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GPID: Map Your MAX Ad Units

Buyers recognise an ad slot across every network they buy it from by its Global Placement ID (GPID). Many buyers only bid, or bid higher, on slots they can identify. On MAX, BidMachine sends your MAX Ad Unit ID as the GPID, for every ad unit that has a placement in the BidMachine dashboard. That takes one mapping per ad unit, done once.

Nothing to change in MAX

MAX already sends the ad unit id with every request, on Android and iOS. The whole mapping lives in the BidMachine dashboard: one placement per MAX ad unit, with the MAX Ad Unit ID in the placement's GPID field. You do not need to touch your MAX ad unit settings, and ads keep serving while you do this.

Before you start​

  • BidMachine is enabled on the ad unit in MAX with your Source ID (see Overview).

  • You know where to find the MAX Ad Unit ID: in MAX go to Manage → Ad Units. The Ad Unit ID column shows it for every ad unit (16 characters, for example aaaa0000bbbb1111).

Which option: up to about ten ad units, do it by hand (Option A). More than that, upload the MAX export (Option B).

Option A: a few ad units, by hand​

Repeat for each MAX ad unit.

  1. In MAX, go to Manage → Ad Units and copy the Ad Unit ID of the ad unit.

  2. In the BidMachine dashboard, open Source & Blocking Rules, open the source of the app, click Edit and go to the Placements tab.

  3. Click Add Placement to create a placement for the ad unit, or edit the one you already use for it. One placement per MAX ad unit.

  4. Fill in the form so that it describes the ad unit: Platform and Bundle of the app, Ad Type of the ad unit (banner and MREC are Banner).

    Bundle format

    Android: the package name, for example com.example.mygame. iOS: the numeric App Store id, for example 123456789. A placement with the wrong bundle never matches. See Placements.

  5. Paste the MAX Ad Unit ID into the GPID field and click Save. The placement is saved right away; you do not need to save the source form.

  6. The placement appears in the list with its GPID. That is the whole mapping.

Option B: many ad units, upload the MAX export​

  1. In MAX, go to Mediation → CSV Tools → Ad Unit Manager and click Export Ad Unit Settings (AppLovin describes the tool on its Waterfall management tools page). Do not edit the file.

  2. In the BidMachine dashboard, open any source, go to the Placements tab and click Import from MAX CSV. One upload covers all the sources of your account.

  3. Choose the exported file and click Import.

  4. Read the result: how many placements were created and updated, and which rows were skipped and why (see Skipped rows).

What happens to your file

  • Only the BidMachine Bidding rows whose Source ID belongs to your account are read. Other networks and other accounts are ignored.
  • Each ad unit becomes one placement whose GPID is that ad unit's MAX Ad Unit ID. Placements you already have are updated, never deleted.
  • The dashboard offers your export back with the BidMachine placement id written into the Ad Unit ID / Placement ID cell of each BidMachine Bidding row. Uploading it back into MAX is optional: the GPID mapping works without it.
  • Uploading the same export again is safe. Nothing changes, and rows reported as already imported as placement … are normal, not errors.

Check it worked​

  • In the placements list every mapped placement shows its GPID.
  • Ask your account manager to confirm from BidMachine reporting that your requests carry the GPID. A new mapping is live within about a minute.

Skipped rows and what to do​

Reason shownWhat to do
source '…' is not in this accountThe Source ID in that ad unit's BidMachine settings is not one of yours. Check it in MAX.
ad type not recognised in ad unit nameBidMachine reads the ad type from the ad unit name. Include banner, MREC, interstitial, rewarded or native in the name, or create the placement by hand.
platform '…' is not android or iosOnly Android and iOS ad units are imported.
no bundle: add a placement or a default-domain bundle for …Create one placement for that platform on the source by hand first, then upload again.
gpid already on placement …Two ad units carry the same MAX Ad Unit ID, or one ad unit points at a placement that already belongs to another. Fix the duplicate and upload again.
ad unit is paused or disabled in MAXPaused and disabled ad units are not imported. Enable the ad unit in MAX and upload again.
expected 15 columns, got …The row is damaged. Export the file from MAX again without editing it.

Good to know​

  • The GPID must be the MAX Ad Unit ID exactly as MAX shows it.
  • The placement must match the ad unit: same platform, same app bundle, same ad type. A placement of another ad type is ignored.
  • If several MAX ad units share one BidMachine placement today, give each ad unit its own placement. The import does this for you.
  • Mapped placements also carry their other settings: the HVA flag and price floor apply to that ad unit's traffic.