One common interview question for the digital marketing job is “What is the difference between VAST and VPAID?”. For this question, most people just tell the abbreviation for both terms instead of giving a practical answer. Here, I am trying to explain the exact difference between VAST and VPAID video tags and when advertisers use both tags. This article should be more helpful for cracking the interview. So, read it carefully and ask if you have any questions.
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What are Instream and Outstream video ads?
You must know the difference between instream and outstream video ads to understand the purpose of vast and vpaid video tags.
Instream Video Ads: Instream video ads refer to the ads that are shown within video stream. A good example of an instream ad is the ad you are seeing before, mid, and end of the youtube videos. The instream ads always require video content to serve.
Outstream Video Ads: Outstream video ads refer to the ads that are shown outside of a video stream. Can deliver outstream ads to pages that do not have video content. So, these ads are typically playing between paragraphs of a website page or in a mobile app. Video ads that are appearing in social media feeds are also called Outstream ads.
What is the difference between a vast video tag and vpaid video tag?
| No. | VAST Ad Tag | Vpaid Ad Tag |
| 1 | The expansion for VAST is Video Ad Serving Template. | The expansion for VPAID is Video Player-Ad Interface Definition |
| 2 | VAST is primarily used for Instream Video Ads. | VPAID is typically used for Outstream Video Ads. |
| 3 | VAST video ads need video content to serve. | VPAID ads do not need video content to serve. |
| 4 | Can’t add interactive functions like buttons, games, quizzes, etc. | Can add interactive functions like buttons, games, quizzes, etc. |
| 5 | VAST is a standard XML format used to serve video ads to digital video players. It provides a template that allows advertisers to package their video ad creative and send it to publishers to be displayed on their websites or apps. VAST is primarily used for in-stream video ads, which play before, during, or after a video content. | VPAID is an API (Application Programming Interface) that provides a standard way for video ads to interact with the video player. It allows advertisers to create interactive video ads that can offer more engaging experiences for viewers, such as clickable buttons, games, or quizzes. VPAID is typically used for outstream video ads, which play outside of the video content, such as in banner ads or interstitial ads. |
| 6 | Ad personalization is not possible. | Ad personalization is possible. |
| 7 | Available measurements are less. | Available measurements are more. |
| 8 | Page loading is Fast. | Page loading is slow. |
| 9 | The ad control is with the publisher. | The ad control is with the buyer. |
| 10 | The complexity of the ad is low. | The complexity of the ad is more. |
In which situation do we need to use vast tag and vpaid tag?
| No | VAST | VPAID |
| 1 | Advertisers use VAST tags for serving Instream video ads. | Advertisers use VPAID tags for serving Outstream video ads. |
| 2 | Ads show in pre roll, mid roll and post roll. | Ads showing in in-banner, in-text, interstitial. |
| 3 | Can use vast tag when the publishers do not support Vpaid tag. | If the publisher’s video player supports vpaid, advertisers want to take advantage to add more interactive features. |
| 4 | Vast inventory available more than vpaid inventory. | Compared with vast, the inventory availability is low. |
| 5 | Advertisers use the VAST tag when they want to serve video ads without interactive features. | Advertisers use the VPAID tag when they want to serve video ads with interactive features. |
What tools can you use to test a tag? | Adops Tools
What Are Outstream Video Ads and How Do They Work?
