ADKEEN

Glossary

Waterfall

A sequential system in which demand sources are called one after another according to predetermined priorities.

SSP & Ad SupplyFoundationSource: Industry consensus

Definition

A sequential system in which demand sources are called one after another according to predetermined priorities.

Why it matters

Waterfall setups systematically favour whichever demand source is called first, regardless of who would actually pay the most — the inefficiency header bidding was built to fix.

Related terms

Header BiddingA technique that allows multiple demand sources to compete for publisher inventory before the publisher's primary ad server makes its decision.

Practitioner notes

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