At a glance: Make the most of your AppsFlyer Agency account with advanced configuration.
Additional reading: Agency accounts: getting started
About agency accounts
Agency accounts are used by agency teams to measure app marketing campaigns run by the agency on behalf of marketer clients (app owners).
- Key pre-install and post-install metrics are available to ensure that agencies are delivering optimal performance across their client portfolio.
- Agency account dashboards provide similar capabilities and content to that of marketer dashboards. This includes the following dashboards:
- Lifetime value overview
- In-app events
- Retargeting
- KPIs available include impressions, clicks, installs, user loyalty, cost, and ROI. About the dashboard.
Agency access to marketer data
Agencies always have access to data of traffic attributed to the agency. Marketers can grant agencies access to additional data, for example, organic aggregate data. See access to data by different types of users.
Agency transparency
To protect an agency's proprietary information, agencies control if the traffic media source is disclosed or masked for marketers. However, it's recommended to keep agency data transparent.
- [Default] Enabled: Marketers see the identity of the original media source.
- Disabled: Marketers view agency-generated traffic as coming from a single media source—the agency.
Note
Disabling agency transparency at any point makes historical agency-generated data (such as installs and cost) non-transparent to the marketer.
Comparing different types of accounts
Agency versus marketer accounts
- Marketer accounts are geared towards serving the app and data-owner. Marketers add apps to their accounts and determine the data-access permissions.
- Agency accounts are purpose-built for agency teams. They include tools for efficient measurement and analysis of marketing campaigns across their client portfolio.
Account structures permit knowledge-sharing between global agency teams and enable group-level ROI measurement, calculations, reporting, and optimization.
Differences between Marketer and Agency accounts
|
Marketer |
Agency |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Code-level implementation |
Yes |
No; only promotion of the app |
|
Account-level settings |
Team members, team member permissions, settings, payment preferences |
Agency team members and their permissions. |
|
App-level settings |
Reattribution window, OneLink configuration, time zone, currency |
|
|
Integrated-partner-level configuration |
|
|
|
Additional features |
Yes (some, if part of the subscription plan) |
As per marketer subscription and permissions given to the agency (see the table below) |
Features available to agencies
|
Available by default |
Not available |
Requires marketer permission |
|---|---|---|
*OneLink templates can be created only by the marketer ** Available only after the marketer has enabled this option. |
*Only cohort reports are available upon marketer permission |
|
Agency vs. ad network account
Differences between Ad network and Agency accounts
|
Ad network |
Agency |
|---|---|
|
Attribution link parameter for identification: |
Attribution link parameter for identification: |
|
Places app ads on its own platform |
Promotes the app via multiple media sources |
|
Sees only traffic from ads placed on its platform |
Sees only traffic from media sources it advertises on |
|
Can receive real-time information about installs and in-app events via postbacks |
Cannot receive real-time information about installs and in-app events via postbacks |
|
Can configure in-app event postbacks for any traffic from itself* |
Can configure in-app event postbacks to some of the partners it brings traffic from* |
|
* Requires marketer permission |
|
Agency accounts—campaigns and reporting
Agency: setting up campaigns
Agencies can measure the following main traffic types:
Self-reporting ad networks
Self-reporting networks, such as Meta ads, Google Ads, or Twitter do not use external attribution links. Instead, each network has its own methods and APIs that AppsFlyer uses to communicate new installs, in-app events, etc.
