Set up and manage custom creatives

Custom creatives allow you to develop custom ad serving solutions that creative templates or other display creative types don't provide. To set up a custom creative, you will need some technical skills and an understanding of your organization's ad serving goals.

As a trafficker, you can set up a custom creative from the creative library, or from a line item.

Required skills to develop custom creatives

To create and develop new custom creatives, you'll need to know the ad serving goal required and have the necessary technical and coding skills to develop the solution. You might need to seek help from a technical resource, either at your organization or at a creative agency representing the advertise you're doing business with. Depending on the solution in question, you or a technical resource will need to be familiar with:

• HTML, CSS, or JavaScript
• Ad Manager macros
• Ad Manager ad tags
• Digital ad industry standards

This technical resource should provide you with the code to input or files to upload during creation of the custom creative. Work closely with this technical resource to test the creative and ensure that it behaves as intended.

When to use custom creatives

Some reasons you might want to use a custom creative include situations such as:

• Tracking pixels with custom code or macros
• Internal redirects with custom code or macros

  The Campaign Manager 360 creative type supports internal redirect , but it doesn't allow the use of custom code or macros. Custom creatives can allow you to implement internal redirects and build code or use macros around the redirect.

• Image creatives where you need multiple third-party impression tracking URLs

  Image creatives can include a single third-party tracking URL. Custom creatives allow you to enter multiple third-party tracking URLs.

• Specialized ad experiences not supported by other creative types

  Many publishers sell custom ad formats as a premium product to their advertisers. The custom creative form is flexible enough to allow you to create a variety of ad experiences with HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, or other resources.

Set up a new custom creative

A custom creative is a feature in Ad Manager that allows you to input code and upload files or other resources. You can set up a custom creative either from the creative library, or from a line item. Once you start the process, you'll need to configure the details  of your new custom creative.

From the creative library 

1. Click  Deliveryand then Creatives.
   You arrive on the "Display creatives" tab. 
2. Under either the "Standard" or "Master/companion" tabs, click New creative.
3. Next to "Advertiser," select an advertiser in the search box. 
4. Under "Standard creative,"  on the "Custom" creative type card, click Select. 
5. Configure the settings and click Save.

From a line item

The line item must be a "Display" (and not a "Video") ad type in order for you to select from the  display creative types . The ad type is shown at the top of a line item's details page.

1. Follow the instructions on how to add a  new creative to a line item .
2. Select Customfrom the display creative types  available. 
3. Configure the settings and click Save.

Configure settings for custom creatives

To configure your custom creative, select your settings. Some settings are optional.

Settings

• Name: Name your custom creative something descriptive that will helps traffickers later find the custom creative.
• Target ad unit size: Line items can only add custom creatives with the same inventory size. Line items can specify multiple sizes, but custom creatives are restricted to one size. 
• Code type: Under "Code type," select an option:
  • Standard
  • AMP
  • Standard and AMP
    Note: Creatives can be based on standard code, AMPHTML code, or both. Standard code consists of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript and references to macros or files and assets uploaded to the custom creative. 
• Upload file: Allows you to upload files or assets. For every file or asset uploaded, Ad Manager creates a file reference that should be inserted into the "Code" field.
• Code: Depending on the code type you've selected, you'll see either one or two fields available corresponding to your selection. These fields store code you input.
  • Standard: accepts HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code
  • AMPHTML: accepts AMPHTML code
    Note: If you've selected the "Standard and AMP" option, you'll see both fields. In either case, these fields can also reference macrosor file macros. File macros are automatically created and available when you upload assets via the "Upload files" option. Learn more about using AMPHTML with Ad Manager
• Click-through URL: The landing page where users go if they click the ad.

• SafeFrame: Option to allow the creative to serve into a SafeFrame. New creatives serve into SafeFrames by default. Learn more about rendering creatives using SafeFrame .

Advanced settings

• SSL compatibility options: By default, Ad Manager detects SSL status automatically. Learn more about SSL protocol to ensure your creatives are secure.
• Orientation of creative: Choose "Any," "portrait," or "landscape." This option is only relevant for serving creatives but not applicable to custom creatives that are only being used for tracking pixels.
• Labels: You can apply a label that can be set for Ad Unit frequency capping across your network or on specific ad units. 
• Third-party impression tracking URLs: You may enter multiple URLs for third-party tracking services. The tracking URLs are pinged when the creative appears so you can later report in systems outside Ad Manager on ad serving activity. Tracking URLs can contain macros . These URLs are not supported for creatives with an actual size of "Out-of-page."
• Custom field: Fields or settings created by and for your Ad Manager network. These fields prompt users to enter or indicate information that isn't available in Ad Manager by default. They don't affect ad serving or delivery but can be used in reporting later. Learn more about custom fields .
• Show ad badging on this creative: You can choose to enable or disable the "Show ad badging on this creative" setting. When enabled (checked box), badging will be shown on this creative. Badging will be shown only in the EEA or for users worldwide, based on the publisher’s network settings. Learn more about Ad badging for reservations .

• Creative contains EU political content: Enable "Creative contains EU political content" if you intend to run political advertising as defined in the Platforms program policies section on European Union (EU) political advertising . If you declare "Yes" by checking the box for "Creative contains EU political content," restrictions will automatically apply once the new policy launches in late September 2025.

About code type and coding

Depending on what you selected as your code type ("Standard", "AMP", or "Standard and AMP"), you'll either see one code input field or two. These fields are where you'll input and store code. They are also where you'll reference macros or file macros.

• Standard: The standard code input field accepts any standard HTML, HTML5, CSS, or JavaScript.

• AMPHTML: AMP is an open-source effort that aims to make creation of websites and ads that are consistently fast and high-performing across devices and distribution patterns. In Ad Manager, AMPHTML can be used for fast and high-performing ads. 

  The AMPHTML code input field includes boilerplate AMPHTML code. This boilerplate code can be a starting point for developing your AMPHTML ad experience. Ensure that you're writing well-formed AMPHTML that meets your ad serving objective. Learn more at the  AMP Open Source Project website . When working with AMP HTML, you can click Validateat any time to check your code.

About macros and file macros

Macros are special strings in a creative's code. They're included by default in Ad Manager and can be added in the "Code" field  by clicking Insert macro. Macro strings are later replaced with another value or code that dictates how a creative serves, behaves, or looks. There are also useful macros for cache busting or click-through URLs. Learn more about using macros with Ad Manager .

In addition, for every file or resource you upload, Ad Manager creates a file reference that should be inserted into the "Code" field. You'll reference the macros in your code and not direct links to these resources. Click Insert file macros to find these file references and insert them.