MangoX（Mangomob）Transparency in Overseas Programmatic Advertising—The Supply Chain Object

Following the effectiveness of app-ads.txt and seller.json in verifying traffic transparency, advertisers seeking more rigorous and efficient identification of traffic sources have turned to the supply chain object. This is a collaborative effort by industry leaders and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to bring transparency to the code level, transmitting traffic information through request parameters for validation alongside app-ads.txt and seller.json.

The supply chain object comprises the following key components:

complete: value=1/0, representing whether the supply chain value transmission is complete, a mandatory value. nodes: a crucial element providing information about the traffic source, a mandatory value. ver: version number, a mandatory value (currently version 1.0). ext: a placeholder, a non-mandatory value. Among these, Nodes is the most critical information in the supply chain, containing multiple fields, and must include: asi: the domain of the bidder directly participating in the auction. If collaborating directly with the developer, it is the developer's website domain. If purchasing traffic through an ad platform, multiple matrices are needed to transmit information about both the ad platform and the developer. For instance, if Developer A sells traffic to Platform B, and Platform B passes the traffic to Buyer C, the information of Developer A and Platform B (including asi/sid/rid/hp, etc.) needs to be transmitted. sid: the ID granted to the developer by the ad platform, consistent with the ID in the developer's app-ads.txt file. Non-mandatory values include rid/name/domain/hp/ext, which involve request ID, buyer information, and more. Notably, rid/hp: rid: request ID, typically a unique ID for each ad request. It is transmitted by the ad platform to the buyer as the request ID. hp: value=1/0, currently only "1" is acceptable, indicating whether the seller is participating in the traffic monetization process. In supply chain version 1.0, only "1" is accepted. For more technical code details, refer to this link. In summary, implementing the supply chain object in requests, combined with app-ads.txt and seller.json verification, helps avoid issues with falsified traffic sources. It is a common method for managing traffic sources and has proven effective in identifying over 90% of traffic issues. In the era of increasing transparency throughout the chain, IAB has introduced numerous technical specifications and requirements. As the ad tech landscape becomes more transparent, the space for intermediary ad platforms is gradually shrinking, leading to increased industry consolidation. The next significant technological development in advertising and marketing is eagerly anticipated. While traffic transparency is a critical factor, it doesn't solely determine budgetary decisions for advertisers. Budget decisions also consider factors such as traffic efficiency, quality, whether the ad is genuinely rendered, the legitimacy of the app, and normal user data. To obtain this information, a new category of intermediary service providers has emerged—ad fraud prevention platforms. These platforms act as overseers, providing advertisers with a means to scrutinize data, marking the beginning of a theme that will be explored in upcoming discussions.