How to Upload 3rd Party Tags

Third-party tags let you serve ads hosted by external ad servers — Google Ad Manager, Sizmek, Flashtalking, Adform, and more — through the ad:personam Self Serve DSP. The platform automatically transforms your tag with the correct tracking macros and validates it before uploading.

Note: Third-party tag uploads require a paid subscription plan.

Step 1 — Upload Your Third-Party Tag

Before uploading, review Add Macros to Third-Party Ad Tags for transformation logic

1. Go to Advertiser > Campaign > Creatives.
2. Click Create New Ad and select 3rd Party Tag.
3. Fill in the form:
   • Banner Title (required) — a descriptive name for your creative
   • Third-Party Tag (required) — paste the complete ad tag code (JavaScript, iframe, HTML, or VAST URL)
   • Click URL (required) — the landing page URL (must use HTTPS)
   • Creative Size — see Size Detection below
4. Click Upload Third-Party Ad to submit.

The platform processes your tag through a multi-phase pipeline with a progress indicator showing the current step:

How the Upload Pipeline Works

1. Transform — the platform's Tag Transform Service runs client-side, automatically detecting your ad server and injecting Adform-compatible click-tracking and cachebuster macros.
2. Validate — the transformed tag is sent to the Adform parser API for server-side validation. If the tag is recognised, the parser returns the detected vendor, banner dimensions, and its own optimised version of the code.
3. Upload & Process — the banner is created on Adform's platform and the system polls for completion. A progress bar shows processing status.

Important: After upload, Adform performs an asynchronous content analysis that takes approximately 5–15 minutes. During this period, the tag cannot be published. Tags containing unapproved domains will be rejected — see Content Analysis & Rejection for details.

How Size Detection Works

• Recognised tags (auto-detected): when the Adform parser recognises the tag vendor, it automatically detects the banner dimensions. The detected size is locked and cannot be overridden — this ensures accuracy even if the tag contains explicit width/height attributes that differ from the actual creative.
• Unrecognised tags (manual selection): if the parser cannot identify the vendor, the Creative Size dropdown appears. Select the dimensions that match your creative specification.

Automatic Macro Insertion

The Tag Transform Service enhances your tag with essential Adform macros:

• Click Tracking — click URL parameters (e.g., ${CLICK_URL}, ncu=) are replaced with Adform's click redirect macro (%%c1;cpdir=%%)
• Cache Busting — timestamp placeholders (e.g., [timestamp], ${CACHEBUSTER}, [random]) are replaced with Adform's cachebuster macro (%%ADFRND%%)

Macro insertion rules are applied automatically based on the detected ad server. No manual editing is needed.

For the complete rule set and examples, see Add Macros to Third-Party Ad Tags.

Step 2 — Content Analysis & Rejection

After a successful upload, Adform runs an asynchronous content analysis on your tag. This process scans all domains referenced in the tag code and verifies they are on Adform's approved list.

• Analysis duration: approximately 5–15 minutes after upload
• During analysis: the banner is saved but marked as pending — it cannot be published to a line item until analysis completes
• After analysis:
  • Approved — the banner is cleared for publishing
  • Rejected — the banner contains unapproved domains. Rejected banners cannot be published. The specific unapproved URLs are listed in the creative's edit dialog.

Best practice: Wait at least 10 minutes after uploading before attempting to publish. Check the creative's status in the Creatives list — a rejected banner will show a warning status.

Step 3 — Verify and Update Click URL

After uploading, verify the click URL is correct:

1. In the Creatives list, click the Edit (pencil) icon next to your third-party banner.
2. Review or update the Click URL.
3. Optionally toggle the Active/Paused status.
4. Click Save to apply your changes.

A click URL is required to publish a creative. Banners without a click URL will show an amber warning icon and the Publish button will be disabled.

Step 4 — Publish to a Line Item

Once your third-party banner has a click URL configured, is in Active status, and has passed content analysis, you can publish it to one or more line items. There are two ways to do this:

Option A: From the Creatives Page

1. In the Creatives list, click the Publish (send) icon next to your banner.
2. Select a Campaign and Line Item to associate the creative with.
3. Configure tag settings:
   • Tag Name — defaults to the creative name; override if needed
   • Activate after creation — toggle whether the tag should start serving immediately
   • Ad notice label (AdChoices) — enabled by default for privacy compliance (learn more)
4. Add tracking pixels (optional):
   • Impression Pixels — HTTPS URLs that fire when the ad loads
   • Click Pixels — HTTPS URLs that fire when the user clicks the ad
5. Set a Destination URL (optional) — override the click URL set on the creative for this specific tag. Choose Replace to swap the URL entirely, or Append to add parameters.
6. Click Publish to create the tag and start serving.

Option B: During Line Item Creation

You can also attach creatives when creating a new line item:

1. In the Create Line Item form, scroll to the Creatives section.
2. Select the ad type (Third Party) and check the creatives you want to include. Only Active creatives with a click URL that have passed content analysis can be selected.
3. Click the Settings (gear) icon next to a selected creative to configure tag settings — tag name, active status, AdNotice, tracking pixels, and destination URL override.
4. Complete the rest of the line item setup and save. Tags are created automatically for all selected creatives.

Validation Rules

Supported Tag Vendors

The platform recognises and processes tags from a wide range of ad platforms:

Client-Side Detection (Tag Transform Service)

Server-Side Validation (Adform Parser)

The Adform parser additionally recognises: Doubleclick, Sizmek, AdTech, Smart AdServer, Mediaplex, Adform, MADS, Adschemist, Google DCM, Rubicon, Xaxis, MediaMath, TradeDoubler, Weborama, Emotion, FlashTalking, Flite, and Moat.

For recognised vendors, the parser returns optimised tag code and auto-detected dimensions.

Tips & Best Practices

• Always provide a Click URL — this is required for publishing and ensures your ad redirects correctly on click
• Wait before publishing — allow 10–15 minutes after upload for Adform's content analysis to complete before attempting to publish
• Check for rejection — after the analysis period, review your creative's status in the Creatives list. Rejected banners list the specific unapproved URLs
• Use descriptive names — clear banner titles make creative management easier across campaigns
• Tag validation — ensure your third-party tag is complete and properly formatted before pasting
• Size accuracy — for unrecognised tags, select the exact dimensions that match your creative. For recognised tags, the size is auto-detected and enforced
• Test first — verify your tag works in the original ad platform before uploading to ad:personam
• Tracking pixels — add impression and click tracking when publishing to line items for comprehensive measurement
• AdChoices compliance — keep the AdNotice label enabled (default) to meet industry transparency standards

Related Guides

• Add Macros to Third-Party Ad Tags