Custom creatives allow you to develop custom ad serving solutions that creative templates or other display creative types don't provide. To set up a custom creative, you will need some technical skills and an understanding of your organization's ad serving goals.
As a trafficker, you can set up a custom creative from the creative library, or from a line item.
Required skills to develop custom creatives
To create and develop new custom creatives, you'll need to know the ad serving goal required and have the necessary technical and coding skills to develop the solution. You might need to seek help from a technical resource, either at your organization or at a creative agency representing the advertise you're doing business with. Depending on the solution in question, you or a technical resource will need to be familiar with:
- HTML, CSS, or JavaScript
- Ad Manager macros
- Ad Manager ad tags
- Digital ad industry standards
This technical resource should provide you with the code to input or files to upload during creation of the custom creative. Work closely with this technical resource to test the creative and ensure that it behaves as intended.
When to use custom creatives
Some reasons you might want to use a custom creative include situations such as
- Tracking pixels with custom code or macros
- Internal redirects with custom code or macros
The Campaign Manager 360 creative type supports internal redirect but doesn't allow the use of custom code or macros. Custom creatives can allow you to implement internal redirects and build code or use macros around the redirect.
- Image creatives where you need multiple third-party impression tracking URLs
Image creatives can include a single third-party tracking URL. Custom creatives allow you to enter multiple third-party tracking URLs.
- Specialized ad experiences not supported by other creative types
Many publishers sell custom ad formats as a premium product to their advertisers. The custom creative form is flexible enough to allow you to create a variety of ad experiences with HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, or other resources.
Set up a new custom creative
A custom creative is a feature in Ad Manager that allows you to input code and upload files or other resources. You can set up a custom creative either from the creative library, or from a line item. Once you start the process, you'll need to configure the details of your new custom creative.
From the creative library
- Navigate to Delivery
Creatives. You will arrive on the Display creatives tab.
- Under either the "Standard" or "Master/companion" tabs, click New creative.
- Select an advertiser.
- Select Custom from the display creative types available.
- Configure the details and click Save.
From a line item
The line item must be a "Display" (and not a "Video") ad type in order for you to select from the display creative types. The ad type is shown at the top of a line item's details page.
- Follow the instructions on how to add a new creative to a line item.
- Select Custom from the display creative types available.
- Configure the details and click Save.
Configure custom creatives
The custom creative form has various fields or settings. Configuration options are described below.
Name
Name your custom creative something descriptive that will helps traffickers later find the custom creative.
Target ad unit size
Line items can only add custom creatives with the same inventory size. Line items can specify multiple sizes, but custom creatives are restricted to one size.
Code type
Under "Code type", you'll see the options:
- Standard
- AMP
- Standard and AMP
Creatives can be based on standard code, AMPHTML code, or both. Standard code consists in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and references to macros or files and assets uploaded to the custom creative.
Upload files
Allows you to upload files or assets. For every file or asset uploaded, Ad Manager creates a file reference that should be inserted into the "Code" field.
Code
Depending on the code type you've selected, you'll see either one or two fields available corresponding to your selection. These fields store code you input.
- Standard: accepts HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code
- AMPHTML: accepts AMPHTML code
If you've selected the "Standard and AMP" option, you'll see both fields. In either case, these fields can also reference macros or file macros. File macros are automatically created and available when you upload assets via the "Upload files" option. Learn more about using AMPHTML with Ad Manager
Click-through URL
The landing page where users go if they click the ad.
SafeFrame
Option to allow the creative to serve into a SafeFrame. New creatives serve into SafeFrames by default. Learn more about rendering creatives using SafeFrame
SSL compatibility options
By default, Ad Manager detects SSL status automatically. Learn more about SSL protocol to ensure your creatives are secure
Orientation of creative
Any, portrait, landscape. This option is only relevant for serving creatives but not applicable to custom creatives that are only being used for tracking pixels.
Third-party impression tracking URLs
You may enter multiple URLs for third-party tracking services. The tracking URLs are pinged when the creative appears so you can later report in systems outside Ad Manager on ad serving activity. Tracking URLs can contain macros. These URLs are not supported for creatives with an actual size of "Out-of-page."
Custom field
Fields or settings created by and for your Ad Manager network. These fields prompt users to enter or indicate information that isn't available in Ad Manager by default. They don't affect ad serving or delivery but can be used in reporting later. Learn more about custom fields.
Coding
Depending on what you selected as your code type ("Standard", "AMP", or "Standard and AMP"), you'll either see one code input field or two. These fields are where you'll input and store code. They are also where you'll reference macros or file macros.
Standard
The standard code input field accepts any standard HTML, HTML5, CSS, or JavaScript.
AMPHTML
AMP is an open-source effort that aims to make creation of websites and ads that are consistently fast and high-performing across devices and distribution patterns. In Ad Manager, AMPHTML can be used for fast and high-performing ads.
The AMPHTML code input field includes boilerplate AMPHTML code. This boilerplate code can be a starting point for developing your AMPHTML ad experience. Ensure that you're writing well-formed AMPHTML that meets your ad serving objective. Learn more at the AMP Open Source Project website.
When working with AMP HTML, you can click Validate at any time to check your code.
Macros and file macros
Macros are special strings in a creative's code. They're included by default in Ad Manager and can be added in the "Code" field by clicking Insert macro. Macro strings are later replaced with another value or code that dictates how a creative serves, behaves, or looks. There are also useful macros for cache busting or click-through URLs. Learn more about using macros with Ad Manager
In addition, for every file or resource you upload, Ad Manager creates a file reference that should be inserted into the "Code" field. You'll reference the macros in your code and not direct links to these resources. Click Insert file macros to find these file references and insert them.
