How to create Interstitial Ads?

August 21, 2014 2:19 PM

A client wants to do some interstitial ads and I've built the creative, a simple JPEG which they want to appear on mobile devices, with the ability for the userto close the ad, of course. What's the next step in creating this, if we're using Google DFP? It seems as though I need another piece of software to produce the code calls for DFP, but I'm not clear on how or what (while suspecting it's something simple I'm missing) that is. Talk slowly so I can absorb it all, thanks.
posted by Brandon Blatcher to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

You'll need to do some coding in the app as well. I think you need to read through these docs: https://developers.google.com/mobile-ads-sdk/docs/dfp/advanced

There's sample code there. Once you set up the ad unit in doubleclick you get the ad unit id for it and then have the app pass that in via the mobile ad sdk API.
posted by GuyZero at 2:36 PM on August 21, 2014

Response by poster: You'll need to do some coding in the app as well.

Uh, what app exactly?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:45 PM on August 21, 2014

I guess I assumed this is an in-app interstitial. You want to do one on a mobile web site?

When you say "interstitial" I'm mostly familiar with that in the context of in-app advertising with DFP. Perhaps you can explain where and when you expect the ad to appear.
posted by GuyZero at 2:55 PM on August 21, 2014

Response by poster: Yes, it's on a mobile version of a website, just confused about how the term 'app' is being used in this context. Is that a separate piece of software?

This is a for a web app per se, just the mobile version of a website. So it would appear in Safari on iOS, for example.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:15 PM on August 21, 2014

It is just a piece of JS you'll need to put in there calling the campaign number they setup in DFP. More or less this:

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.defineSlot('/12345678/test_ad_300x250', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-ad-test_ad_300x250').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.defineSlot('/12345678/test_ad_728x90', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-test_ad_728x90').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.enableServices();
});

https://gist.github.com/jeremyfelt/3441995

A lot there you don't need. This probably explains it better:

https://support.google.com/dfp_sb/answer/1651549?hl=en
posted by geoff. at 4:48 PM on August 21, 2014

Response by poster: Ok, got that. Now how do you get the close icon to show and act right? I'm talking about the little 'x' in a circle that lets the user dismiss the ad.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:21 AM on August 22, 2014

So there's apparently no stock support in the doubleclick ad tag or in GPT for this sort of web-based interstitial. Basically that level of HTML customization is something you'll have to handle on your own in the page.

You book the ad in Doubleclick itself as an "out of page" line item (https://support.google.com/dfp_premium/answer/1628002?hl=en) but rendering it in the page is up to you.

So go find your friendly local web developer and get them to help you out I guess.
posted by GuyZero at 11:23 AM on August 22, 2014