MoPub Marketplace FAQ
What is the MoPub Marketplace?
The MoPub Marketplace is a self-service, real-time bidding exchange for mobile apps and web sites. It enables publishers to plug in to more demand sources on the MoPub platform and advertisers to access high quality mobile app inventory when it’s available. You can think of a real-time bidding exchange like a real-time auction where demand-side platforms (DSPs), ad agencies, and other advertisers can bid on every impression you would normally send to an ad network. When a Marketplace bidder beats the CPMs from ad network you currently work with, that impression will be filled by that bidder using our dynamic algorithm. If no Marketplace bidder can beat the ad networks, then your impression will be filled by an ad network as before. MoPub then aggregates the revenue you earn from Marketplace bidders and pays you in one monthly direct deposit. For details on costs for Marketplace, see questions below.
What is real-time bidding?
Real-time bidding is an auction for each ad impression that happens in real-time when an ad is served. The bidders are advertisers or those parties that represent advertisers and often have sophisticated algorithms to determine the value of reaching a particular user, at a particular instant, on a particular app. As a publisher, you’re serving available ad inventory to the marketplace and putting it up for bid, along with any other information that is passed along about the request. This information can be helpful because it enables bidders to understand more about the value of each impression and therefore can raise their willingness to pay.
Why should I use the MoPub Marketplace?
MoPub Marketplace is an easy way for publishers to monetize their apps more effectively, and with greater transparency and control. You can earn additional ad revenue from the Marketplace whenever bidders beat your ad network prices, and you will never earn less than you would have without Marketplace. Marketplace also enables you to set minimum acceptable CPMs (also known as “price floors”) and frequency caps for complete control over every impression, so you can maximize revenue and monetize your audiences from more sources. We will continue to roll out more features that help publishers and advertisers get more control and transparency.
How much can I expect to make through the MoPub Marketplace?
While prices vary with real-time bidding, greater RTB volume means more competition, which means more competitive pricing. We are adding more demand-side platforms on a daily basis, representing thousands of advertisers interested in your ad inventory. As a result, it depends on your inventory. Your revenue will never be worse than you would have earned without the marketplace, however, because bidders from MoPub Marketplace will only win when their bid (minus the MoPub revenue share) beats your ad networks (if you have any ad networks set up through the MoPub SDK). Please contact sales@mopub.com for more information.
What is the MoPub revenue share?
MoPub passes the majority of Marketplace revenue to you, the publisher. We take a revenue share that is deducted from the amount that we receive from bidders in the Marketplace. The numbers that you see displayed in your dashboard are “net to publisher” numbers, i.e. they are the numbers that you will receive at the end of the payment period. Please contact sales@mopub.com for more information.
Who is eligible for the Marketplace?
Any MoPub customers that agree to the Terms of Service are eligible for Marketplace. For publishers with greater than 10 million monthly impressions, you are eligible to be a Premier member. Please visit our Pricing and Terms page or contact sales@mopub.com for more information.
Is the MoPub Marketplace an ad network?
No. The MoPub Marketplace is a real-time bidding exchange that connects advertisers to publishers. MoPub does not directly run campaigns on behalf of advertisers. Our partner demand-side platforms (DSPs) and agency trading desks may be able to represent your brand in MoPub Marketplace. Please contact demandpartner@mopub.com for more details.
What if I only have Marketplace enabled on MoPub and no ad networks?
You can still use MoPub Marketplace without any ad networks set up. Marketplace bidders will win your inventory as long as their bid is above any minimum acceptable CPMs (aka “price floors”) that you have set, adding an additional revenue source for you.
How does the MoPub Marketplace compete with my ad networks?
The MoPub Marketplace is designed never to lose money for the publisher. The bid received through the marketplace is compared with the eCPM you receive from the ad networks that you have set up. If the Marketplace bid eCPM is higher than the network, the Marketplace ad is delivered. Otherwise, the highest performing ad network ad is shown. Remember that ad network fill rates are almost never 100%, so even if the Marketplace bid is lower than your highest ad network, the Marketplace ad will show when a higher performing network doesn’t fill.
Who is bidding on the MoPub Marketplace?
Advertisers, agencies, ad networks, and demand-side platforms (DSPs) representing hundreds of advertisers bid on MoPub Marketplace. We are adding new demand sources daily, including publishers interested in bidding on specific apps. These bidders will be able to target users more effectively based on the impression information that publishers provide, such as geolocation data. This data could enable advertisers to achieve better results from their campaigns, which may potentially raise their willingness to pay for certain impressions. Please contact demandpartner@mopub.com if you would like to bid on MoPub Marketplace.
What if I want to buy ads on the MoPub marketplace?
For publishers that want distribution, you can buy ads on the marketplace through a demand partner (a DSP or ad network). Please contact demandpartner@mopub.com for more details.
How much does it cost?
MoPub Marketplace operates on a revenue share, where we pay you a percentage of the revenue that is generated through the exchange. Check out our Pricing and Terms page for more information.
More questions? Read more MoPub Marketplace FAQs on our help portal.