Managing Third-Party Pixels to Track Impressions at the Creative Level

In this article:

Introduction

Setting Up a Third-Party Pixel for Creatives

Set Impressions Pixel

Change Macros to Upper Case

Bulk Pixel Management

IAS Viewability Tracking Setup

Troubleshooting

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Introduction

Third-party impression pixel tracking at the creative level allows advertisers to add and manage tracking pixels directly within the MGID Ads dashboard. This feature improves transparency, streamlines workflows and provides complete control over impression tracking. 

Benefits:

• Full Self-Service: Configure and manage third-party impression pixels without waiting for manual setup or account manager assistance. 
• Flexible Pixel Management: Add or update impression pixels without changing the creative status, or apply them to multiple creatives simultaneously using bulk actions.
• Improved Accuracy: Automatically correct invalid macro formatting with one click and ensure seamless integration with supported third-party tracking systems.
• Greater Control & Efficiency: Easily manage impression tracking across campaigns while maintaining accurate performance measurement and compatibility with external analytics and attribution platforms.

Setting Up a Third-Party Pixel for Creatives

You can add third-party pixels at the creative level by following these steps.

1. Navigate to the creative creation form in MGID Ads by either creating a new ad or editing an existing one.

2. Navigate to the 3rd party pixel section and click the Add Pixel button.

A side panel will appear where you can:

• Select the Tag type: Image Pixel; JavaScript Tag;
• Select the event type: Viewable Impressions; Impressions;
• Enter the third-party tracking URL in the provided input.

3. Validate macros before saving. Ensure all macros are correctly formatted.

Only the following macros are valid for third-party tracking:

${REQUEST_ID}

${TIMESTAMP}

${WIDGET_ID}

${TEASER_ID}

${CLIENT_ID}

${CAMPAIGN_ID}

${CAMPAIGN_NAME}

${SITE_ID}

${GDPR_CONSENT}

${GDPR_CONSENT_755} (can be any number)

${GDPR}

${GDPR_PD}

4. Submit the setup.

As previously stated, you can edit or remove a pixel by editing the ad, reopening the creative creation form and making adjustments as needed.

 

Set Impressions Pixel

The Set Impressions Pixel action allows advertisers to add or update impression tracking pixels for creatives regardless of their current status. The key benefit is that the creative status remains unchanged after saving the pixel configuration. This allows advertisers to configure or update tracking pixels without affecting creative moderation or delivery.

Change Macros to Upper Case

The Change Macros to Upper Case button is displayed when the tracking URL contains macros written in lowercase, which are considered invalid by the system. When clicked, all supported macros in the tracking URL are automatically converted to UPPER CASE.

Example Before:

${request_id}

${campaign_id}

Example After:

${REQUEST_ID}

${CAMPAIGN_ID}

This helps ensure that the tracking URL meets the required macro format before saving.

Bulk Pixel Management

Third-party impression pixels can be configured for multiple creatives simultaneously.

From the Creatives list, select multiple creatives and choose Set Impressions Pixel from the bulk actions menu.

The specified pixel will be added to all selected creatives in a single operation.

Limitations:

• Bulk actions currently support adding impression pixels only. Removing existing pixels through bulk actions is not supported.

• Each creative supports a maximum of three impression pixels. If one or more selected creatives have already reached this limit, the system will skip those creatives and display a notification indicating that the pixel was not added because the maximum number of pixels has already been reached. The remaining eligible creatives will be updated successfully.

 

IAS Viewability Tracking Setup

IAS (Integral Ad Science) tracking allows advertisers to verify and measure the viewability of ads. To enable IAS tracking, follow these steps.

1. Contact IAS to request the tracking script.

Example:

<SCRIPT TYPE="application/javascript" SRC="https://pixel.adsafeprotected.com/rjss/st/2228605/82576683/skeleton.js"></SCRIPT>  

<NOSCRIPT>  

  <IMG SRC="https://pixel.adsafeprotected.com/rfw/st/2228605/82576682/skeleton.gif?gdpr=${GDPR}&gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT}" BORDER=0 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1 ALT="">  

</NOSCRIPT>

As a next step, make sure that for creatives containing both JavaScript and Image tags in a combined script, only the JavaScript tag is implemented. This will help prevent duplication of statistical data in the tracker.

2. Ensure JavaScript tag setup. 

• Select JavaScript Tag type
• Modify the Script by adding the parameter ias_searchshadowdom=true

Example:

<SCRIPT TYPE="application/javascript" SRC="https://pixel.adsafeprotected.com/rjss/st/2228605/82576683/skeleton.js?ias_searchshadowdom=true"></SCRIPT>

• Insert the URL in the provided input

https://pixel.adsafeprotected.com/rjss/st/2228605/82576683/skeleton.js?ias_searchshadowdom=true 

This ensures that IAS can accurately track and verify ad impressions within the MGID network.

 

 

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: The pixel is not firing correctly.

• Verify that the tag is correctly formatted and contains the required macros.
• Ensure the tag is from a supported third-party provider.
• Check if the pixel type (code snippet or image script) matches the expected format.

Issue 2: I can’t add more than one pixel.

• Confirm that you have not exceeded the 3-pixel limit per creative.
• Try refreshing the dashboard and reattempting the process.

Issue 3: The system is rejecting my tag.

• Double-check macro formatting.
• Ensure the event type (Viewable Impressions or Impressions) is selected.
• Contact support if the issue persists.

By following these guidelines, advertisers can ensure the seamless integration of third-party impression tracking for optimal campaign performance. For additional assistance, reach out to the MGID Support Team.