SRN configurations
|
SRN |
Marketer to perform initial SRN setup |
Details |
|---|---|---|
| Meta ads and Twitter | Yes
|
Note, this section refers to Meta ads. For attribution of Facebook Social (posts), read about Owned Media. Important: All Meta ads and Twitter campaigns must start with the Agency account name followed by "_". The name is defined in the AppsFlyer platform. Exampleagencyx runs a Meta ads campaign called agencyx_brilliantcampaign, which is visible to it. agencyz runs a Twitter campaign called AgencyZ_whathaveidonewrong, but doesn't see any results. This happens because the agency name part of the campaign is different to the defined agency name (capital A and Z). Contact agency@appsflyer.com if you have any questions about this. |
| Google Ads | Yes | For details of agency configuration for Google Ads campaigns, click here. |
| Apple Search Ads | Yes | For details of agency configuration for Apple Search Ads campaigns, click here. |
| Google Marketing Platform (GMP) | No | GMP has two different APIs. Learn more about the differences between the two, and choose the one relevant to you. |
| Snapchat | No | For details of agency configuration for Snapchat campaigns, click here. |
| Yahoo (Oath: Ad Platforms / Yahoo Gemini) | Yes | For details of agency configuration for Yahoo campaigns, click here. |
Non-SRNs
Unlike SRNs, the vast majority of ad networks use attribution links for attribution purposes. These attribution links are already provided in each network's settings on AppsFlyer and can be simply copied from there directly.
For agencies, the process is almost identical to that of the marketers. Upon going to the setup window of any regular ad networks the attribution link is already there. The only difference is the automatic addition of the af_prt parameter to the attribution link.
Ad network configuration visibility
Ad network setup is visible to ad networks themselves only when the marketer (app owner) configures it. When an agency activates and configures ad network integration, the network sees this section as inactive.
af_prt parameter
The value of af_prt is the agency name. The Agency name that is passed in the af_prt parameter is always converted to lowercase.
Having af_prt with your agency name on an attribution link that results in new installs enables attributing new installs to your agency account.
Without af_prt a new install can't be attributed to any agency account, and therefore it gets attributed directly to the ad network.
Do not use links received from the marketer: make sure to use the links from your own account to prevent wrong attribution.
Special case: All-installs and all-launches networks
Some non-SRNs require (or allow) marketers to send them postbacks for devices that aren't attributed to them.
- All-installs network
- The network accepts a postback for every new app install, from any source
- All-launches network
- The network accepts a postback for every new app launch, from any source
Some examples for all-installs networks are Vungle, Wechat, Startapp, Unity Ads, and more.
The following table shows the full list of the all-launches networks:
| Network Name | Network PID (on AF attribution links) |
|---|---|
| Supersonicads (a legacy network of ironSource) | supersonicads_int |
| Adelphic Remarketing | adelphicremarketing_int |
| Grow Mobile | growmobile_int |
| ONE by AOL | advertising.com_int |
| Lemmonet Mobile | lemmonetmobile_int |
| Clickky | clickky_int |
| Remerge | remerge_int |
| MyThings | mythings_int |
| TikTok for Business | bytedanceglobal_int |
How to setup agency attribution with all installs/launches networks?
Working with these networks entails sending information from installs that are not brought by the agency. Therefore, these networks require the marketer to configure them BEFORE the agency.
Example
Let's use agency attribution setup with Tapjoy as an example:
- Marketer goes to Tapjoy setup window on the marketer's dashboard.
- Marketer enters the Tapjoy App ID, given to the marketer by Tapjoy, in the app_id text field.
- Under the Integration tab > Default postbacks, the marketer selects All media sources, including organic.
- Agency goes to Tapjoy setup window on the agency's dashboard.
- Agency enters the Tapjoy App ID, given to the agency by Tapjoy, in the app_id text field.
Owned media—OneLink and custom links
Your agency can attribute all installs that originate from media sources that are not ad networks, such as:
-
- Email addresses
- Phone users database
- Web site banners
- Social media content (NOT social media ads)
To attribute installs from owned media you must create a custom attribution link, which automatically contains af_prt with your agency's name for correctly attributing to your agency.
Custom links for multiple platforms (Android and iOS) can be created using OneLink, which allows using one link only for all kinds of end users, no matter the device type. OneLink can also be used for deep linking (see the next section).
Setting up OneLink requires creating a OneLink template first. The template includes a subdomain, which can also be a Branded Link. OneLink templates and Branded Links cannot be created by agencies; only by app owners. If you'd like to start using OneLink, either:
-
- Use an existing template: When creating a new custom link, the available subdomains and Branded Links display in a dropdown.
