If you’ve been asked to bring your own demand and aren’t sure what that means or where to get it, this article explains the concept and the common ways to obtain it.
What does “demand” mean?
In advertising, demand means advertisers who are willing to pay to show ads to your viewers.
You own the supply — your audience and the available advertising slots in your stream. Demand represents the advertisers who want to use those slots.
Your role is to connect your inventory to a source of demand. 5centsCDN then inserts the ads returned by that source into your stream.
What format does ad demand use?
Most ad-demand sources provide a VAST endpoint.
A VAST endpoint is a URL that can be requested during an ad break. The ad source responds with a VAST response containing the information required to play the advertisement.
VAST stands for Video Ad Serving Template and is a standard format used by ad sources.
In practical terms:
Finding ad demand = finding a source that can provide you with a VAST endpoint.
Where can I get ad demand?
There are several common options.
1. Direct advertisers
If you already work directly with businesses, sponsors, or brands that want to advertise to your audience, those advertisers can represent your demand.
Many advertising tools allow you to configure these direct deals and generate a VAST endpoint.
2. An ad server
An ad server allows publishers to manage and serve their advertising inventory.
For example, platforms such as Google Ad Manager can generate a VAST endpoint that you can provide to 5centsCDN.
3. A demand partner or SSP
A Supply-Side Platform (SSP) or demand partner connects your advertising inventory with advertisers and can return ads to fill your available slots.
This can be useful if you don’t have enough direct advertisers and want an external source to fill your inventory.
Important: When signing up with an SSP or demand partner, make sure you register as a publisher looking to monetize your inventory. See KB-3 before signing up.
4. Programmatic advertising
Programmatic sources can automatically fill advertising slots through automated marketplaces and real-time auctions. These sources can also provide a VAST endpoint for your ad inventory.
What do I need from the demand source?
Regardless of which option you choose, the important thing is that your demand source provides a VAST endpoint.
Once you have the VAST endpoint, you can provide it to 5centsCDN for integration.
You can also combine multiple demand sources. For example, you could prioritize your direct advertisers and use another demand partner as a fallback when direct inventory is unavailable.
