What is the vpmute Parameter in VAST and Why is it Affecting Revenue from Your Video Inventory?
The VPMute parameter in VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) is gaining significant attention from advertisers as it provides critical insights into user interactions with video ads. By analyzing VPMute data, advertisers can optimize their ad content and delivery strategies. As a result, the VPMute parameter is becoming an essential tool for enhancing ad performance. Put yourself in the shoes 🩰 of advertiser:
Do you want your ads to be served on muted videos, accompanying other content, or do you want your ads to be seen in a large in-stream player with sound?
For sure, you want the second option. By the way, this is one of the top incentives why advertisers with multimedia/video creatives representing huge brands, who also keep an eye on their vocal identities, will be keen to move budgets to social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube Reels. Sound is expected there as a form of native experience.
Video ads embedded between written paragraphs are less attractive in 2024. That’s probably one of the reasons why Google listened to advertisers' demands and enforced the declaration of the vpmute parameter.
Do not misdeclare your VAST requests
At the end of June 2024, many publishers experienced penalization due to misdeclaration of the vpmute parameter or simply because they forgot to adapt to the new requirements introduced on April 1, 2024. This could have a severe impact on your overall video performance.
Why do videos with vpmute=1 perform less effectively? Long story short, advertisers demand video ads with sound. Just jump a few stories up. There is plenty of inventory on YouTube, by the way. :)
How to declare muted or unmuted video
What is the vpmute Parameter?
The vpmute parameter is a key component within the VAST tag that indicates whether a video ad is played with sound or muted. This setting is significant because it can impact viewer engagement and, subsequently, your ad revenue.
Declaring Muted or Unmuted Video
In Google Ad Manager, you can specify the vpmute parameter in your VAST tags to control the audio settings of your video ads. Here's how you can declare a video as muted or unmuted:
- Muted Video: To declare a video as muted, set the
vpmuteparameter to1. - Unmuted Video: To declare a video as unmuted, set the
vpmuteparameter to0.
Does my player support VAST integration?
Read more here in my blog below.
Simon Krajniak