The following glossary provides further insight into the industry-specific terminology mentioned in our documentation. In case of any questions, please reach out to your Remerge Account Manager.
General Terminology
Ad (Advertisement) - Advertiser's display of product/service-specific information in a publisher's app via a creative asset. The asset may constitute a Banner, Interstitial, Video, Static, Native, or Dynamic HTML template.
Advertiser - The Demand-Side (buyer) of the mobile marketing ecosystem, predominantly an app developer, interested in employing digital Ad space (inventory) from multiple Publishers to promote their app and utilizes Ad Networks to facilitate the said goal.
Ad (Advertising) Network - A platform in the mobile advertising ecosystem, providing Advertisers with technical and commercial solutions. The Ad Network acts as an intermediary between Advertisers (demand-side) and Publishers (supply-side). Apple perceives Remerge (a programmatic DSP) as an Ad Network.
Ad (Advertisement) Signature - A unique string configured cryptographically and assigned by the Ad Network to each Ad. The signature contains encoded campaign-specific information about the respective Ad, provided by said Ad Network (e.g., Campaign ID, Advertiser ID, and SKAdNetwork ID). Upon user click, Apple employs this information in their attribution process with Remerge. For more information on the signature process implementation, please review Apple's documentation.
App (Application) - A program/software designed for a particular mobile device.
Apple's Privacy Threshold - A method designed to secure user privacy. The threshold consists of a requirement for a particular number of device users to install or take action. Once met, Apple may forward additional information (such as Conversion Value or Source App ID) to the Ad Network.
ATT (AppTrackingTransparency) - An iOS14-specific framework, developers MUST integrate into each app before its release to prospective users. Upon implementation, the ATT becomes an obligatory authorization request Advertisers MUST serve each user upon app-install to enable device/user tracking.
Bid Request (RTB) - An auction (Bid) over an ad space (Inventory), in the form of a code, executed once a site/app visitor loads its web page. The code records a variety of user and device-specific information utilized to display relevant ads to the user in question. A standard Bid Request should at the very least contain the following information:
Bid ID - A unique identification number.
User Device - Device-specific information (e.g., Type, Model, and Operating System).
Application - App-specific information (e.g., ID, content type, and Publisher ID).
Impression - User view.
Bid Response (RTB) - An offer to buy an auctioned ad space (Inventory) to display an Ad to a particular Impression (user).
DSP (Demand-Side Platform) - An automated platform that bids, buys, and optimizes a wide range of digital Ad space (inventory) from multiple data exchange sources through a single interface on behalf of Advertisers, Ad Networks, and Agencies.
Deep Link - A hyperlinking URL that sends the user directly to a specific in-app location/landing page.
IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) - An identifier that is indefinitely associated with an iPhone device and is Apple's alternative to HTTP cookies on iOS. The IDFA consists of a randomly assigned string of letters and numbers unique to each device. Advertisers were accustomed to the utilization of the IDFA technology for in/cross-app user tracking by default. As of iOS14, said technology is available upon user OPT-IN ONLY.
iOS14 - The 14th release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc, exclusively for its hardware and, more specifically, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch product offering. The iOS14 technology brought about the end of LAT and the start of ATT as the official method of user consent collection for advertising and commercial tracking purposes.
LAT (Limit Ad Tracking) - A user-activated device feature for the rejection of targeted advertising. Please note: From iOS14 and onward, LAT-based OPT-OUT is NO longer feasible. Instead, device users MUST OPT-IN via the ATT.
Publisher - The Supply-Side (seller) of the mobile marketing ecosystem. The Publisher is interested in selling digital Ad space (inventory) to the Advertiser (buyer) and utilizes the Ad Network to facilitate the said goal. Upon purchase, the Advertiser may promote their app by running Ads on the Publisher's inventory (apps/sites).
RTB (Real-Time Bidding) - The bidding process of a DSP/Ad Network on behalf of the Advertiser (buyer) on a digital Ad space (inventory) on a per-impression basis. The auction takes place within a millisecond time frame.
SDK (Software Development Kit) - An installable package of software development tools that enable the creation and programming of mobile applications. Each SDK is unique to a particular device/operating system.
SK (StoreKit) - An Apple-specific framework (2009), facilitating developer interaction with the App Store and in-app purchases. The StoreKit contains an API that enables direct attribution of installs from the App Store without relying on the IDFA, thus offering an alternative method for app monetization.
SK (StoreKit) Ad (Advertising) Network - A feature of Apple's StoreKit framework, validating the source that leads to an app install. The SKAdNetwork is an aggregate user-privacy preserving methodology for the measurement of attribution in iOS Ad campaigns.
Source App - A (Publisher) app displaying an Ad that promotes another (Advertiser) app.
SSP (Supply-Side Platform) - An automated platform that manages, sells, and fills a wide range of digital Ad space (inventory) with the corresponding Advertiser's Ads through a single interface on behalf of the Publisher.
StoreKit-Rendered Ad - The App Store page, displaying the advertised app. The page appears upon a user's click on the Ad, which launches a 30-day app install attribution window for said user.
UDID (Unique Device Identifier) - An Identifier that is permanently associated with the device hardware and represented either by a 40-digit lowercase hex code (2007-2018 devices) or 25-digit uppercase hex code (post-2018 devices).
Please note:
Although theoretically still available in the market, due to user-privacy concerns, Apple has eliminated access to UDIDs (2012), thus making the technology NO longer suitable for mobile advertising.
Postback Parameters
Below is a list of core parameters you should find in a standard install validation postback Apple forwards to Ad Networks. For a complete list and availability per a particular SKAdNetwork version, visit Apple's documentation.
Ad (Advertisement) Network ID - A unique SKAdNetwork Identifier for a particular Ad Network (Remerge ID: 2u9pt9hc89.skadnetwork).
App ID - A unique identifier of the client's app.
Attribution Signature - An attribution verification method that confirms Apple as the install source. Mobile Measurement Partners employ the Attribution Signature to validate the legitimacy of the postbacks they receive from Ad Networks.
Campaign ID - A unique campaign identifier within a 1-100 range.
Conversion Value - A client-assigned value to a particular in-app user event/activity within a 0-63 range. The Conversion Value will appear in the postback under the following conditions:
- The installed app provided the Conversion Value.
- The number of users to complete the conversion value event meets Apple's Privacy Threshold requirements.
Redownload - A Boolean flag that once TRUE indicates a user's previous app uninstall and subsequent reinstall upon exposure to an Ad campaign.
Source App ID - The (Publisher) app identifier that hosts the displayed and clicked upon Ad.
Transaction ID - A unique identifier per an attributed install, enabling the (potential) deduplication of install validation messages.
Version - The version of the Ad Network validation API.