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Ad Manager: Tracking and Attribution
Ad Manager: Tracking and Attribution

Making the best use of tracking pixels

Updated over 6 months ago

Acast supports tracking tags (also known as pixels) for third party impression tracking, verification, brand uplift, attribution, and other uses.

When you’re creating a new campaign or editing an existing one, you have the option to add a multiple 3rd party tracking URLs for each ad position (Pre, Mid, Post) as long as they're separated by a line break.

Current Supported Vendors

Global

  • ArtsAI

  • Adform

  • Adition

  • Delta Projects

  • Flashtalking

  • Google Doubleclick

  • Podscribe

  • Sizmek

  • Veritonic

Global (excluding EEA, Switzerland & UK)

  • Chartable

  • Podtrac

US Only

  • Claritas

  • Placed

  • UpWave

  • VideoAmp

Multiple

  • Extreme Reach (US, CA, MX)

  • Kantar (US & AU)

  • Lucid (US, AU, CA, MX, UK, DE, FR, ES)

Macros

Tags may require macros to replace values with data points that are shared with tag vendors and advertisers.

  • Cachebuster: (acast-random) - inserts random value

  • IP address: (acast-ip) - inserts IP address

  • User Agent: (acast-useragent) - inserts user agent

  • Show Name: (acast-channel-url) - inserts show URL

  • Episode Name: (acast-episode-url) - inserts episode URL

  • Device ID: (acast-device-ad-id) - inserts mobile advertising ID

  • Timestamp: (acast-timestamp) - seconds since unix time

  • Privacy: (acast-privacy) - inserts privacy field

Note that the IP address and Device ID will not be shared without consent within the EEA countries.

How To Guide

The vendor that supplies you with the tag should explain what macros to insert. You simply need to edit the URL to include the respective Acast macros. Do not include any <img> tags, only the URL itself.

Here are two examples of how the Macros (in bold) need to be changed:

Original A:

https://trackingpixelexample.com/testcampaign/12345678/ord=[cachebuster]

Edited A:

https://trackingpixelexample.com/testcampaign/12345678/ord=(acast-random)

Original B:

https://trackingpixelexample.com/imp_track/0e1234567o895;ord=%7Bcb%7D;request_ts=%7Btimestamp%7D;user_agent=%7BUserAgent%7D;ip_address=%7BIP%7D;podcast_title=$%7Bparameters["aw_0_2rt.show"]!}

Edited B:

https://trackingpixelexample.com/imp_track/0e1234567o895;ord=%7Bcb%7D;request_ts=(acast-random);user_agent=(acast-useragent-hash);ip_address=(acast-ip);podcast_title=(acast-channel-url)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are there impression count discrepancies between Acast and Tag Vendors?

Acast measures ad delivery using the IAB Podcast Measurement Guidelines 2.0. Other tag vendors may use different methodologies to count impressions. All ad servers have slightly different impression measurement logic so this is to be expected.

Why don’t all 3rd Party tracking solutions work?

Most tracking solutions have not been developed to be compatible with podcast ads. Acast also performs server side ad insertion, and some tags may be reliant on client side ad insertion. Tracking solutions that are reliant on mobile advertising IDs may not perform as expected because podcasts are a less addressable medium than display or video.

Can I use a VAST redirect tag?

No, Ad Manager does not support VAST redirect tags at this time.

Additional Information about Ad Manager:

While we strive to provide value to all our clients, Ad Manager is currently only accessible to eligible partners. If you are a Creator Network Partner, you can inquire with your Partner Manager for further information. If you don’t have a Partner Manager at Acast, Ad Manager will not be available.

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