Overview

With the ad response, the Equativ ad server returns the contents of the creative template: the creative template defines the ad response.

The creative template itself determines how creatives behave and display. For example, you can use the Interstitial (web) creative template to display an HTML5 creative as an interstitial.

Campaign managers select a creative template in the Creatives section of an insertion. They then configure it by entering values for variables (parameters), such as colors, text, or boolean (true/false) options.

Official creative templates are created and maintained by Equativ and cannot be edited by customers.

Custom creative templates are created by Equativ’s customers. They are available only within the given customer network. The creation of these custom creative templates is explained in this document.

Draft and Publication workflow

Here is an overview of how creative template drafts and publications work: 

1. Create an initial draft: Create a new creative template and save it as a draft. The system assigns a new template version Id. This is an initial draft because the template has no publication history.
2. Publish the first version: Finalize and publish the draft. The published version retains the same Id as the draft and becomes read-only.
3. Create a secondary draft: Open the read-only view of the published version and click Edit draft. The system creates a secondary draft with a new ID.
4. Publish the new version: Finalize and publish the secondary draft. This becomes the new published version and retains the Id of the secondary draft. The new published version replaces the previous published version and the system marks the previous published version as "obsolete".
5. Manage obsolete versions: When an insertion uses an obsolete template version, the Obsolete label appears in the Creative template section of the insertion. Here, campaign managers can click Update to update the insertion to the latest template version. 
   Developers can access obsolete versions through the version history, by clicking any version not marked as Current. For more information, see “Manage versions”, later in this document.

Create creative template

Access 

To create a new creative template, go to Inventory > Creative templates and click New creative template.

For more details about the management of creative templates in the creative template list, see Use creative template library. 

General settings

Complete the following fields in the General settings section:

• Name
• Ad type: 
  • Channel groups: Select the channel groups where the creative template is available. Channels are specified on campaign level. All insertions in the campaign share the same channel. For more information about channels, see Create direct insertion: general settings and delivery.
    • Direct channel group: Insertions in channels Direct and Video Ad Exchange.
    • Programmatic channel group: Insertions in channels Programmatic Guaranteed and RTB.
  • Impression type: Select from Display, InStream, Native, OutStream, Audio. For more information about the Impression type setting, see Create direct insertion: general settings and delivery.
  • Environment: Select from Web, App, or Addressable TV. For more information about the Environment setting, see Create direct insertion: general settings and delivery.
• Description
• Documentation URL

Parameters

Parameters are the fields that campaign managers complete when using the creative template in an insertion. Each parameter includes the following options:

• Variable: The name of the parameter within the creative template script, automatically prefixed with [user_].
• Type: The format of the input. For each parameter, you can define a Default value and indicate if the parameter is mandatory or optional.
  • Text: A plain text field. 
  • Boolean: A True/False field.
  • List: A single-select list of values. Enter a value in the Values field and press Enter to save it. Repeat the process for each value. To declare a value as a default value, click on it so that it turns from grey to blue. Drag and drop values to reorder them.
  • Color: A color hex code.
  • Number: A number value.
  • Script: A script, for example, javascript or json.   
• Label: The parameter name shown to the campaign manager using the creative template in insertions.
• Category: The category the parameter falls into. Parameters are grouped by category for better usability.
• Description: A description serving as a helper text for users of the creative template.  

Script

The Script section contains the actual code of the creative template.

Configure the following options:

• Impression counting: Specify if the impression counting must be done Client-side or Server-side. In case of Client-side, the creative template expects an impression counting macro:
  • Templates in Channel group Direct: use the macro [sas_creativeCountPixelUrl]
  • Templates in Channel group Programmatic: use the macro [sas_insertionCountPixelUrl] 
     
• Output format: The format of the ad markup sent in the ad response: Unknown, XML, JS, HTML, JSON, VAST2, VAST3, or VAST4.
• Min. number of creative(s): The minimum number of creatives the user must add to the insertion using this creative template.
• Script: The actual script code, containing the parameters and macros.
• Macros: The list of available macros. Click on a macro to copy it to your clipboard and paste it in the Script field as needed. For more information, see Use macros.  
• Parameters: The list of parameters added previously. Click on a parameter to copy it to your clipboard and paste it in the Script field as needed. 

Save and publish creative template

Click Save to save your creative template draft or click Save and publish to make the creative template available to campaign managers for usage in insertions.

When you publish a new version, existing insertions display a message indicating the template version is obsolete. To apply updates, campaign managers must put the insertion online again.

Edit creative template 

The published or inactive version of a creative template cannot be edited. Select Edit draft to edit the template's draft version and publish it as a new version.

Once you publish a creative template draft, the draft version becomes the new published version, replacing the previous published version.

Use creative template draft in insertion

If you have the the permission Create and edit creative templates, you can also use the draft version directly in the Creative template section of the insertion, as shown in the following screenshot. 

Manage versions

The Version link redirects to the list of versions of the creative template. The following options are available:

• Version column: The version number. The Current label indicates the latest version.
• Version ID column: Click on a version ID to view the details of the version. 
• Compare versions: Use this option to open a comparison view of two selected versions.
• Revert to this version: Use this option to replace the current draft version by this version. 

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