Cookieless scripts

Recently, the online advertising industry has seen a lot of changes in terms of its legal environment. Some EU countries, Slovenia for instance, have introduced regulations that require publishers to be able to serve ads without using cookies, unless users give their explicit consent for the usage of cookies.

In response to the newly emerged requirements, we have developed a new parameter for our scripts, which can force our servers not to use cookies when delivering and tracking ads. The new parameter's name is nc (as in 'no cookie') and the cookieless method can be turned on and off as follows:

• nc=0 - cookies usage is enabled
• nc=1 - cookies usage is disabled

Assigning value other than 0 to the nc parameter is interpreted by the system as if 1 has been used. As a result, cookies are not used in such a case either. If the nc parameter is missing, then cookies are used, just as if the parameter has been set to 0 (nc=0).

IMPORTANT! The new parameter is not included in scripts by default, it is interpreted by the system as cookies are being allowed. So if you are not required to apply the stricter cookie policies explained above, then your ads still will be delivered and tracked using cookies.

Publishers in affected countries need to collect information about their users, whether those users give their consent to ad cookies or not. Depending on the users’ feedback, either the standard or the cookieless version of AdOcean scripts must be used. AdOcean is not involved in this phase of the process, it only provides the means to deliver and track ads without cookies, if needed.

The consequences of using cookieless scripts

Please be aware of the following consequences when using cookieless scripts:

• New cookies will not be created for users. Existing cookies will not be read or modified any longer, but will not get deleted either.
• All cookie-based metrics will show zero in the interface and in reports, including reach, frequency, UC, UCTR, etc.
• The majority of time-related metrics (Time To Click, Time To Action, etc.) will not be calculated.
• There will be no post-click and post-view action tracking on the advertiser's landing page.
• Some statistics will be affected negatively, e.g. all impressions equalling non-cookie impressions or having a drop in reach.
• Best Performing optimization will be limited to certain indicators which are not based on cookies.
• Limits will not work when using indicators based on cookies.
• No capping and targeting type will work where the mechanism relies on cookies, including:
  • Aggressive creative capping
  • Frequency capping
  • Frequency capping (within campaign duration)
  • Impression program
  • Users share
  • Cluster targeting
  • Retargeting
  • Global cappings

Impression scripts

Impression scripts, which are mainly used by third parties, can be extended as follows:

< script type="text/javascript" >< !--
if(location.protocol.substr(0,4)=='http')document.write(unescape('%3C')+'script id="Account.MyFolder.MyPlacement" 
src="'+location.protocol+'//myemitter.adocean.pl/_'+(new Date()).getTime()+'/ad.js?id=r_gKJxjAo6ITaiHApajiTBTLL5ktck7ffx.UClcJmvT.A7/x='
+screen.width+'/y='+screen.height+'/nc=1" type="text/javascript"'+unescape('%3E%3C')+'/script'+unescape('%3E'));
//]]>-->

Any tracking scripts, which are added by the system automatically, will also avoid using cookies if the nc parameter was set to 1 in the impression script.

Placement codes

When it comes to placement codes, please turn off live preview as well to completely avoid the usage of cookies!

< script type="text/javascript" src="//myemitter.adocean.pl/files/js/ado.js">< /script>
< script type="text/javascript">
/* (c)AdOcean 2003-2013 */
	if(typeof ado!=="object"){ado={};ado.config=ado.preview=ado.placement=ado.master=ado.slave=function(){};} 
	ado.config({mode: "old", xml: false, characterEncoding: true});
	ado.preview({enabled: false, emiter: "myemitter.adocean.pl", id: "y6g3tTbLJv6vLRZ.AfyeiXkCPM0gL3CNAik2rwTzhKD.A7"});
< /script>

Then add the nc parameter to an ordinary placement like a standard numerical variable:

< div id="ado-r_gKJxjIo6ITaiHApajiTBTLL5ktck7ffx.UClcJmvT.E7">< /div>
< script type="text/javascript">
/* (c)AdOcean 2003-2013, Account.MyFolder.MyPlacement */
ado.placement({
  id: 'ado-r_gKJxjAo6ITaiHApajiTBTLL5ktck7ffx.UClcJmvT.A7',
  server: 'myemitter.adocean.pl',
  vars: {nc: '1'}
});
< /script>

To a master script like this:

< !-- start master -->
< script type="text/javascript">
/* (c)AdOcean 2003-2013, MASTER: Account.MyFolder */
ado.master({
  id: 'iWVHDCFjAwIHq3XyBbHYHRiewlIoTJ5nGG6AD_4CEv7.A7',
  server: 'myemitter.adocean.pl',
  vars: {nc: '1'}
});
< /script>
< !--  end master  -->

Any tracking scripts, which are added by the system automatically, will also avoid using cookies if the nc parameter was set to 1 in the placement code.

