This test occurs after the initial development work is completed for your integration. This trial run is designed to test the basic integration with your content management system (CMS) and make key decisions regarding ad requests and proof of play schedules. This test is set up entirely by Vistar to test real-world campaign scenarios.
Reminder: This is an overall summary of what an Initial Integration Test could look like. The testing process may vary depending on your integration type with Vistar. Refer to your statement of work (SOW) or contact Vistar if you have any specific questions regarding the test.
Requirements
- This test occurs over three consecutive days.
- It is recommended to use one or two test devices in your office (also known as lab devices).
- One or more venues are used to run a test campaign in your staging environment. Note that Vistar set up your venues in your staging account.
- A test campaign must run with a creative targeting your test device. Note that Vistar sets up and activates the test campaign for you.
The following checklist outlines what we are observing after the test campaign is launched in your staging environment.
Integration Health Requirements
Test Activity | Description | Expectation |
Send ad requests | The ad request must send required information to the ad server. | See Ad Serving API to see which fields are required in the ad request. |
Play leased ads | Ads leased to you from Vistar's server must be played within acceptable time bounds. | Ads are played within 15 minutes of the requested display time. |
All venues requesting | All test venues are requesting ads from the ad server. | 100% of agreed upon venues are sending requests. |
Request frequency |
Send a frequency of ad requests in line with real-world volume. For example: The playlist structure is one spot dedicated to Vistar every five minutes. Vistar should only receive 12 ad requests per hour. |
Actual should be +/- 10% of the expected ad request volume. |
Proof of play (pop) |
Once leased ads are played, pops must be reported back to Vistar. |
The proof of play url provided in the ad response must be hit within 15 minutes of playing an ad |
Expirations | All leased ads that cannot be played should be expired. | Less than 10% of leased ads are expired. |
Spend rate |
The percentage of leased ads for which you send a PoP. Spent ads / Leased ads |
More than 90% of leased ads are spent. |
Onscreen behavior | The devices must be monitored for accurate behavior. | No skipping, no black screens, and so on. |
Vistar monitors the performance in the backend and confirms that reporting shows no issues with the integration performance. For example, the PoP should be reported to the ad server almost immediately after the ad is shown. Vistar reviews the ad requests to make sure all the fields in the request are passing the correct information.
After the three consecutive days, Vistar lets you know if the Initial Integration Test passed or failed. If the test failed, changes must be made to the integration and then the test must be repeated. If the test passed, you can proceed to the Certification Test.