Adaptive sticky banner

An adaptive sticky banner is a small, automatically updated ad placed at the bottom or top of the app screen. The banner doesn't overlap the main app content and is often used in gaming apps.

The adaptive sticky banner delivers maximum performance by optimizing the ad size for each device. This ad type lets developers set a maximum allowable ad width, though the optimal ad size is still determined automatically. The height of the adaptive sticky banner shouldn't exceed 15% of the screen height.

Appearance

This guide covers the process of integrating adaptive sticky banners into Unity apps. Besides code samples and instructions, it contains format-specific recommendations and links to additional resources.

Prerequisite

  1. Follow the Yandex Mobile Ads plugin integration steps described under Quick start.
  2. Make sure that you have the latest version of the Yandex Mobile Ads Unity Plugin. If you're using mediation, update to the most recent single build version.

Implementation

Key steps to integrate an adaptive sticky banner:

  • Create and configure the Banner ad object.
  • Register a callback listener.
  • Load the ad.
  • Pass additional settings if you're using Adfox.

Features of adaptive sticky banner integration

  1. If the onAdFailedToLoad event returns an error, don't try to load a new ad again. If there's no other option, limit the number of ad load retries. This will help avoid constant unsuccessful requests and connection issues if there are limitations.

  2. Adaptive sticky banners work best when utilizing the full available width. In most cases, this will be the full width of the device screen. Be sure to consider the padding parameters set in your app and the display's safe area.

  3. To get the size of the ad, use the BannerAdSize.stickySize(adWidth) method, which accepts the available width of the ad container as the argument.

  4. The BannerAdSize object, which is calculated using the BannerAdSize.stickySize(adWidth) method, contains constant ad width and height values for identical devices. When testing your app's layout on a specific device, you can be sure that the ad size for that device will remain the same.

  5. The height of an adaptive sticky banner never exceeds 15% of the screen height and can't be less than 50 dp.

Adding Banner to the project

To display a banner in your app, create a Banner object in the script (in C#) that is attached to the GameObject.

using UnityEngine;
using YandexMobileAds;
using YandexMobileAds.Base;

public class YandexMobileAdsStickyBannerDemoScript : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Banner banner;

    private int GetScreenWidthDp()
    {
        int screenWidth = (int)Screen.safeArea.width;
        return ScreenUtils.ConvertPixelsToDp(screenWidth);
    }

    private void RequestStickyBanner()
    {   
        string adUnitId = "demo-banner-yandex"; // replace with "R-M-XXXXXX-Y"
        BannerAdSize bannerMaxSize = BannerAdSize.StickySize(GetScreenWidthDp());
        banner = new Banner(adUnitId, bannerMaxSize, AdPosition.BottomCenter);
    }
}

The Banner constructor contains the following parameters:

  • adUnitId: A unique identifier that is issued in the Yandex Advertising Network interface and looks like this: R-M-XXXXXX-Y.

    Tip

    For testing purposes, you can use the demo unit ID: "demo-banner-yandex". Before publishing your ad, make sure you replace the demo unit ID with a real ad unit ID.

  • BannerAdSize: Size of the banner you want to display.

  • AdPosition: The position on the screen.

  • StickySize(int width): Banner size.

You need to set a full screen width without margins. The ad will fit into these dimensions. The optimal size of the ad will be determined automatically. The height of the adaptive sticky banner shouldn't exceed 15% of the screen height.

Loading and rendering ads

After creating and configuring an object of the Banner class, you need to load the ad. To load an ad, use the LoadAd method, which takes the AdRequest object as an argument.

The ad size must also be calculated for each device before loading an adaptive sticky banner. That is performed automatically via the SDK API: BannerAdSize.stickySize(adWidth).

You can extend ad request parameters with the AdRequest.Builder() class to include information about the user's interests, page context, location, and other additional data in the ad request. Adding extra context to ad requests can greatly improve ad relevance. To learn more, see Ad targeting.

To notify when ads load or fail to load and to track the life cycle of adaptive sticky banners, set the callback functions for the BannerAd class object.

private void RequestStickyBanner()
{
    // ...