Tracking scripts

It might be the case that you are using tracking scripts directly on their own. Here are two examples of how to extend those:

< !-- (c) 2000-2013 Gemius SA ver 1.1 Impressions: Account.MyFolder, Order, Creative -->
< script language="javascript1.2" type="text/javascript">< !--
var _gde_paimmvhoeb = new Image(1,1);
_gde_paimmvhoeb.src='http://myhc.hit.gemius.pl/redot.gif?l=8/tstamp='
+(new Date()).getTime()+'/id=.c06aSrZJy7PS54jO6hzFZYTj1NdXqc8T2mZ5TR7ngj.a7
/stparam=paimmvhoeb/nc=1/fastid=fvirydcclzhafdbiovnscodueukl';
//-->< /script>

< !-- (c) 2000-2013 Gemius SA ver 1.1 Clicks: Account/MyFolder/MyPlacement, Order, Creative -->
http://myhc.hit.gemius.pl/hitredir/id=.c06aSrZJy7PS54jO6hzFZYTj1NdXqc8T2mZ5TR7ngj.a7
/stparam=mbpspsrsdw/nc=1/fastid=ggjkbbzaidzoesnurbczyqspfwlw/url=

Macro for creatives

Please remember that it is not enough if cookies are disabled in publisher scripts. The regulation affects agency and advertiser scripts as well. Therefore, we have also added a new macro to the system, which can be used in the creative or template code to get information about the nc parameter setting of the placement code or impression script, which requested the given ad. The new <%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%> macro's possible values are:

• if a placement script does not pass the nc parameter or if it is set as nc=0 then <%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%> returns 0
• if a placement script passes nc=1 (or any other value than 0) then <%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%> returns 1

By using this macro, you are able to use the cookieless version of third party tracking scripts in your creatives (obviously, that other system also needs to have some cookieless solution).

Similarly, the following examples show how this macro should be used to set gemiusDirectEffect (gDE) scripts to avoid the usage of cookies. Luckily, gDE scripts use the same nc parameter, so the macro can be easily utilized:

< !-- (c) 2000-2013 Gemius SA version 2.0: /testplacement, mycreative -->
< script language="javascript1.2" type="text/javascript"> //< ![CDATA[
document.write('< scr'+'ipt src="http://my.adocean.pl/_'+(new Date()).getTime()+
'/ad.js?id=X1NBDgu3vLF02uFDALBRw1vExDFePdtSnftRPhTHkY..L7/nc=<%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%>/redir=" language="javascript">');
//]]>< /script>

< !-- (c) 2000-2013 Gemius SA version 2.0 Impressions: campaign: cookieless, placement: /testplacement CAMP.START-CAMP.END, creative: mycreative -->
< script language="javascript1.2" type="text/javascript"> //< ![CDATA[
_gde_vnqjimigiz = new Image(1,1);
_gde_vnqjimigiz.src='http://gde-default.hit.gemius.pl/_'+(new Date()).getTime()+
'/redot.gif?id=Xqg6Dz8NC_zZufKtptB.YnXoP1hBBHry37j4BENSC9r.j7/nc=<%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%>/fastid=exivqsxxrlcbwnminokywsolaimo/stparam=vnqjimigiz'; //]]>
< /script> 

< !-- (c) 2000-2013 Gemius SA version 2.0 Clicks clickTag: campaign: cookieless, placement: /testplacement CAMP.START-CAMP.END, creative: mycreative -->
http://gde-default.hit.gemius.pl/hitredir/id=Xqg6Dz8NC_zZufKtptB.YnNSC9r.j7/nc=<%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%>/fastid=mazwgncfdmwxxtjlbwqpuaidyimc/stparam=sohqljsksu/url=http://landingpage.mycampaignsite.com

The macro can be used generally in any creative code for applying the appropriate version of a third party script:

if(<%%COOKIE_DISABLED%%>===1){
  // insert the script, which does not use cookies
}else{
  // inset the script version which is allowed to use cookies
}

Please contact your advertisers and agencies to find out if cookieless versions of their ad server scripts are available.

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