Getting your data right in Pixalate
Getting your data right in Pixalate
Over two years ago, Brightcom implemented Pixalate as another tool to secure the safety of its traffic.
During this time, we were faced with a challenge that other video monetization entities may also have
encountered. As traffic-scanning is an activity that’s relevant to many publishers and media houses, I
wanted to provide tips on how to approach this issue.
This post is a part of In The Know – a new series by Brightcom professionals covering best practices,
working with leading industry tools such as Pixalate.
Multiple (mistakenly) scans of the same inventory
If you are working with a few ad servers and scanning your inventory with Pixalate pixels implemented
on each tag, it can be a real struggle to get accurate data. This is because of the pixel being implemented
on demand tags and across many platforms, which may result in you experiencing multiple scans of the
same inventory. Here are few tips regarding how you can fix this:
1. Correct pixel
Make sure that you have the correct pixel on the video ad server you are using to manage your
video inventory. Each of the ad servers uses a different set of macros, and the Pixalate team has
therefore adjusted their pixel according to each of the platforms. As a result of the ad server’s
updates or Pixalate updates, some of the macros become irrelevant, which leads to your
inventory being scanned incorrectly. In case you see that some of the macros are not passing
through, it is best to approach the Pixalate team and request from them the most up-to-date
pixel for the ad server you are using.
2. Account approach vs. tag-based approach
The best way to keep the usage neat and accurate is to implement the pixel on the account
level. This doesn’t leave any room for mistakes and requires multiple scans of the same
inventory. However, the cost of usage may be heavy if you are working on a large scale.
3. Correct inventory
If you are only placing Pixalate pixel on a few deals/ campaigns as opposed to on the entire
account, you may experience multiple scans of the same traffic sources. If the number of scans
in Pixalate UI and on the ad server do not match, you may ask for a report from an ad server
about all of the pixels that are implemented across your inventory. You can then remove the
pixel from the inventory, which no longer needs to be scanned.
We, at Brightcom, believe that sharing the knowledge c to a better industry for all its players. So if you
have any question following this blog, please don’t hesitate to write us [email protected] and
stay tuned for more In The Know posts to come.