Track ads on iOS

Last update: 2022-11-11
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The following instructions provide guidance for implementation using the 2.x SDKs.

IMPORTANT

If you are implementing a 1.x version of the SDK, you can download 1.x Developers Guides here: Download SDKs.

Ad tracking constants

Constant name Description  
ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdBreakStart Constant for tracking AdBreak Start event
ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdBreakComplete Constant for tracking AdBreak Complete event
ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdStart Constant for tracking Ad Start event
ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdComplete Constant for tracking Ad Complete event
ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdSkip Constant for tracking Ad Skip event

Implementation steps

  1. Identify when the ad break boundary begins, including pre-roll, and create an AdBreakObject by using the ad break information.

    AdBreakObject reference:

    Variable Name Description Required
    name Ad break name such as pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. Yes
    position The number position of the ad break within the content, starting with 1. Yes
    startTime Playhead value at the start of the ad break. Yes

    Ad break object creation:

    id adBreakObject = [ADBMediaHeartbeat createAdBreakObjectWithName:[ADBREAK_NAME]
                                position:[POSITION]
                                startTime:[START_TIME]];
    
  2. Call trackEvent() with AdBreakStart in the MediaHeartbeat instance to begin tracking the ad break:

    - (void)onAdBreakStart:(NSNotification *)notification {
        [_mediaHeartbeat trackEvent:ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdBreakStart
                         mediaObject:adBreakObject
                         data:nil];
    }
    
  3. Identify when the ad starts and create an AdObject instance using the ad information.

    AdObject reference:

    Variable Name Description Required
    name Friendly name of the ad. Yes
    adId Unique identifier for the ad. Yes
    position The number position of the ad within the ad break, starting with 1. Yes
    length Ad length Yes

    Ad object creation:

    id adObject = [ADBMediaHeartbeat createAdObjectWithName:[AD_NAME]
                                     adId:[AD_ID]
                                     position:[POSITION]
                                     length:[LENGTH]];
    
  4. Optionally attach standard and/or ad metadata to the media tracking session through context data variables.

    • Implement standard ad metadata on iOS

    • Custom ad metadata - For custom metadata, create a variable object for the custom data variables and populate with the data for the current ad:

      NSMutableDictionary *adDictionary = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
      [adDictionary setObject:@"Sample affiliate" forKey:@"affiliate"];
      [adDictionary setObject:@"Sample campaign" forKey:@"campaign"];
      [adDictionary setObject:@"Sample creative" forKey:@"creative"];
      
  5. Call trackEvent() with the AdStart event in the MediaHeartbeat instance to begin tracking the ad playback.

    Include a reference to your custom metadata variable (or an empty object) as the third parameter in the event call:

    - (void)onAdStart:(NSNotification *)notification {
        [_mediaHeartbeat trackEvent:ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdStart
                         mediaObject:adObject
                         data:adDictionary];
    }
    
  6. When the ad playback reaches the end of the ad, call trackEvent() with the AdComplete event.

    - (void)onAdComplete:(NSNotification *)notification {
        [_mediaHeartbeat trackEvent:ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdComplete
                         mediaObject:nil
                         data:nil];
    }
    
  7. If ad playback did not complete because the user chose to skip the ad, track the AdSkip event.

    - (void)onAdSkip:(NSNotification *)notification {
        [_mediaHeartbeat trackEvent:ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdSkip
                         mediaObject:nil
                         data:nil];
    }
    
  8. If there are any additional ads within the same AdBreak, repeat steps 3 through 7 again.

  9. When the ad break is complete, use the AdBreakComplete event to track:

    - (void)onAdBreakComplete:(NSNotification *)notification {
        [_mediaHeartbeat trackEvent:ADBMediaHeartbeatEventAdBreakComplete
                         mediaObject:nil
                         data:nil];
    }
    

See the tracking scenario VOD playback with pre-roll ads for more information.

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