How to Track Mobile Applications within CAKE Basic

This process will walk you through the scenario where the consumer is in an application and clicks on an advertisement.

Similar to web tracking, a CAKE Unique Link will be used to track the click.
The above URL is an example of a standard tracking link.

In App Advertising allows an Affiliate to extract a unique value from the consumer's phone depending on the device the consumer is using.
The unique devide ID can be passed on s2, s3, s4 or s5.

The example above shows the Mac Address being passed on the s5 parameter of the tracking link.

Offers in CAKE that are intended to track Application Installs will require a unique setup.
To set your Offer up to handle Application Installs, click on the Attribution Tab within the Offer Card.

1) Session Regeneration Seconds: This is the "window of opportunity" where a Conversion can be tracked. This "window" is from the moment a consumer clicks the CAKE Unique Link to the moment the Application is opened on their phone and the Conversion Postback is sent to CAKE. Today, the maximum time CAKE will track this event is 86,400 seconds (24 hours) for most Session Regeneration Types.  Leveraging the Sub ID only method extends this period to 2,592,000 seconds (30 days).

2) Session Regeneration Type: This defines the unique tracking key you intend to use on the Unique Link and the Postback URL. Note :: Some Session Regeneration Types are recommended for app tracking where others are not.

• IP Only: Selecting IP Only means that CAKE is only going to track consumers based on the IP of the click and the IP collected on the Postback URL. If the IP on the click does not match the IP on the Postback URL, a Conversion will not be tracked.
• IP + User Agent: CAKE must match the IP Address of the click and on the Postback URL. In addition, the User Agent of the consumer's phone must also match. The User Agent is the unique thumb print of the consumer's device which includes OS, Browser and more. (Not recommended as the User Agent in the mobile browser is not the same as the User Agent from the App.)
• IP + Sub ID: CAKE must match the IP Address of the click and on the Postback URL. In addition, a unique tracking key must be passed in on Sub ID 2, 3, 4, or 5 and must be passed back into CAKE on the Postback URL.  CAKE will only track a Conversion if BOTH match.
• Sub ID only:CAKE ignores the IP Address of the consumer's phone and only looks at a unique tracking key being passed in on the click and then returned on the Postback URL.
• Sub ID 5 Only Fallback to IP Address Only:CAKE will attempt to track a Conversion based on a unique tracking key being passed in on the s5 parameter of the Unique Link. If CAKE is UNABLE to track based on s5, we will attempt to match the IP Address of the click with the IP Address passed in on the Postback URL. (Highly recommended for app tracking)
• Sub ID 5 Only Fallback to IP Address + Device: CAKE will attempt to track a Conversion based on a unique tracking key being passed in on the s5 parameter of the Unique Link. If CAKE is UNABLE to track based on s5, we will attempt to match the IP Address of the click with the IP Address and Device passed in on the Postback URL. (Highly recommended for app tracking)
• Sub ID 5 Only Fallback to IP Address + Device Fallback to IP Only: CAKE will attempt to track a Conversion based on a unique tracking key being passed in on the s5 parameter of the Unique Link. If CAKE is UNABLE to track based on s5, we will attempt to match the IP Address of the click with the IP Address and Device passed in on the Postback URL.  If CAKE is UNABLE to track based on IP and Device, we will attempt to track a conversion based on the IP Address Only.

CAKE is able to track when the consumer opens the Application when the Advertiser makes a Server Call to CAKE.
This Server Call is a Postback URL.

Contrary to traditional Server Tracking in CAKE, the Postback URL for Mobile includes a k= parameter as opposed to a reqid= parameter.

If the Affiliate is unable to extract a unique tracking ID from the consumer's device, CAKE can track the conversion using the consumer's IP Address.
CAKE tracks the IP Address of the consumer on the initial click and does not require the Affiliate to customize the format of their Unique Link.

The Advertiser who is responsible for making the Server Call to CAKE will need to include the IP Address of the consumer's device on the Postback URL.
If the Server Call is coming from the app directly and NOT from the Advertiser's server, the IP Address is NOT required on the Postback URL.

