sync creatives over from Campaign Manager 360 to Display & Video 360, Display & Video 360 checks the actual files for the duration. Display & Video 360 does not use the rounded-up number in the Campaign Manager 360 UI or your VAST tags. For example, if you upload a video asset of 15.7 seconds to Campaign Manager 360 and then import it into Display & Video 360, the duration in Display & Video 360 will be 15.7 seconds.
Add URLs for publisher-hosted videos (optional)
If your account is enabled for publisher-hosted videos, you can also add URLs for this type of asset in the "Publisher-hosted videos" section of your video properties. Talk to your account manager if you need to be enabled for publisher-hosted URLs.
Use the special YouTube steps below for any YouTube URLs you want to add. You can use YouTube URLs if you want to run ads on YouTube mobile inventory or other sites that support the IMA SDK.
Add regular publisher-hosted URLs-
Click Add URL and enter the full URL of your publisher-hosted video.
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Check the columns next to your URL for duration, width, height, etc. You may need to edit or confirm this information. It depends on the number of assets in your video.
Does your video have multiple assets?
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No. My video has only one URL and no other assets. If your video has no other URLs or serving files, these columns are for informational purposes only.
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Yes. My video has multiple URLs or serving files. It's important that you enter the exact width, height, and bit rate for each publisher-hosted video. Campaign Manager 360 does not validate this information, so you should verify it with your creative team.
Here's why the information should be correct: The publisher's system will use dimensions and bit rate to decide which serving file is best for each particular impression—based on factors like internet connection speed and the site video player. Enter correct information to ensure the publisher chooses the right serving file.
Note that for the first URL you add, Campaign Manager 360 enters sample values for width, height, and bit rate. These are not based on your video, so you should replace them with correct information if your video has multiple assets.
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Before you get started, make sure you meet these requirements:
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Account settings: Make sure your account is enabled for publisher-hosted videos. Open any in-stream video creative in Campaign Manager 360 and check for a "Publisher-hosted URLs" section. If you don't see this section, talk to your account manager.
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Publisher support: If you plan to use YouTube URLs outside YouTube.com, make sure the publisher uses IMA SDK and supports YouTube URLs in a VAST tag. YouTube URLs will only work on sites that use the IMA SDK (such as YouTube.com).
Steps
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Get your YouTube URL ready. Use standard form and use SSL (
https://). For example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABC1234de567fDo not use abbreviations (such as
youtu.be). -
Open your in-stream video in Campaign Manager 360 and add your URL to the "Publisher-hosted videos" section (click Add URL).
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Enter the duration, width, height, and bit rate of your video. Note that Campaign Manager 360 shows sample values in each of these columns. You can remove these and enter the correct values. They are not based on your YouTube URL.
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Set the file type to MP4 in the "File type" column.
When you're done, your YouTube URL should look like this:
| URL | Preview | Include in serving | Duration | File type | Width | Height | Bit rate | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABC1234de567f |
 |
Yes | 15 | MP4 | 640 | 480 | 400 | Progressive |
Step 3: Edit video settings
Edit "Video settings" for your video if needed. These settings are only for VAST 3.0 and VAST 4.0 compliant publishers with skippable inventory:
- Skip button: Check the Include skip button box to insert additional skip tracking into the tags for your creative if you're using a skip button in the video. Skip buttons are overlays on your video that users can click to skip your ad content. It will only display for videos that are longer than 7 seconds. The publisher's video player is responsible for overlaying the button. You can also choose the following skip settings:
- Skip offset: The amount of time to play the video before the skip button appears. Select and enter either a specific number of seconds or a percentage of the total video duration. This value is only used when "Include skip button" is enabled.
- Progress offset: The amount of time before a video view will be charged, based on your agreement with the publisher. Select and either use the default value of 30 seconds, enter a specific number of seconds, or enter a percentage of the total video duration.
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OBA icon: If you're participating in an OBA (Online Behavioral Advertising) self-regulatory program, check this box to include the OBA icon, also known as the Advertising Option Icon. Please note that whether or not the OBA icon serves is dependent on the publisher’s video player.
- Resource: Enter a link to the OBA icon file. Campaign Manager 360 only supports image and JavaScript icons.
- Program: Enter the name of the industry initiative that the icon supports, such as AdChoices.
- Size: Enter the dimensions of the icon in pixels.
- Position: Use the drop-down to select where to position the icon over the creative. If you need to set a custom position, select "X, Y coordinates", and enter the precise X and Y pixel values to position the icon.