    AdRequest request = new AdRequest.Builder().Build();
    banner.LoadAd(request);
}

To track events that occur in banner ads, register a delegate for the appropriate EventHandler, as shown below:

using System;
// ...

private void RequestStickyBanner()
{
    // ...
    // Called when a rewarded ad is loaded
    banner.OnAdLoaded += HandleAdLoaded;

    // Called when there was an error loading the ad
    banner.OnAdFailedToLoad += HandleAdFailedToLoad;

    // Called when the app goes inactive because the user tapped an ad and is about to switch to a different app (for example, a browser).
    banner.OnLeftApplication += HandleLeftApplication;

    // Called when the user returns to the app after a tap
    banner.OnReturnedToApplication += HandleReturnedToApplication;

    // Called when the user taps the ad
    banner.OnAdClicked += HandleAdClicked;

    // Called when an impression is registered
    banner.OnImpression += HandleImpression;
    // ...
}

private void HandleAdLoaded(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
    Debug.Log("AdLoaded event received");
    banner.Show();
}

private void HandleAdFailedToLoad(object sender, AdFailureEventArgs args)
{
    Debug.Log($"AdFailedToLoad event received with message: {args.Message}");
    // We strongly advise against loading a new ad using this method
}

private void HandleLeftApplication(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
    Debug.Log("LeftApplication event received");
}

private void HandleReturnedToApplication(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
    Debug.Log("ReturnedToApplication event received");
}

private void HandleAdClicked(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
    Debug.Log("AdClicked event received");
}

private void HandleImpression(object sender, ImpressionData impressionData)
{
    var data = impressionData == null ? "null" : impressionData.rawData;
    Debug.Log($"HandleImpression event received with data: {data}");
}

Testing adaptive sticky banner integration

Using demo ad units for ad testing

We recommend using test ads to test your adaptive sticky banner integration and your app itself.

To make sure that test ads are returned for each ad request, we created a special demo ad placement ID designed to help you test your ad integration.

Demo adUnitId: demo-banner-yandex.

Warning

Before publishing your app in the store, make sure to replace the demo placement ID with the real ID you obtained in the interface Yandex Advertising Network.

For the list of all available demo ad placement IDs, see Demo ad units for testing.

Testing ad integration

You can check your adaptive sticky banner integration using the SDK's built-in analyzer.

This tool checks whether ads are enabled properly and outputs a detailed report to a log. To view the report, search the keyword “YandexAds” in Logcat, a tool for debugging Android apps.

adb logcat -v brief '*:S YandexAds'

If the integration is successful, the following message is returned:

adb logcat -v brief '*:S YandexAds'
mobileads$ adb logcat -v brief '*:S YandexAds'
I/YandexAds(13719): [Integration] Ad type banner was integrated successfully

If you're having problems integrating banner ads, you'll get a detailed report on the issues and recommendations for how to fix them.

Using demo ad units for ad testing

We recommend using test ads to test your ad integration and your app itself.

To make sure that test ads are returned for each ad request, we created a special demo ad placement ID designed to help you test your ad integration.

Demo adUnitId: demo-banner-yandex.

Warning

Before publishing your app in the store, make sure to replace the demo placement ID with the real ID you obtained in the interface Yandex Advertising Network.

For the list of all available demo ad placement IDs, see Demo ad units for testing.

Testing ad integration

You can test your ad integration using the native Console tool.

To view detailed logs, call the MobileAds class's enableLogging method.

MobileAds.enableLogging()

To view SDK logs, go to the Console tool and set Subsystem = com.mobile.ads.ads.sdk. You can also filter logs by category and error level.

If you're having problems integrating ads, you'll get a detailed report on the issues and recommendations for how to fix them.

Tips

Ad preloading

Loading an ad may take several seconds, depending on the number of ad networks connected in Mobile Mediation and the user's internet speed. We recommend preloading ads before displaying them.

You can load an ad at app startup or just before it's shown. Make sure to preserve the object between scenes using the DontDestroyOnLoad(gameObject) call. That ensures the ad that's loaded is not deleted with the gameObject on scene change.

When you then need to render the banner, call banner.Show().

If you cache ads on too many screens that are unlikely to be shown, your ad effectiveness could drop. For example, if users complete 2-3 game levels per session, you shouldn't cache ads for 6-7 screens. Your ad viewability could decrease otherwise, and the advertising system might deprioritize your app.

To ensure caching benefits your app, monitor the “Show rate” or “View rate” metrics in the Yandex Advertising Network interface. If it's under 20%, you should probably revise your caching algorithm. The higher the percentage of impressions, the better.

Clearing unused memory

We recommend calling banner?.Destroy() and re-creating the Banner object before each ad request. That ensures that all memory that was utilized is cleared, and the app can request and show ads many times without overwhelming the device. That can also prevent code errors related to repeated ad loading and lifecycle disruptions.

Additional resources

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