Prebid Asteroid vs. Content Ignite Experiments: How They Compare

On February 19th, Prebid announced "Asteroid," a tool designed to measure the impact of identity (ID) solutions. Marketed as a unique and powerful solution, a closer look reveals it to be an minor enhancement feature that like the rest of Prebid, is merely a tool for its users to take and implement as needed, requiring expertise, other tools and solutions to be of true value. In contrast, Content Ignite’s experiment technology has been ahead of the curve for years, offering publishers comprehensive functionality and insights that Asteroid doesn't currently match.

What is Prebid Asteroid?

Asteroid allows publishers to configure experiments within their Prebid setup to test multiple ID solutions. Here's how it works:

• Publishers define the percentage of traffic for each ID solution in their Prebid configuration (e.g., 5% for each of four IDs).
• Asteroid enables or disables the modules accordingly.
• The state of each ID module is passed to analytics modules or into Google Ad Manager (GAM) via key values.
• Important caveat: Asteroid does not provide reporting capabilities. Publishers must rely on analytics or ad tech partners to build their own reporting systems.

Despite the buzz, Asteroid requires the latest Prebid version, lacks confirmed analytics partners, and is still finalising its supporting documentation.

Why Content Ignite Experiments Outperform Asteroid

While Prebid focuses on the technical facilitation of experiments, Content Ignite delivers a complete solution, from experiment setup to actionable reporting. Here’s why our technology is superior:

1. Advanced Scheduling Capabilities

Asteroid cannot schedule experiments. Content Ignite allows you to schedule and manage experiments effortlessly, ensuring your testing aligns with your business goals.

2. Integrated Reporting Platform

Prebid announced Asteroid without any confirmed analytics partners, leaving publishers to coordinate with third parties. Content Ignite provides an integrated reporting platform, offering real-time insights across both Prebid and GAM data. This holistic view is essential for accurate measurement of incremental uplift.

3. Automatic GAM Honouring & Comprehensive Data Coverage

Our experiments automatically honour ID solutions within GAM, eliminating manual configurations. Asteroid focuses solely on Prebid data, while our solution ensures seamless coverage across your entire ad tech stack.

4. Proven Technology with Established Support

While Asteroid has no confirmed managed wrapper providers (outside the development team), our experiment tech is tried and tested. Features like "Split by browser" and "Split by geo," which Prebid touts as key benefits, have long been standard in our platform.

5. Highly Targeted Experimentation

Want to run an experiment only in the UK? No problem with Content Ignite. Achieving this level of targeting with Asteroid requires complex dynamic configurations that publishers must manage themselves.

6. Reduced Publisher Effort

Prebid’s Asteroid demands significant publisher involvement to extract, store, and visualise data. Content Ignite streamlines this process, saving you time and resources while delivering actionable results.

Bottom Line: Why Choose Content Ignite Over Asteroid?

Prebid’s Asteroid is a tool, not a solution. It provides the mechanics of enabling and disabling ID modules but leaves the heavy lifting to publishers. Without built-in reporting, scheduling, or comprehensive targeting, Asteroid requires substantial effort to yield useful data.

Content Ignite, on the other hand, offers a full-service solution that simplifies ID experimentation across your entire stack. Our platform ensures you gain meaningful insights with minimal effort, enabling smarter decisions and better outcomes.

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