- Clickthrough URL: Enter the URL for your OBA program's informational page.
- Click tracking URL: Enter a click tracker tag URL to record clicks to your OBA icon.
- View tracking URL: Enter an impression pixel URL to record views of your OBA icon.
Edit QR code tracking settings (optional)
Advertisers uploading video assets that include QR code images can streamline campaign setup for their QR code video assets.
To enable QR code tracking set Enable QR tracking to On. A site, click tracker placement, and click tracker ad will automatically be generated in the same campaign, which represents the QR code. Campaign Manager 360 generates a new click tracker Ad and Creative for every instance.
Associate your QR code asset with the click tracker URL on your third-party creative platform to complete the setup.
Switching this setting to Off will unassign and archive the auto-generated ad.
Adding a QR code in video Creative settings within the Creative Library is not supported. You can only perform this action at the campaign level, for one campaign at a time.
Campaign Manager 360 generates a new click tracker Ad and Creative for every instance. Assigning the video creative with a QR code to a different campaign will cause any QR code scans to be attributed to the incorrect placement of the Campaign.
Step 4: Preview your video
- Click the preview button
- To preview a specific serving file, click the preview button next to it in the Serving files section. You can cycle through every serving file in this window, but you can't check events or try different properties.
- If you want to preview a specific serving file in the main preview (i.e., check events, try different properties, etc.), here are your steps: First, set the serving file to ON under Include in serving in your creative properties. Next, set every other serving file to OFF. This way, you can be sure the Campaign Manager 360 video player uses that specific serving file. Finally, click the preview button at the top of your creative properties.
For more details, see our guide to creative preview.
Next steps
Save your creative. After you finish uploading your assets, set up companion creatives, third-party URLs, assign ads and placements, and test your tags.
FAQs
You can choose to include any or all of them. If you include multiple serving files and/or URLs, the publisher's system can choose the best version of your asset for each impression, based on factors such as device type, connection speed, and the video player on the site. Including multiple serving files can also allow users to select different resolution settings when viewing your video.
You should also check with your publisher to make sure you include the right serving files. Some publishers will not accept pre-fetch tags with transcodes they don’t support, so you’ll need to disable those transcodes.
The creative pane will update as soon as Campaign Manager finishes validating and transcoding your asset into serving files. This should only take a few minutes. If it takes more than an hour, try uploading your asset again. You may need to contact support.
When you upload a file, Campaign Manager 360 processes it in two ways:
- Campaign Manager 360 validates the asset to make sure it works, and may generate a more efficient version.
- Campaign Manager 360 transcodes the asset into a number of alternative versions that use different formats or have different properties, each designed for specific players or bandwidths. These versions give your publisher's system more options to choose from for each impression and ensures that the appropriate file serves based on the viewer’s connection and screen size.
You can find all these files in the Serving files section.
Your creative may be flagged as non-compliant because:
- Third-party URLs aren't secure.
- A companion creative includes URLs that aren't secure.
Solution: Check for any URLs that begin with http. Ask your developer or vendor for a secure version of these URLs. Remember that the secure URL may be totally different; often you can't just add an 's' to http. Remember that landing pages do not affect compliance and can start with http.
Learn more about SSL compliance.
Failed
If Campaign Manager 360 can't process an asset or generate a particular kind of serving file, you'll see "Failed" in the Progress column.
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Failure to process an original file means Campaign Manager 360 could not validate or finish preparing the file. There may be an issue with the asset, so make sure you have a valid file and try uploading again.
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Failure for any other serving file means Campaign Manager 360 could not transcode your original asset into that particular version. If you want this alternative version to be available when your creative serves, transcode it yourself and upload the version manually (click Add asset above).
N/A
"N/A" in the Progress column means the resolution for this row is too high. The file you uploaded is already at its highest resolution, and cannot be transcoded into versions with a higher resolution. If you need a serving file at this resolution, you'll need to get it from your developer.
Google Marketing Platform uses Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) specifications to format video creatives.
