Enhanced Client-Side Tag (eCST) for ATS for Web
If you are a marketer with your own web properties, you can integrate ATS for Web with enhanced Client-Side Tag (eCST) in Console to enable measurement or activation. LiveRamp Enhanced Client-Side Tags are tags that can be used to collect and log user activities (such as page views or ad views, adding items to a cart, or completing a transaction) and match the LiveRamp cookies and/or identity envelopes associated with those activities to RampIDs. The RampIDs are then loaded into your Connect instance to create fields and segments, or delivered to your preferred destination as a log file through Measurement Enablement.
The enhanced Client-Side Tag integration with ATS for Web can be easily enabled directly in Console through LaunchPad without tinkering with codes. This method of implementation only collects cookies and identity envelopes.
You must be using ATS.js v2 in Console to utilize the eCST module integration. If you are calling the ATS API, see Implement the Enhanced Client-Side Tag to learn how to enable it outside of Console.
Note
This product is currently in open beta. Contact your LiveRamp representative to get this product activated for you.
How it Works
The enhanced Client-Side Tag (eCST) integration collects web-based identifiers (cookies and identity envelopes) and can be placed in any browser-based environment that supports running JavaScript libraries. This is easily implemented by installing your ATS configuration through Launchpad, producing a single tag that can be placed on your web properties.
The eCST tracks both unauthenticated events through the collection of LiveRamp cookies and authentications on websites or mobile web apps by capturing Identity envelopes containing RampIDs from ATS. You set the trigger to fire on the desired user activity and the tag then logs these user activities into segments.
When integrated with ATS, the enhanced Client-Side Tag (eCST) collects:
Identity envelopes (that contain RampIDs)
LiveRamp cookies
The eCST integration also automatically captures basic URL and request timestamp data by default, as well as LiveRamp cookies and Identity envelopes (when available in the browser storage). You can also add additional custom data to your log files through the use of “pdata”. Pdata is key-value pair segment data included as part of your tag and sent to LiveRamp with the impression.
You can configure any desired information for your pdata key-value pairs that falls within our privacy guidelines. To learn how to capture custom data and the requirements, see "Capturing Custom Data (pdata) For Client-Side Tags Implemented Via ATS".
Caution
Do not capture URL strings as values in pdata. URLs are captured in a privacy-safe manner as part of the data automatically captured. Passing URL strings as values in pdata poses a privacy risk where in the worst-case scenario, personally identifiable information (PII) is included in the string.
If a tag contains pdata, the values captured on each impression will be returned in the log files (for measurement use cases powered by Measurement Enablement workflow) or placed into key-value segments associated with that pdata in Connect (for Activation use cases).
Once a day (at 0:00 UTC time), LiveRamp generates log files containing all data logged from the tag in the previous day and then ingests that data. The data are then either delivered to you and your partner in batch files or used to create or update segments in your Connect account.
Other Enhanced Client-Side Tag Implementation Use Cases
You can leverage eCST to collect additional LiveRamp identifiers such as mobile device IDs (IDFAs and AAIDs), over-the-top (OTT) IDs, and connected TV (CTV) IDs. If you want to collect these types of identifiers, work with your technical team to implement eCST outside of Console.
See "Implement the Enhanced Client-Side Tag" to learn more.
Before You Begin
Contact a LiveRamp representative to provide you with a tag ID.
You must have an ATS configuration linked to an approved ATS placement. To learn how to create a new ATS configuration, see Create an ATS Configuration.
(Optional) Learn how to capture pdata and its requirements to obtain custom data in addition to Identity Envelopes. See "Capturing Custom Data (pdata) for Client-Side Tags".
Implement the Enhanced Client-Side Tag Integration
Install your ATS configuration through LaunchPad with eCST enabled. See Integrate ATS with LaunchPad.
Implement the LaunchPad wrapper URL in the <head> of every page of your website. To learn more, see Install LaunchPad.
To send custom data (pdata), use the following JavaScript function:
__launchpad('ecst', {key1: 'value1', key2: 'value2'})
The JavaScript function will send data to our backend regardless of the presence of a LiveRamp Identity Envelope or LiveRamp cookie. If you only want to send data with an Identity Envelope, we advise you to use the lrEnvelopePresent event listener.