Venatus Guide to Desktop Ad Formats

‘Ad-formats’ standardize the size, shape, functionality and placement of advertisements across our inventory, each with unique characteristics to help advertisers best engage with their target audience. As each ad-format differs by aesthetics, performance and functionality, it’s important to consider KPIs when selecting ad-formats for a particular campaign, to ensure return on advertising spend is maximised.

The following metrics are used to measure the performance of a given ad-format:

Click through Rate (CTR %): The % of users who clicked an ad vs those who chose not to.

View Through Rate (VTR %): The % of users who watched a video ad to the end vs those who did not.

Viewability (%): The percentage of ads which fall within the user’s observable screen, compared to those which appear outside the viewable area.

Engagement Rate (ER %): The amount of users who interacted with a specific ad-campaign, expressed as a percentage against those who did not. Engagement doesn’t necessarily constitute clicks, for example, users who expanded a PET or users who played an MRAID minigame count towards engagement, but wouldn’t increase CTR.

Banners

Banners are a form of graphical advertisement consisting of static/animated images and text, embedded into a given webpage and viewable alongside site content. Banner types are defined by their height and width, measured in pixels. As one of the most affordable ad-formats for advertisers, banners help drive overall impressions and reach for a given campaign. 

‍Standard Banners

Standard banners are our smallest and most affordable ad-format, offered in the following sizes in accordance with IAB guidelines:

Leaderboard - 728x90

Skyscraper - 160x600

MPU - 300x250

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 0.05% / Viewability: 60%

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Large Banners

Large banners are more prominent than standard banners and are available in the following IAB sizes:

Masthead 970x250

Double MPU 300x600

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 0.07% / Viewability: 65%

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Steam Banners

Venatus’ exclusive Steam banner ad-format, connects seamlessly with Steam, allowing users to click-through directly to the store in order to download games or related content.

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 0.07% / Viewability: 65%

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Vertical Sticky Banner

‘Sticky’ banners retain their position on a user’s screen, regardless of where the user may scroll. This helps to keep viewability much higher compared to regular banners, which may become out of view when a user scrolls too far.

Retargeting Banners

Retargeting banners utilise the traditional IAB banner sizes, but keep track of which users have been served an ad previously and purposely serves them the same ad again. This helps to improve brand awareness and recognition, by increasing ad-impressions per user. 

Rich Media Takeovers

Takeovers are a high-impact graphical ad format, which surrounds the primary content of a supported web-page, and utilises rich-media technology to expand and fill an entire browser window, unlike traditional banners. Takeovers use a larger portion of a webpage and therefore benefit from greater viewability and engagement from users. Takeover types differ in terms of customizability and functionality:

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Standard Takeover

Our most affordable takeover, consisting of custom static images and text, overlaid around the main content of supported sites.

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 1.50% / Viewability: 95%

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Premium Takeover

Premium takeovers are similar to standard takeovers, but allow for video assets to be embedded within the creative.

Benchmark Metrics

CTR: 1.80% / VTR: 65.0% / Viewability: 95.0%

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Premium Expandable Takeover (PET)

Similar to Premium takeovers, PETs support static images, text and video graphics, but in addition allow users to expand video content to fill their entire screen (over existing site content) by hovering over the ad for a specified amount of time.

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 1.80% / VTR: 65.0% / Viewability: 95%

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‍Microstitial Takeover

Microstitial takeovers are our most customizable takeover format, allowing for rich-media assets, such as minigames and quizzes, as well as text and video to be embedded within the creative.

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 1.40% / VTR: 65.0% / Viewability: 95.0%

Video

Video ads utilise motion picture and audio content to generate awareness, and vary in terms of size, placement and position amongst other content. Video ad-formats can broadly be split into out-stream and in-stream placements, explained below:

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‍Standard Video

Instream or pre-roll video, is served within video environments on webpages and usually precedes the primary video content a user has selected. Instream video benefits from increased engagement, as users typically opt in to viewing video content prior to the ad being served. 

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 1.00% / VTR: 75% / Viewability: 70%

‍Skinned Video

Skinned video placements feature the original video content, with a graphic image/text border surrounding it. This graphic usually contains a clickable call-to-action and pertinent information related to the video’s content. Skinned video can be both in or outstream.

Benchmark Performance:

CTR: 1.00% / VTR: 90.0% / Viewability: 100%

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In-Game Placements

As the name suggests, our in-game ad formats run natively within specific video games, providing a natural and seamless integration for both advertisers and players.

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‍SuperBiz In-Game Billboards

Our SuperBiz in-game billboards are placed directly within ad-safe Roblox servers, offering an integrated and immersive advertising experience for players, which doesn’t disturb gameplay. In-game billboards can feature static or animated images, or standard video assets, meaning advertisers can easily repurpose existing creatives.

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Publisher FAQs!

Q: What are the advantages of using Venatus' high-impact ad formats for game publishers?

A: Venatus offers a range of high-impact ad formats specifically designed to capture the attention of gamers. These formats are tailored to blend seamlessly into the gaming experience, thereby maintaining engagement without disrupting gameplay. The effectiveness of these formats lies in their ability to enhance user immersion and interaction, which can lead to higher engagement rates and improved campaign performance.

Q: How does Venatus ensure brand safety for advertisers using its platforms?

A: Venatus prioritizes brand safety by implementing strict guidelines and advanced filtering technologies that ensure advertisements are displayed within safe and appropriate contexts. Our platform continuously monitors ad placements to prevent any association with harmful or unsuitable content, thereby protecting the integrity of your brand and the safety of your audience.

Q: Can Venatus provide metrics on the effectiveness of different ad formats in reaching gaming audiences?

A: Yes, Venatus collects and analyzes comprehensive metrics to assess the effectiveness of different ad formats. We provide publishers with detailed performance reports that include metrics like click-through rates, engagement rates, and conversion statistics. This data helps publishers understand which formats are most effective at engaging their specific gaming audiences and driving campaign goals.

To learn more, speak to our team today, or head to our Knowledge Base and discover our library of publisher resources.

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Get in touch

If you’re interested in connecting with gaming and entertainment audiences through our innovative, award winning and interactive ad-formats, please email below, and we'll connect you with a member of our regional sales teams:

• global-sales@venatus.com

Alternatively, if you’d like to increase profitability on your website or app, with direct sale ad campaigns and our proprietary monetization solution, please contact:

• market@venatus.com