Outbrain DSP can leverage the Adobe Analytics API to ingest your post-click metrics. The instructions below will walk you through the setup process in Outbrain DSP and your Adobe Analytics account. Please follow through with all the steps to ensure the integration is complete.
There are two parts that need to be configured in order for the integration to work:
1. Configure Adobe Analytics to capture DSP-related information (NOTE: an Adobe user with Analytics Admin Console access is required to complete this part)
2. Configure Adobe Analytics API access so Outbrain DSP systems can access that data (NOTE: an Adobe user with Adobe IO Admin access is required to complete this step)
1. Configure Adobe Analytics To Capture DSP-Related Information
NOTE: an Adobe user with Analytics Admin Console access is required to complete this step.
1.1. Create eVar With Appropriate Persistence
1. Open Adobe Analytics and navigate to Admin > All Admin.
2. Click on Report Suites in the section Data Configuration & Collection.
3. Select the report suite for which you want to add the eVar by clicking on it (you may also select several report suites if the eVar should be set for several report suites by holding CTRL on your keyboard). Navigate to Edit Settings > Conversion > Conversion Variables.
4. Select the batch of variables that contains the eVar you want to activate (e. g. 201-250 if you want to use eVar201).
5. Click on the + icon next to the variable number to open the sub-menu.
6. Set the status to Enabled.
7. Add the name for the variable (e.g., Outbrain DSP Tracking Parameter).
8. Set the desired Allocation (you may choose from Most Recent (Last), Original Value (First), and Linear).
9. Set the desired value for Expire after (you may choose e. g. Visit, Week, Month, or Custom where you can add a custom time period).
10. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Save.
1.2. Set up Processing Rule
1. Open Adobe Analytics and navigate to Admin > All Admin.
2. Click on Report Suites in the section Data Configuration & Collection.
3. Select the report suite for which you want to add the processing rule by clicking on it. Navigate to Edit Settings > General > Processing Rules.
4. Scroll down to the processing rules and click on Add Rule.
5. Set a Rule Title for the newly created rule set (e.g., Outbrain DSP Tracking Parameter). Please remember the company regulations for naming variables.
6. Set the condition for the newly created rule set (e.g., Overwrite Value of Outbrain DSP Tracking Parameter With Query String Parameter said).
7. Make sure that the rules are in the right order, keeping in mind that the execution order is top to bottom (no other rule following the newly created rule set should overwrite the variable you added via this processing rule set). You can change the order by simply dragging and dropping the rules.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Save.
2. Configure Adobe Analytics API Access so DSP Can Obtain That Data
NOTE: An Adobe user with Adobe IO Admin access is required to complete this step.
2.1. Create Product Profile
NOTE: Before setting up the product profile, the integration inside console.adobe.io has to be created.
In short, please select the Product profile that has access to desired Report suites and add metrics (Unique Visitors, Visits, Page Views, Total Seconds Spent, Bounce Rate, and Time Spent per Visit) and dimensions by clicking on the +- icon next to the metric or dimension title.
Step-by-step instructions:
Log in to Adobe Admin Console (adminconsole.adobe.com).
Click on Products in the main navigation.
Select Adobe Analytics from the list of products.
Click on New Profile to create a new product profile.
Set a name for the newly created product profile.
Click on Save.
Click on the newly created product profile in the product profiles list.
Inside the newly created product profile, click on the tab Permissions.
Click on Edit next to Report Suites.
Add all report suites for which you want to set up the API connection by clicking on the +- icon next to the report suite title.
Navigate to the Metrics section on the left menu.
Search for the metrics Unique Visitors, Visits, Page Views, Bounce Rate, and Time Spent per Visit (seconds) in the search field and add the metrics by clicking on the +- icon next to the metric title.
Navigate to the Dimensions section on the left menu.
Search for the dimension Outbrain DSP Tracking Parameter in the search field and add the dimension by clicking on the +- icon next to the dimension title.
Navigate to the Analytics Tools section in the left menu.
Search for the Analytics Tool Analysis Workspace Access in the search field and add the Analytics Tool by clicking on the +- icon next to the title.
Click on Save. You are redirected to the Permissions page.
Inside the newly created product profile, click on the tab API Credentials.
Click on Add API Credentials.
Select the checkbox next to the API credentials you want to add to your product profile (e.g., Outbrain DSP Data Export).
Click on Save. You are redirected to the API Credentials page.
2.2. Send Request to DSP CS Team for Unique Adobe Certificate
Reach out to our Customer Success Team which will provide you with a unique Adobe certificate. Once you've obtained the certificate, you can move on to the next step.
3. Create New Project in Adobe Service
Regardless of your platform, you begin with the same steps in Adobe I/O Console:
1. Create a new project in Adobe I/O Console: https://console.adobe.io/home
4. Configure API Key Integration
1. Choose Add API.
2. Select Adobe Analytics.
3. In the Configure API dialogue window, select Service Account (JWT).
4. Select Upload your public key and drag the unique Adobe certificate you received from the Outbrain DSP Customer Success team to the box.
Your integration should now be created with the appropriate public certificate and claims.
5. Send Integration Details to Outbrain DSP
1. Enter the name of the integration: Outbrain DSP - Integration
2. Add a short description for your internal purposes.
3. Send the document, including the information below, to your Outbrain DSP Customer Success Manager.
Copy API Key (client ID)
Copy Technical account ID
Copy the Technical account email
Copy Organisation ID
Retrieve client secret
6. Connect Adobe Analytics to DSP Campaigns
Once Outbrain DSP confirms that integration is completed on the DSP side, the last step is to enable it on the campaign level in the settings tab.
1. Navigate to the Settings tab on the campaign level and scroll down to the “Performance Tracking” section. Then choose “Enable Adobe Analytics performance tracking"
2. Please insert zaid in the tracking parameter field.
You're all done! Outbrain DSP can now automatically ingest your post-click metrics in real time for all enabled campaigns. Should you ever need to delete this user, simply log in to your account permissions and select "Delete" user.
IMPORTANT: Due to the reporting configuration of Adobe Analytics, we aren't able to report on the following metrics: New Users, % New Users, Returning Users, and Average Cost for New Visitors. All other engagement metrics are available (list below).
Supported metrics:
Visits
Pageviews
Bounced Visits
Bounce Rate
Time on Site
Average Cost per Non-Bounced Visit
Unique Users
Click Discrepancy
Pageviews per Visit
Non-Bounced Visits
Total Seconds
Average Cost per Visit
Average Cost per Pageviews
Average Cost per Minute
In order to track 1st Party Analytics data (Adobe Analytics), Outbrain DSP has to append its tracking parameters to every content ad URL. The parameters are expanded on Outbrain DSP's redirector and captured by the analytics on the landing page. Learn more here.