How does the relationship between the landing page URL input in Display & Video 360 (DV360) and the one inside a third-party ad server tag work.
The Rule of 3PAS: ad technologies like HockeyCurve, Flashtalking, Innovid, Sizmek, etc. serve creative asset, and the click-through URL defined within the 3P ad server is the final authority. It will always override the URL entered in the DV360 creative setup.
Technical Hierarchy: path of the ad load in 3PAS. a 3P tag in DV360, is a piece of code. That code’s entire job is to call the 3P ad server.
A user visits a publisher’s page, which makes a request to DV360 for an ad.
Serving: DV360 selects line item and serves the 3P tag code (the "creative") to the webpage.
Creative Fetch: The 3P tag code executes on the user’s browser. It immediately reaches out to the 3P ad server, which responds by sending the actual assets, video, or rich media file to the page.
The Click: The user sees the ad and clicks it.
Ad Server Redirect: Because the creative asset was served by the 3P system, the click is handled by the 3P system. The browser is directed to the 3P ad server’s tracking URL first.
Final Destination: The 3P ad server registers the click and then uses its own internal logic to redirect the user to the final landing page URL defined within its system. The DV360 has built in technology to record click from the ad. The clicks are recorded via dv360 click macros.
In this flow, the landing page URL entered in the DV360 interface never has a chance to execute. It exists in DV360 primarily for creative validation, previewing, and potentially as a fallback if the 3P tag is corrupted, but it does not control the actual user destination.
If you don't keep this hierarchy in mind, you will encounter significant issues.
This is the most direct consequence. If your client provides a new landing page URL and you only update it in DV360, users will continue to land on the old, potentially incorrect page. This can damage brand trust, increase bounce rates, and lead to wasted ad spend.
Ad Ops teams rely on tracking parameters (like UTMs or custom key-values) in the landing page URL to measure success. If you update the parameters in DV360 but not the 3P ad server, the click-through URL will not carry that crucial data to the final destination. Your web analytics team will see traffic, but they will be unable to attribute it to the specific campaign, insertion order, or creative variant.
Treat your 3rd party ad server as the single source of truth for the final landing page URL. Any time a URL needs to change, update it there first. Do not consider the update complete until it is reflected in the ad server.
DV360 includes a crucial, yet underused, verification tool during the creative setup. After pasting your 3P tag, always click the "Test Tag" link (usually located below the tag text area).
This will open the creative in a new window, mimicking how it will look on a publisher’s page. When you click that test creative, observe the final landing page in the address bar. It must match your desired destination.
Most major 3rd party ad servers provide their own preview tools. Always generate a preview from within Campaign Manager 360, HockeyCurve, Flashtalking, etc., and confirm the click-through functionality there before you ever export the tags for DV360.
On the day of launch, do a live click test from an exchange if possible, or closely monitor the 3rd party ad server reporting.
3PAS ad tag controls the final landing URL and overrides the URL added in DV360 for same creative.
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