- Contact the app owner so they can create a template for you. The app owner can create a special Branded Link for you.
Make sure you are a partner for all the apps selected in the OneLink template.
Note: For agencies to use a OneLink template, they must be partners for all the apps in the template.
Deep linking
Deep linking is the launch of a mobile app when opening personalized content and/or sending the users to specific activities within the app. This can provide your users with superior user experience and enhance their engagement.
For deep linking to work, the mobile app MUST be developed with deep linking capabilities and infrastructure. Contact the app owner to find out whether the app is suitable for deep linking, before setting up the campaigns.
Retargeting
-
- Retargeting attribution allows you to target existing or past users in your campaigns. Retargeting campaigns often require deep linking capabilities to work correctly.
In-app events
App owners can have various events in their apps (e.g. purchase, watching a tutorial, passing a level, etc), that they can record and analyze in AppsFlyer. Agencies can see data of events attributed to them on the Events page in their account.
In-app event postbacks
Agencies can be given permission to configure in-app event postbacks (including the af_app_opened event) to ad networks, upon receipt of permission from the Marketer.
Agencies can give the ad networks permission to configure in-app postbacks to themselves. Permission is granted by marketers in the agency permission tab.
Reporting for agencies
- Traffic statistics are viewed and downloaded directly from the AppsFlyer dashboard.
- Reports are accessed via the Export Data page in the AppsFlyer dashboard. You can also access Cohort reports via Data Locker.
- The following reports types are available:
- Aggregate
- Raw data
- Marketers and agencies mostly cannot access the same data in the dashboard, reports, and so on.
- Agencies are usually responsible for only a part of the marketer's traffic, so the agencies' access to the data is limited in comparison to that of marketers.
- This article breaks down these differences. The following sections highlight them
Note
Due to Meta ads and Twitter's terms of service, agencies, who are considered 3rd parties, do not have access to raw data reports traffic, originating from either Meta ads or Twitter.
Access to performance reports
- Performance reports also referred to as aggregate reports, are available by default to agency accounts. Related reading: Aggregate performance reports
- Access to aggregate organic data reports requires marketer permission.
Access to raw data
Raw data reports (user-level data reports) contain attribution information and are divided into topics.
Agencies can receive access to Retention and Cohort reports, and Protect360 dashboard. This requires that the marketer enable Allow access to your retention and cohort reports or Allow access to your Protect360 dashboard, respectively, in the Permissions tab of Active integrations.
Time zone and currency
Agencies see apps in the app-defined time zone and currency, but these settings can be changed only by marketers.
Cost reporting
Agencies can enable Get cost data when configuring an integrated partner that supports cost data.
To enable Get cost data:
- In AppsFlyer, under Configuration go to Active integrations.
- Filter the partners by the Cost: From the top of the Active integrations page, select Supported features > Cost.
- Select the partner. You're directed to the Integration tab. Select Go to the Cost tab.
- Turn on Get cost data.
- Enter the API key for this partner.
- Click Save.
Accessing and viewing cost data
Cost data is available to the agency in the following data sources:
- Overview page: cost data is visible in the Aggregated performance report in the Overview page.
- Reports: cost data is available in exported reports such as Installations under Raw data reports and Partners (Media sources) under Performance reports
Hybrid account data access
Hybrid accounts are agency accounts that manage some of the apps as an Agency (app partner), and some as a Marketer (app owner).
The following account-level features have limited availability:
- Custom dashboard: not available for agencies and hybrid accounts.
- Cohort report: available upon marketer's permission.
- Protect360: available upon marketer's permission.
If you have a hybrid account, they may appear on your dashboard, but you will get a 404 error when trying to open them.
If you would like to use these features, it's recommended to open a new Marketer account and separate your Marketer and Agency apps. The features mentioned above will be available in your Marketer account if you have them enabled.