Introduction to Kevel

Kevel is a set of APIs that lets customers build a unified ad platform supporting any ad format, any creative, and the management of multiple demand sources.

Today, the ad tech ecosystem suffers from an unhealthy fragmentation of technologies, which forces publishers to work across multiple platforms to run cross-format, cross-channel campaigns.

We believe there is a better way to tackle this problem. At Kevel, we have carefully made architectural choices that prioritize flexibility, and that is what lets our APIs serve as a single unified ad platform. Publishers can then manage cross-format, cross-channel campaigns without working through the complexities of multiple platforms.

What's the Kevel advantage?

Kevel is a fully featured ad server that can serve any creative and any ad format, including standard IAB ads, video ads, DOOH, audio ads, sponsored listings, native ads, and any other digital asset that requires a serving decision.

How do we do it?

1. We're server-to-server, which means you're not constrained by client-side ad code written for specific ad formats.
2. You tell us what creative content you want returned, and that's what we return.
3. Our ad template creator tool helps you operationally standardize the non-standard.

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A note on what it means to be server-to-server

Server-to-server means that the ad serving process and communication happen directly between servers, without relying on client-side ad code that is specific to certain ad formats.

In the traditional client-side approach, when a user visits a webpage or opens a mobile app, the client-side ad code (usually JavaScript) runs in their browser or device and communicates with an ad server to request and display the appropriate ad format. This is less flexible and harder to manage, because the client-side code must be tailored to each ad format. Most ad servers function this way and are built for a limited set of ad formats.

With a server-to-server approach, when a user accesses a webpage or app, your server handles the ad response from Kevel and then works with frontend code to render the ad content.

For publishers, this setup means you are not constrained by the limitations of client-side ad code, and can integrate different ad formats. It also allows for easier updates and maintenance, as changes can be made server-side without requiring client-side modifications.

See below for a high-level look at how this process works in Kevel:

Unified demand source management

When it comes to creating a unified ad stack, it's not just about flexibility in the ad formats served, but also the ability to be one centralized workbench for all your demand sources.

We've built Kevel to be a foundational piece of your ad tech stack. Because we built it with flexibility in mind, in an API-first environment, you get everything you need to get started and more. It is also easy to integrate with other tech as you grow, so your ad stack gains sophistication intentionally rather than becoming a frankenstack of tech that doesn't play well together.

It's a different way of thinking about ad serving and how you build a scalable ad stack, but once you get it, it's hard to imagine why all ad servers don't work this way.