

Responsive Ads in the Real World: Ad Server Implementation - cleverjake
http://www.ravelrumba.com/blog/responsive-ads-real-world-ad-server-implementation

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biftek
> I’ll break the bad news to you up front: you have to stop worrying about
> what happens when people resize their browser. First of all, no one does
> this. Yes, YOU like to resize your browser and watch DOM elements bend to
> your will—and so do I—but real-life regular people users don’t. And of
> course it’s not even possible on mobile and tablet devices.

> This whole responsive thing isn’t about passing a CSS fluidity test. So
> let’s let it go.

Thank god someone finally brought this up.

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getsat
Indeed. Unfortunately, I can't actually read the text on this site because it
doesn't resize when I use my browser's zoom controls.

Forget resizing browsers, let me resize the text!

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robflaherty
Sorry about that! It's fixed now. That was a mobile-specific style that I'd
accidentally applied globally.

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getsat
Thanks! You probably don't get many higher res (2560x1440) visitors. :)

Fun fact: I actually have to zoom in 3 times to make HN readable from a normal
viewing distance. Yes, 9pt fonts in 2012.

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bsimpson
I don't get it.

The whole point of having an ad server is to make sure the right ad is served
to the right person. You can serve desktop ads to desktop browsers and mobile
ads to mobile in DFP. Or, you can book a mobile version into a mobile
placement and a desktop one into a desktop placement.

Either way, this is something that can easily be handled on the server with
existing tech. I don't see much practical use of his example.

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robflaherty
Hi, I'm the author of the post. The examples you mention are server side
solutions requiring some form of server side detection. You're talking about
serving ads to separate mobile and desktop sites.

The goal with responsive design is to serve the same site—the same mark-up,
the same assets—to all devices. Which means that any conditional serving of
ads has to happen client-side.

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brandnewlow
Hey Rob, sent you an e-mail a bit ago.

Do you see publishers getting on the bandwagon with serving the same assets
across all platforms? The ones we work with have already sunk thousands and
thousands into separate rigs for each place they run content.

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robflaherty
Hi Brad,

Just wrote you back! You know, I actually don't see major publishers embracing
responsive design, at least in the short term. I think mobile-specific sites
and dedicated apps are much more inline with how they see the world. It's also
a business opportunity for them to sell separate experiences as separate
products, right? Merging everything into one isn't necessarily a win.

