[Legacy] GMP DV360/CM (DoubleClick)—CM360 and media source

For:

Marketers

Last update: February 25, 2024 06:18

At a glance: Set up and use the attribution link for [Legacy] CM360.

Important!

At the end of Q2 2024, Google and AppsFlyer will be deprecating the legacy doubleclick_int integration. If you're using this integration, make sure to migrate to the new DV360 dv360_int integration as soon as possible to continue running campaigns and measuring them using GMP. See more details here.

Before you begin

Some important things you should know before setting up the integration:

Prerequisite: When setting up campaign management using CM360 and an AppsFlyer integrated partner, first complete the GMP Integration Guide and the partner's integration guide, before continuing with the instructions in this section.
If you're managing a DV360 campaign through CM360, don't use this guide. Follow the instructions in the integration setup guide.
AppsFlyer doesn't recommend using the CM360 + media source scenario to report on SRN traffic if the relevant SRN partner integration is also enabled. This is to avoid conflicts when reporting conversions from the same partner via two different integrations. For example, if the Meta ads SRN integration is enabled in AppsFlyer, but CM360 is also utilized to report on Meta ads traffic (facebook_int) using the method described in this article in parallel, conversions might alternatively be reported by Meta ads and CM360, with CM360 capturing some of the conversions that would have been claimed by the main Meta ads integration.

Setting an attribution link for GMP campaign manager

To run and measure campaigns in CM360, you need an AppsFlyer attribution link. For data to be posted back to GMP and correctly logged in AppsFlyer, such data needs to be appended on the AppsFlyer link and not the CM360 link.

To set up the attribution link:

Create a CM360 link.
You must make sure you have a placeholder for the Device ID, the parameter dc_rdid, because AppsFlyer only receives mobile app conversion claims from the GMP integration, based on the presence of this parameter.
Create an attribution link.
- The attribution link should contain the actual media source that you intend to report on, which should be a third-party media source, not GMP. For example, if the third-party media source is Rocketfuel, use pid=rocketfuel_int and not pid=doubleclick_int.
- For Retargeting campaigns make sure your network link contains is_retargeting=true. Learn more
Attribution link example:
Android iOS
```
https://app.appsflyer.com/com.example?pid=rocketfuel_int&c=campaign_name
&advertising_id=13******-****-****-****-54**********
```
```
https://app.appsflyer.com/com.example?pid=rocketfuel_int&c=campaign_name
&idfa=13******-****-****-****-54**********
```

Append the AppsFlyer attribution link to the CM360 link:

https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N736113.127733/B202683.204586115;
dc_trk_aid=404426918;dc_trk_cid=92566356;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=13******-****-****-****-54**********
?https://app.appsflyer.com/com.example?pid=rocketfuel_int
&c=campaign_name&advertising_id=13******-****-****-****-54**********

https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N736113.127733/B202683.204586115;
dc_trk_aid=404426918;dc_trk_cid=92566356;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=13******-****-****-****-54**********
?https://app.appsflyer.com/com.example?pid=rocketfuel_int
&c=campaign_name&idfa=13******-****-****-****-54**********

Using the attribution link

Once you have the attribution link, make sure it is used while running ads on your intended media source. When an install occurs, AppsFlyer attributes the install to the selected media source. AppsFlyer then lets CM360 know about the install via postback mechanism, using floodlight parameters used when configuring the integration.

The end result is an install that is attributed to the media source, and an install that is registered in DCM360.

CM360 token parameter

A fourth parameter called token is also required. A token is an advertiser-specific alphanumeric string that must be passed along with each server request to GMP Digital Marketing (DDM.) For this token to be retrieved, you must enable third-party mobile in-app conversion recording at the advertiser (Floodlight configuration) level.

To generate the token:

Go to the Floodlight configuration tab.
In the Server to server section, enable In-app attribution recording.
Click New Token to generate a token, then enter a name (i.e. App Install - AppsFlyer).
Click Save.
CM360 (DCM360) generates values for the new token.
Use this token when integrating Google Marketing Platform with AppsFlyer.

Limitations

As per Google’s no-redirect policy, third-party solutions such as OneLink cannot be relied upon in the CM360 + media source scenario.