Capturing Campaign Impression Data via Pixel Calls

Last update: August 19, 2021

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

NOTE
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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.

KeyDescription
d_adgroup

Numeric ad group ID from the ad server.

Optional.

d_adsrc

Data source ID or integration code for your advertiser.

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

Optional.

d_bu

Data source ID or integration code for your business unit.

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

d_bust

Cache-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_campaign

Numeric campaign ID from the ad server.

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

d_cid

In 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 1234 says that user 1234 is associated with an Android device.
  • 20915: Identifies an iOS (IDFA) device. For example, d_cid = 20915 %01 5678 says that user 5678 is associated with an iOS device.

Optional.

d_creative

Numeric creative ID from the ad server.

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

d_event=imp

Identifies an event call as an impression event.

Required.

d_placement

Numeric placement ID from the ad server.

Optional.

d_site

Numeric site ID from the ad server.

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

d_src

Data source ID or integration code of the platform providing the metadata (e.g., DFA, Atlas, GBM, Media Math, etc.).

Required for Audience Optimization reports.

gdpr

Related 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_consent

Related 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.

NOTE
Please contact your Adobe Audience Manager consulting or account lead for the exact URL specific to the client domain.