Note: Google Marketing Platform will transcode video assets to into files with the same aspect ratios/orientation and at a lower specification. For example, if you upload a horizontal source file with a 4:3 aspect ratio, Campaign Manager 360 will transcode the file into horizontal sizes with lower specifications that also have a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Horizontal transcodes
| File type | Resolution | Video bit rate (kbps) | Audio bit rate (kbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3GPP | 176 × 144 | 56 | 24 |
| 3GPP | 320 × 240 | 192 | 32 |
| MP4 | 480 × 270 | 400 | 64 |
| MP4 | 640 × 360 | 400 | 96 |
| MP4 | 640 × 360 | 1000 | 64 |
| MP4 | 640 × 360 | 1500 | 128 |
| MP4 | 640 × 480 | 400 | 96 |
| MP4 | 720 × 600 | 720 | 96 |
| MP4 | 854 × 480 | 720 | 128 |
| MP4 | 960 × 540 | 1250 | 192 |
| MP4 | 1024 × 576 | 1500 | 96 |
| MP4 | 1280 × 720 | 2000 | 128 |
| MP4 | 1920 × 1080 | 4000 | 128 |
| MP4 | Matches source video | 20000 | 192 |
| M3U8 | Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
Vertical transcodes
| File type | Resolution | Video bit rate (kbps) | Audio bit rate (kbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3GPP | 144 × 176 | 56 | 24 |
| 3GPP | 240 × 320 | 192 | 32 |
| MP4 | 270 × 480 | 400 | 64 |
| MP4 | 360 × 640 | 400 | 96 |
| MP4 | 360 × 640 | 1000 | 64 |
| MP4 | 360 × 640 | 1500 | 128 |
| MP4 | 480 × 640 | 400 | 96 |
| MP4 | 600 × 720 | 720 | 96 |
| MP4 | 480 × 854 | 720 | 128 |
| MP4 | 540 × 960 | 1250 | 192 |
| MP4 | 576 × 1024 | 1500 | 96 |
| MP4 | 720 × 1280 | 2000 | 128 |
| MP4 | 1080 × 1920 | 4000 | 128 |
| MP4 | Matches source video | 20000 | 192 |
| M3U8 | Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
Square transcodes
| File type | Resolution | Video bit rate (kbps) | Audio bit rate (kbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3GPP | 176 × 176 | 42 | 24 |
| 3GPP | 240 × 240 | 144 | 32 |
| MP4 | 480 × 480 | 383 | 64 |
| MP4 | 640 × 640 | 386 | 96 |
| MP4 | 640 × 640 | 619 | 96 |
| MP4 | 640 × 640 | 948 | 64 |
| MP4 | 640 × 640 | 1459 | 128 |
| MP4 | 720 × 720 | 695 | 96 |
| MP4 | 854 × 854 | 1170 | 128 |
| MP4 | 960 × 960 | 1250 | 192 |
| MP4 | 1024 × 1024 | 1470 | 96 |
| MP4 | 1080 × 1080 | 3076 | 128 |
| MP4 | 1080 × 1080 | 19299 | 128 |
| MP4 | 1920 × 1920 | 4096 | 128 |
| M3U8 | Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
Varies with connection speed |
M3U8 offers the publisher a range of resolution and bit rate options for each chunk of data in the video. This way, the publisher's system can adjust resolution and bit rate based on the user's internet connection speed.
If the user's connection slows down while the video is playing, the publisher's system can load the next chunk of the video at a lower bit rate and resolution. Likewise, if the connection speeds up, the publisher can load a higher-quality chunk of video.
To adjust an existing placement to meet a publisher’s specifications (even if it is not trafficked under an publisher-specific site):
- Open the placement settings.
- Expand Video Transcode Settings.
- Turn on Control transcodes from the placement.
- Select the publisher from the dropdown.
- Click Save.
You can turn transcodes on and off by:
- Opening your creative and scrolling down to the Creative assets > Serving files section.
- Toggle each transcode ON or OFF under Include in serving.
If Campaign Manager 360 does not generate a file format you need, you’ll have to transcode your asset into the format yourself. You can then add the transcode by uploading it as a source file in your creative by clicking Add asset under Creative assets > Assets.
Yes, you can still customize or manually set transcodes on an individual site or placement. The Included transcodes dropdown selection will be updated to “None Selected”.
If the uploaded video asset does not meet a spec library publisher’s requirements, this will be noted under Publisher Eligibility in the creative settings. If a creative does not match a spec library publisher’s requirements but is assigned to the publisher’s campaign anyway, Campaign Manager 360 will display an alert under the Campaign Explorer view.
- Hulu
- NBC
- CBS
- VEVO
- Discovery Inc.
- Turner Broadcasting
- Disney
- FOX
- Twitch
- Univision
- ABC
- The CW Network
- NFL Enterprises LLC - NFL.com (uses IAB spec)
- Hearst Corporation
- MLB.com
Yes. Use Media Asset ID <mediafile> in your VAST tags to identify media assets in your own platforms. Media Asset IDs provide static, unique identifiers within video VAST tag <mediafile> nodes for each individual transcode.
