What is banner?
A banner is a display ad slot, typically an image or HTML creative of a fixed size, offered in OpenRTB through the Imp.banner object. The object lists the sizes the slot accepts, blocked creative types and attributes, the position on screen, and supported API frameworks. The same Banner object also describes companion ads inside video and audio impressions.
Also called: banner ad, display ad, imp.banner, Banner object.
How it works
Sizes are the core of a banner offer. Since OpenRTB 2.4, Banner.format is an array of Format objects, each with a width and height or a flexible ratio. Banner.w and Banner.h still exist for a single exact size, while the older wmin, wmax, hmin, and hmax fields were deprecated in 2.4 and are gone from 2.6. Other fields narrow the offer: Banner.battr blocks creative attributes such as autoplay audio, Banner.pos gives the position on screen, Banner.api lists frameworks such as MRAID, and Banner.mimes restricts content types.
In the response, a banner bid returns HTML or JavaScript markup in Bid.adm (or a URL to fetch it through Bid.nurl), states the chosen size in Bid.w and Bid.h, and in OpenRTB 2.6 sets Bid.mtype to 1. The chosen size should be one the request offered.
Pitfalls: a format list that disagrees with w and h; a bid size outside the offered formats; and multi-format impressions where the bidder omits mtype, leaving the exchange to guess what kind of markup arrived. Full-screen banners also need Imp.instl = 1, not only a full-screen size.
Read more
Related terms
Every term is in the glossary.