SpringServe: A Leader in Connected TV Advertising
SpringServe uses WURFL OnSite for Java in its open video ad serving platform, providing device-aware mobile advertising for their clients.
SpringServe is the leading independent video ad serving platform for over-the-top (OTT) & video publishers. Its software suite offers a full stack of ad serving, optimization, and automation solutions that make video ad serving smarter. Through their platform, SpringServe enables content producers and publishers to reliably manage their video advertising inventory across devices and engage consumers beyond the confines of their desktop or mobile phone, through connected TV (CTV). Through their technology platform, SpringServe delivers these ads across screens and devices on OTT channels provided by internet streaming services rather than traditional broadcast television.
Here’s what they found…
“We couldn’t be successful growing SpringServe’s CTV ad serving business without the granular device information provided by WURFL OnSite.”
Dave Buonasera, CTO, SpringServe
Download SpringServe Case Study PDF
The Challenge
SpringServe created its own independent publishing platform to help its customers extend their video advertising to OTT screens, in order to capture user demand as it emerges and grows on new devices.
To effectively address the growing number of OTT video devices and adjust in real time while serving video ads, SpringServe needed a device detection solution that could support its ad bidding framework, multiple advertising channels, and analytical platform in a variety of ways:
- The ability to target its audience based on certain technographic indicators (e.g. device model or capabilities).
- Distinguish between SmartTVs, set-top-boxes, and other streaming devices (e.g. Roku, Fire TV)
- Performance information broken out by device, to monitor the results of its campaigns by device type and supply environment, in order to more appropriately optimize towards high-performing environments.
To support all of these requirements for its video advertising products, SpringServe needed a high-performance device detection solution capable of delivering device capabilities intelligence in real time, with negligible impact on ad serving time. The solution also needed to support multiple platforms, scale effectively, and integrate easily as new advertising products were developed.
The WURFL® OnSite for Java Solution
SpringServe selected ScientiaMobile’s WURFL OnSite for Java based on its ability to address these requirements:
WURFL OnSite for Java is an API that integrates with SpringServe’s servers. After passing the HTTP request from a user’s device and browser to the WURFL API, WURFL returns properties of the device. WURFL offers more than 500 different device capabilities that describe devices in granular detail appropriate for segmentation and targeting of advertising. These include:
- Device (brand_name, model_name, marketing_name)
- Operating system (device_os, device_os_version)
- Form_factor (smartphone, feature phone, desktop, smartTV)
- Browser (advertised_browser, advertised_browser_version)
- Apps (is_app_webview, advertised_app_name)
- Display and Resolution (resolution_height, resolution_width)
- Chipset & RAM (chipset, bluetooth, gps, nfc_support, ram, gpu_family, gpu_model)
- Video and Audio (hevc_hardware_encode, hevc_hardware_decode)
- Economic Indicators (release_date, release_msrp)
SpingServe utilizes these WURFL capabilities to empower their clients by enabling them to send granularly targeted requests to their supply-side platform (SSP) partners.
The Results
SpringServe has integrated WURFL into its application. SpringServe operates multiple instances in several locations to serve its video publishing customers. On a weekly basis, WURFL automatically updates to keep track of over 72,000 different device profiles, including an increasing number of smart TVs and streaming devices capable of showing video ads.
SpringServe exposes WURFL’s device logic directly to customers so they can select and target their ads.
WURFL has helped SpringServe in driving OTT impressions for its customers. Over the last year, using WURFL technology, SpringServe has grown its OTT inventory by over 4X.
