Capturing Campaign Impression Data via Pixel Calls
One approach for sending media data to Audience Manager uses ad server macros to send campaign attributes to Audience Manager.
This methodology is often referred to as “pixeling the creative.” Those data points are dynamically inserted into the Audience Manager pixel code by the third-party ad server macros, which are used to map and report all impressions and clicks based on the key reporting attributes of the campaign. The aggregated data provides a unified view of campaign performance, helps identify custom conversion paths, and helps customers improve the sequence of ad server events that lead to conversions.
Event Call Syntax
monospaced text, italics, brackets [ ] ( ), etc.) indicate code elements and options. See Style Conventions for Code and Text Elements for more information.The event call collects impression and conversion data and sends it to the Audience Manager data collection servers (DCS). This process relies on third-party ad servers that place the call in the creative to control what content gets inserted into the code. The third-party ad servers (for example, DFA) can place this code within each ad impression. Furthermore, an ad call does not use JavaScript or employ frame-busting techniques to access publisher data outside of the ad tag.
Event calls consist of key-value pairs that use the following syntax:
https://clientname.demdex.net/event?d_event=imp&d_src=datasource_id&d_site=siteID&d_creative=<i>creative_id</i>&d_adgroup=<i>adgroup_id</i>&d_placement=<i>placement_id</i>&d_campaign=<i>campaign_id</i>[&d_cid=(GAID|IDFA)%01 DPUUID]&d_bust=cache buster value
In the key-value pair, the value variable is an ID or macro inserted by the ad server. When the ad tag loads, that %macro% gets replaced with the required, corresponding values. This call does not return a response.
Supported Key-Value Pairs
Impression event calls accept data formed into key-value pairs. The following table lists and describes the keys used to hold these variables. Many of these are required if you want to capture and analyze data in the Audience Optimization Reports.
d_adgroupNumeric ad group ID from the ad server.
Optional.
d_adsrcData source ID or integration code for your advertiser.
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
Optional.
d_buData source ID or integration code for your business unit.
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
d_bustCache-busting value. Audience Manager automatically sends cache-control headers that are honored by most browsers and proxies. If you want to perform additional cache busting, include this parameter in an event call, followed by a random string.
Optional.
d_campaignNumeric campaign ID from the ad server.
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
d_cidIn this context, d_cid instantiates a key-value pair that lets you associate a mobile device type to a unique user ID (DPUUID). A fixed ID determines the mobile device type. The value, which is the user ID, can vary. Separate the key-value pair with %01 , which is a non-printing control character. This parameter accepts the following keys:
- 20914: Identifies an Android (GAID) device. For example,
d_cid = 20914 %01 1234says that user 1234 is associated with an Android device. - 20915: Identifies an iOS (IDFA) device. For example,
d_cid = 20915 %01 5678says that user 5678 is associated with an iOS device.
Optional.
d_creativeNumeric creative ID from the ad server.
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
d_event=impIdentifies an event call as an impression event.
Required.
d_placementNumeric placement ID from the ad server.
Optional.
d_siteNumeric site ID from the ad server.
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
d_srcData source ID or integration code of the platform providing the metadata (e.g., DFA, Atlas, GBM, Media Math, etc.).
Required for Audience Optimization reports.
gdprRelated to the Audience Manager Plug-in for IAB TCF.
gdpr can be 0 (GDPR does not apply) or 1 (GDPR applies).
Default value is 0.
Optional.
If gdpr=1, then the gdpr_consent parameter should contain the IAB TC consent parameter to process the data successfully. Otherwise, all data will be dropped.
gdpr_consentRelated to the Audience Manager Plug-in for IAB TCF.
If gdpr=1, then ${gdpr_consent_XXXX} is replaced by the gdpr_consent string and the vendor ID (see IAB specification).
Default value is 0.
Optional.
Additional functionality - Audience Optimization Reports
You can use pixel calls to power the Audience Optimization Reports. See Overview and Mappings for Metadata Files if you wish to use pixels to power the reports.