Set up primary and backup VPAID assets

This article explains how to set up primary and backup assets in your VPAID creatives.

(For other rich media creative types, see the general rich media guide. For in-stream video creatives, see the in-stream video guide.)

Review primary assets

Click a VPAID creative in your campaign (or advertiser Creatives tab) to view the properties. These properties reflect the kinds of files and scripts used in the creative, and determine how the creative behaves when your ad serves. Some VPAID creative properties can only be edited in Studio.

Your primary assets are built in Studio and cannot be modified in Campaign Manager 360. However, you can check details and change the creative name in these sections:

Identification: Here you can name your creative and check the type, compatibility, version, status, and duration. The compatibility will always be in-stream, because VPAID creatives must render in an in-stream video player. You can also add the following optional information:

• 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.

Creative assets: This section shows the name, dimensions, and file size for assets in your VPAID creative. These properties are determined in Studio. You can also preview any image files in this section.

Set up your backup video

Follow these steps to set up a VAST backup video for your VPAID linear creative. Backups are recommended but not required.

1. View your backup serving files, under Backup assets.

   • Campaign Manager 360 lists any valid video assets it finds in your VPAID linear creative.

   • You can also upload your own serving files manually.

   What are serving files?

   A serving file is a video asset. VPAID linear creatives use serving files to deliver backup videos to your publisher.

   You can include multiple serving files with your creative. These should be alternative versions of the same backup video that have different properties or formats. When you include multiple serving files, your publisher's system has more options to choose from if a backup video is needed. Some versions of a video may work better for your publisher than others.

   Follow the steps in this guide to add serving files and generate multiple versions of backup video assets you may have received from Studio.

2. Add any serving files you need that are not already listed in the Backup assets section.

   • To add serving files, click Add asset and select your video file. The maximum size allowed is 1 GB.

   • If you do not need to add files, you can skip to step 4.

   When should I add serving files?

   Here are some reasons:

   • You want to use a backup video, but your primary VPAID linear creative assets do not include any serving files that Campaign Manager 360 it can use for a backup.

     Serving files are not required, but if you want to include a backup video, you need at least one serving file, and it must be set to ON under "Include in serving."

   • You want to add versions of your backup video that have special formats or resolutions.

   • You want Campaign Manager 360 to transcode your original backup video into other versions.

     If you upload your backup video to Campaign Manager 360 manually, Campaign Manager 360 will automatically generate alternative versions as separate serving files. Multiple versions give your publisher's system more options to choose from when a backup is needed.

     Campaign Manager 360 does not transcode video assets from Studio. If you want to transcode an asset from Studio, ask your developer for a copy and upload it into Campaign Manager 360 yourself.

3. Save your creative so that Campaign Manager 360 can process your asset. Campaign Manager 360 will not begin processing it until you save.

4. Wait for Campaign Manager 360 to process your asset. Campaign Manager 360 will 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.

   How will I know when this is complete?

   The creative pane will update as soon as Campaign Manager 360 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.

   Why does Campaign Manager 360 validate and transcode my asset?

   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 video players or bandwidths. These versions give your publisher's system more options to choose from for each impression on your video 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.

   What formats does Campaign Manager 360 transcode my file into?

   Google Marketing Platform uses Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) specifications to format video creatives.

   Note: Google Marketing Platform transcodes video assets while keeping the same aspect ratio and orientation. For example, if you upload a horizontal source file with a 4:3 aspect ratio, the file is transcoded into several smaller horizontal sizes with a 4:3 aspect ratio. Files are also transcoded in a range of video and audio bit rates.

   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	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	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	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

    

   Campaign Manager 360 uses Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) specifications to format video creatives.

   What is the M3U8 format?

   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.

   Progress is "Failed" or "N/A" for a serving file!

   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.

   • 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.

   • 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.

5. 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.

   Which serving files should I include?

   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.

6. Add additional assets if needed. Campaign Manager 360 will use all of assets you add to generate serving 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.

Preview your backup video

1. Click the preview button in any row in the Serving files section. You can play your video in the pop-up preview screen.

2. Cycle through your other serving files with the arrows beneath your video.

3. To preview your primary assets, click the preview button beneath your creative properties, to the right of the Save button. For more details, see our guide to creative preview.

4. Save your creative and move on to the next section: add companion creatives to VPAID.