An example of this is shown above.

Here is a complete list of all of the parameters that can be used on a Postback URL used on a Mobile Application Offer.

o= This is the Offer ID. In the example above, o=1 which is referring to Offer ID 1 in your system.
k= This is the Unique Tracking Key. This can be any unique ID that is specific to the consumer's phone. With iOS, the Mac Address is very popular but can be any other unique ID as well.
ip= This is intended to be the IP Address that the consumer's phone was on when they opened the Application.
f= This is the format of the Pixel. pb tells CAKE that this pixel is formatted as a Postback URL. THIS IS REQUIRED WHEN REQID= IS NOT PRESENT.
rf=xml This is an OPTIONAL parameter that tells CAKE to return the Server Response as XML as opposed to Plain Text. If you do not include this on your Postback URL, CAKE will respond as Plain Text. (until December 2012 when XML becomes standard)
t= This is an OPTIONAL parameter that allows the Advertiser to pass a unique ID per Conversion. This is often an Order ID or a Receipt of sorts.

CAKE will respond via XML once a successful Postback URL has been tracked.  Above is an example of the XML response.

Note that the Request ID of the Conversion will be included in the response.  This can be used at a later time for subsequent server calls.

CAKE is also able to track Application Installs where the consumer clicks on an Advertisement outside of the Application.
This may be an Email or a Banner the consumer clicks on in their mobile browser.

The Affiliate will be issued a standard CAKE Unique Link to track the consumer and to redirect them to the store where they will download the Application.
The Affiliate can place optional tracking parameters, such as a Sub ID, on the S parameters.

For example, the Affiliate can place their Sub ID on s1 and the Media Source in s2:
http://trk.com/?a=1&c=1&s1=12345&s2=Email

The only tracking parameter CAKE can use where the consumer clicks on an Advertisement outside of an Application is the IP Address.
You are only able to take advantage of unique tracking IDs, such as the Mac Address, when the consumer clicks on an Advertisement from within an Application.

With that said, the Affiliate does not need to customize their Unique Link to accomodate the IP Address. CAKE will track this naturally.

Offers in CAKE that are intended to track Application Installs will require a unique setup.
To set your Offer up to handle Application Installs, click on the Redirect Tab within the Offer Card.

1) Session Regeneration Seconds: This is the "window of opportunity" where a Conversion can be tracked. This "window" is from the moment a consumer clicks the CAKE Unique Link to the moment the Application is opened on their phone. Today, the maximum time CAKE will track this event is 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours.

2) Session Regeneration Type: This defines the unique tracking key that CAKE will track a Conversion. For Application Installs where a consumer clicks on an Advertisement outside of an Application, you can ONLY track via IP Address.

Once the consumer opens the Application, the Advertiser will make a Server Call to CAKE using a Postback URL.
The IP Address of the Consumer's Phone will need to be placed on the Postback URL UNLESS a pixel is placed directly on the Application itself. In this case, the Pixel will carry the IP Address of the Consumer's device naturally.
If CAKE matches the IP Address on the Postback URL to the IP Address on the original click, within the Session Regeneration time frame, a Conversion will be tracked.

The CAKE Postback URL Parameters are as follows:
o= This is the Offer ID. In the example above, o=1 which is referring to Offer ID 1 in your system.
ip= This is intended to be the IP Address that the consumer's phone was on when they opened the Application. This is NOT required if the Postback URL is coming from app directly.
f= This is the format of the Pixel. pb tells CAKE that this pixel is formatted as a Postback URL. THIS IS REQUIRED WHEN REQID= IS NOT PRESENT.
rf=xml This is an OPTIONAL parameter that tells CAKE to return the Server Response as XML as opposed to Plain Text. If you do not include this on your Postback URL, CAKE will respond as Plain Text. (until December 2012 when XML becomes standard)
t= This is an OPTIONAL parameter that allows the Advertiser to pass a unique ID per Conversion. This is often an Order ID or a Receipt of sorts.