Waterfall Ad Serving vs Real-Time Bidding

Developers should learn about waterfall ad serving when working on legacy ad integration systems or apps that still use this method, as it helps in understanding historical ad tech architectures and troubleshooting revenue issues meets developers should learn rtb when working in digital advertising, ad tech platforms, or data-driven marketing systems, as it is essential for building or integrating with programmatic ad exchanges, demand-side platforms (dsps), and supply-side platforms (ssps). Here's our take.

Waterfall Ad Serving

Nice Pick

Developers should learn about waterfall ad serving when working on legacy ad integration systems or apps that still use this method, as it helps in understanding historical ad tech architectures and troubleshooting revenue issues

Pros

• It's relevant for mobile app developers, especially in gaming or media apps, who need to manage multiple ad networks and optimize fill rates, though modern alternatives are generally preferred for better performance and revenue
• Related to: header-bidding, programmatic-advertising

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Real-Time Bidding

Developers should learn RTB when working in digital advertising, ad tech platforms, or data-driven marketing systems, as it is essential for building or integrating with programmatic ad exchanges, demand-side platforms (DSPs), and supply-side platforms (SSPs)

Pros

• It is used to implement efficient auction algorithms, handle high-throughput data processing for real-time decisions, and leverage user targeting to maximize ad revenue or campaign performance
• Related to: programmatic-advertising, demand-side-platform

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Waterfall Ad Serving is a methodology while Real-Time Bidding is a concept. We picked Waterfall Ad Serving based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Waterfall Ad Serving wins

Based on overall popularity. Waterfall Ad Serving is more widely used, but Real-Time Bidding excels in its own space.