Skip to main content

The Trade Desk

How to target a Classify Deal ID and set up impression tracking in The Trade Desk.

You'll need a Deal ID from the Segment Activation API and a pixel campaign ID from Pixel Registration before starting.


Adding the Deal ID

Deal targeting in The Trade Desk is configured at the ad group level.

  1. Navigate to your Campaign in The Trade Desk
  2. Open (or create) the Ad Group where you want to target the Classify segment
  3. In the ad group settings, go to Targeting
  4. Under the Inventory section, find Deals
  5. Click Add Deals
  6. Search by Deal ID — paste your Classify Deal ID (e.g., classify-ttd-61-a8f3c)
  7. Select the deal and confirm

You can add multiple Deal IDs to a single ad group to target several Classify segments together.

Deal-only vs. deal + open exchange

TTD lets you choose whether the ad group bids on deal inventory only or on deals plus open exchange. For Classify segments, we recommend Deals Only — this ensures you're exclusively buying through the curated contextual inventory.


Adding the Classify pixel

Add the Classify pixel as a Tracking Tag on your creatives.

  1. Within your ad group, go to Creatives (or Ads)
  2. Open the creative you want to track
  3. Navigate to the Tracking section
  4. Under Impression Tracking URLs, click Add
  5. Paste your Classify pixel URL with TTD macros:
https://l.csfy.me/je?c={campaign_id}&deal_id={{DEAL_ID}}&domain={{INVENTORY_DOMAIN}}&source={{INVENTORY_SOURCE}}
  1. Save the creative

You can also set default tracking tags at the ad group level under Ad Group > Settings > Tracking — these apply to all creatives in the ad group.

TTD uses {{MACRO}} syntax. For the full macro reference, see The Trade Desk's macro documentation and Pixel Code — Macros.


TTD-specific tips

  • Bid strategy: Set your bid above the deal floor price. A bid 10–20% above floor improves win rates.
  • Pacing: Use standard even pacing to distribute delivery across the flight dates.

For general campaign settings (targeting philosophy, cookieless inventory, KPIs), see Best Practices.


Troubleshooting

Deal not delivering:

  • Verify the Deal ID is entered correctly (case-sensitive)
  • Confirm the deal is still active — check the ttl_hours in your activation response
  • Ensure your creative formats match the available inventory (display, video, native)
  • Check that your bid is above the deal floor price

Low win rate:

  • Increase your bid — other buyers may be competing for the same inventory
  • Check if additional targeting restrictions (geo, device, audience) are narrowing inventory too much

Use TTD's built-in Deal Troubleshooter in the reporting section to diagnose delivery issues.