Prevent misplaced attribution for third-party tags

When you're using wrapped third-party tags or VAST URLs in Display & Video 360 but want to measure them in Campaign Manager 360, you can add a Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad to the creative in Display & Video 360. To avoid misplaced attribution for impressions, clicks, or conversions, make sure your tracking ad tag includes the following parameter and macro:

• Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad tag parameter: dc_dbm_token
• Display & Video 360 macro: ${DC_DBM_TOKEN}

What causes misplaced attribution?

When you upload wrapped third-party ad tags to Display & Video 360 and track them using a Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad, the Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad can unintentionally cause duplicate impressions, misplaced attribution, and missing dimensions in reporting.

Limitations and known issues

• YouTube campaigns aren't supported
• Mobile and connected TV campaigns aren't supported and use of the macro will result in low or no conversion metrics, connected TV cross-device conversion metrics, and unique reach: impression reach metrics in both Campaign Manager 360 and Display & Video 360

Step 1: Set up tracking ads in Campaign Manager 360

1. Create and traffic the tracking ads you'll use to measure the third-party creatives.
2. When you download the tags, check the Include dc_dbm macro checkbox. The downloaded tags will contain dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN}.

This feature only works with tracking ads, not standard impression tracker ads or Campaign Manager 360 click tracker ads.

Example tracking ad tags with parameter and macro

Impression tracking ad tag examples 

Image

<IMG SRC="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackimp/N7480.19046704OMGBLOG0/B90014133.2000035212;dc_trk_aid=2000095978;dc_trk_cid=581583104;ord=[timestamp];dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN};dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=?" BORDER="0" HEIGHT="1" WIDTH="1" ALT="Advertisement">

 

Iframe

<IFRAME SRC="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackimpi/N7480.19046704OMGBLOG0/B90014133.2000035212;dc_trk_aid=2000095978;dc_trk_cid=581583104;ord=[timestamp];dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN};dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=?" WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR='#000000'></IFRAME>

JavaScript

<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackimpj/N7480.19046704OMGBLOG0/B90014133.2000035212;dc_trk_aid=2000095978;dc_trk_cid=581583104;ord=[timestamp];dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN};dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=?"></SCRIPT>

 Click tracking ad tag example

https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N7480.19046704OMGBLOG0/B90014133.2000035212;dc_trk_aid=2000095978;dc_trk_cid=581583104;dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN};dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=

Step 2: Add tracking ads in your third-party ad server

1. Add the Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad to the ad in your third-party ad server. This process varies between ad servers.

2. Add the third-party ad server's parameter and the macro ${DC_DBM_TOKEN} to the final third-party ad tag or VAST URL. Your third-party ad server will have their own parameter for this purpose. Contact your ad server's support team for more details.

Step 3: Upload final tags to Display & Video 360

Upload your tags to Display & Video 360. You can either upload them one at a time, or use bulk upload.

Upload one a time

1. Upload the third-party tag or VAST URL.
2. Confirm that the tag or VAST URL you pasted includes the third-party ad server's parameter with the macro ${DC_DBM_TOKEN}.
3. Expand the Serving properties section.
   1. Paste the landing page URL for the creative. Note: Do not add a Campaign Manager 360 tracking ad (it was already added when you wrapped the tag in step 2 above).
4. Expand the Additional details section.
   1. Check the Requires ping for attribution checkbox.
5. Save the creative.

Bulk upload

You can use bulk upload to upload more than one third-party tag or VAST URL. When creating your bulk upload:

1. Confirm that each tag or VAST URL in your spreadsheet includes the third-party ad server's parameter with the macro ${DC_DBM_TOKEN}.
2. Enter Yes in the Requires ping for attribution column.

How this works in reports

When your third-party ad tags and Campaign Manager 360 tracking ads include the parameter and macro:

• Impressions and clicks are collapsed into a single event
• Only a single event is used for reach and frequency measurement
• Conversions are only attributed to the Campaign Manager 360 tracking event

Display & Video 360 reports

The programmatic campaign’s impression or click count will remain the sum of all Display & Video 360 (outer) events, regardless of whether or not a Campaign Manager 360 tracking (inner) event occurred — this is required for billing and for core performance reporting and optimization to be accurate.

Campaign Manager 360 reports

The tracking campaign’s impression and click count should remain the sum of all Campaign Manager 360 render time events.

• Data Transfer A single impression and click will show regardless of the event joining being successful, with both the programmatic campaign’s dimensions and the tracking campaigns’ dimensions attached. In the DBM View State field, these third-party ad serving rows are blank. There will be two new values on that enum, "3PAS_OUTER" and "3PAS_MERGED".

  • "3PAS_OUTER" will appear for events that reflect an outer ping from Display & Video 360 with no response from Campaign Manager 360 tracking (where the Display & Video 360 "Requires ping for attribution" checkbox is checked. "3PAS_OUTER" records are not used in attribution or reach, but still appear in Data Transfer.

  • "3PAS_MERGED" will appear on a single row that represents a matched Display & Video 360 impression or click and a corresponding Campaign Manager 360 tracking ping.