Veraxen, a mobile gaming publisher heavily reliant on banner revenue, had built strong demand on Android but struggled to monetize iOS at the same level. BidMachine’s DIRECT Placements program closed that gap, becoming the #1 banner revenue partner on iOS and a top 5 partner on Android across key titles like Jigsaw Puzzle.
The banner monetization gap
For Veraxen, banner ads represent a substantial share of total revenue, making banner CPM performance a critical business metric. While the team had built solid demand on Android, iOS remained under-monetized.
Existing integrations were effective but primarily delivered demand on Android, leaving iOS with limited access to brand advertisers. Full-screen inventory, meanwhile, was dominated by gaming-focused performance demand, and the team had not actively pursued brand demand for interstitials. The result was a monetization ceiling on iOS that was difficult to break through with their current setup.
Bringing brand demand to iOS and Android with DIRECT Placements
Veraxen began testing BidMachine’s DIRECT Placements program as a low-risk experiment. What made the program immediately appealing was transparency. As Valeria Liashkevich, who oversees monetization at Veraxen, explains:
"Bidmachine provided full transparency, and we did not encounter any concerns, including unexpected fees or similar issues."
The integration extended existing demand partners' reach into Veraxen's iOS banner inventory, filling a gap their existing setup had left unfilled, while also strengthening BidMachine's position on Android. BidMachine became the connective layer that brought brand-category spend, historically hard to access for mobile gaming publishers, into Veraxen's monetization stack.
Approximately 70% of ads delivered through BidMachine came from brand advertisers, helping shift a revenue mix long dominated by performance demand partners.
BidMachine becomes Veraxen's top banner revenue partner
Since launching DIRECT Placements, Veraxen has seen meaningful impact on banner monetization across both platforms:
- BidMachine is now Veraxen's #1 banner revenue partner on iOS and ranks among the top 5 on Android, across JigsawPuzzle and other key titles
- CPMs are growing faster with BidMachine than with other demand partners, a trend Valeria attributes to the DIRECT Placements program rather than seasonal lift
- Brand ad quality has improved year-over-year, with higher CTR and close rates, alongside a better overall user experience
Valeria notes that the impact goes beyond raw numbers:
"It's a type of integration we didn't have before, one that brings high-value brand demand, and that's really good on banners."
What surprised Veraxen most
The team initially treated DIRECT Placements as something to set up and check monthly, not a primary growth lever. "It was a surprise to me that this program can bring so much revenue. I didn't expect it to work this way. It's like fresh air, a real opportunity to grow."
Veraxen also discovered that the program was activating both new demand sources and growing existing partners that had previously underperformed in the open market. DIRECT Placements became a demand diversification lever, broadening the competitive landscape for their inventory in ways they had not anticipated.
Advice to other publishers
Valeria's guidance is straightforward: if banners make up a significant share of your revenue, this program makes sense to test.
"I didn't see any negative impact, only positive results. If you have CPM seasonality issues, this is something worth considering. Just try it."
Veraxen partnered with BidMachine’s DIRECT Placements program, which connects mobile publishers directly with brand and performance DSPs to unlock incremental revenue and improve CPM quality across banner and full-screen inventory.
