CTV Integration Guide

AppsFlyer x Smadex

This guide outlines the steps for marketers to successfully create and integrate their Connected TV (CTV) campaigns within Appsflyer using Smadex.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

An active Appsflyer account with admin access.
An active Smadex account with access to campaign management.
An integration done between Smadex and Appsflyer, with a given Tracking Group ID.

In case an integration has already been done for Mobile UA campaigns, the Tracking Group ID will be the same as in that integration.

Step 1: Setting up the OneLink Template

1. Log in to your Appsflyer dashboard.
2. Go to settings for each of your apps (both iOS and Android) and enable view-through attribution via probabilistic modeling.

3. Ensure that the Aggregated Advanced privacy settings are turned off.
4. Navigate to “Engage” and then “OneLink Management”.

5. Once there, hit the three dots on the top right of the screen, and hit “New OneLink Template”.

6. On the creation screen, set a Name for your template and select the platforms (iOS and Android) you want it to be used for

Remember CTV campaigns can be eligible for attribution both in iOS and Android. OneLink templates should be used for both Platforms in all cases possible.

5. Once both apps have been selected, make sure that the Cross-platform attribution toggle is enabled. To do so, hit the “Edit” button and click on the “Enable cross-platform attribution” toggle for both iOS and Android apps.

In case you have already created another OneLink template with cross-platform attribution, Appsflyer will prompt a message warning. In these cases, there’s no need to create another template, as the already created one can be used.

Step 2: Create a New Link

1. On the One Link management page, select New Link.
2. There, select Custom experience, then enter “smadex” under Custom media source name.

3. On the next page, there is no need to add the campaign name or change any settings.
4. Once clicking into create link, we would need to select the Long URL

Step 3: Adding Cross-Platform to your OneLink Impression Pixels

1. In your Appsflyer Dashboard, once you have selected the app version you’ll run the process for (either iOS or Android version), go to “Collaborate” -> “Active Integrations” and select Smadex.

2. Once there, navigate to the “Integration” tab to find “Cross platform”, in order to activate Cross-Platform Equal Attribution priority. This setting is not compulsory, but it is recommended. The optimal selection includes priority between 2-6h.

3. Next, head over to the “Attribution Link” tab, where we will select the link template to be used in your Smadex campaigns. For CTV, OneLink is mandatory to be eligible for attribution, so under “Choose your attribution link type”, “Use OneLink” should be selected. The template to be selected should be the one we created in step 1.

4. Once the correct OneLink template has been selected, navigate down to the “View-Through Attribution” section. There, make sure to activate cross-platform attribution toggle, selecting the attribution window you want to include. The minimum recommended is 24h. You should see how your link template includes the parameters af_xplatform=true&af_xplatform_vt_lookback=24h, which are required to have in your CTV links in order for attribution to work properly.

5. Repeat this process for your other app – if it was done for the iOS version, repeat all the steps for the Android version.

Step 4: Testing, Validation & Troubleshooting

1. Share your OneLink Impression attribution Link with Smadex. Smadex will perform a test install to confirm everything is in place.
2. In case the test install is not successful, either the initial integration is not correct, or any step of this guide was not applied correctly. Review all the steps and make sure it’s all in place. You can also check this Appsflyer article on how to create OneLinks.
3. If issues further persist, contact Smadex and Appsflyer for further assistance.