Piggybacking is a digital advertising concept that refers to use the container tag [primary tag] that redirects the additional tags that are not directly implemented on the website. It helps to implement additional provider’s pixels without reaching out the website developer.

SRIDARAN BASKARAN

In this article, we are going to discuss the piggybacking concept used in digital advertising. 

What Is Pixel? How To Track Actions?

What Is Piggybacking In Digital Marketing? When You Need Piggybacking? 

Advantages Of Piggybacking In Digital Advertising

What Is Pixel? How To Track Actions?

Pixel is a piece of code that needs to be generated on the ad platform to track the activities on client’s website. These pixels needs to created on ad platform such as facebook, dv360, google ads and etc. Once created the pixel, you should ask your client to implement the pixel code on appropriate places of their website to track the actions like page lands, form submissions, purchases, etc. When users makes the desired actions the browsers redirects the implemented pixel. The pixel code records and sends certain data to the ad platform whenever the corresponding page is loaded/actions happened.

What Is Piggybacking In Digital Advertising? When You Need Piggybacking?

If you are looking for the definition for piggyback then here you go,

Piggybacking is a digital marketing concept where you can use the single container tag to redirect additional tags without implement them on the client’s website. Note that the container tag or primary tag should be implemented on the client’s website.

When you run the digital advertising campaign on any platform it’s must to record certain actions happened through your campaign. So that only you can track your ad campaign’s performance and optimize it. Normally, client’s want to record the below actions done by the users who saw their advertisements,

• Landing : How Many Of Users Landed On The Website Through The Ad Campaign?
• Button Click : How Many Users Clicked Certain Buttons On The Website?
• Purchase : How Many Users Complete Purchase On The Website?
• Form Submission : How Many Users Successfully Submitted the Form?
• Link Clicks : How Many Users Clicked Certain Links On The Website?

Usually, we need to implement individual pixels on the client’s website to track certain actions. When we start the ad campaign, we create the required pixels and send it to the client. Client requested the website developer to place our pixel on the desired places.

For example, we have a campaign in The Trade Desk DSP and we want to track the number of purchases that happened from our ad campaign means we need to create the pixel in The Trade Desk platform and send that pixel to the client. They request their website developer to place the pixel on the corresponding website page. This is the usual process to track the actions.

After few days, the client or publisher is interested to track the same action but they want to use different third-party DMPs. Client or publisher generated the third-party pixel to track the action. In this situation, the client once again request the website developer to place this new pixel on the same website page. Mostly, website developers are too busy and client can’t get quick help from them frequently. In this situation, we can use the piggybacking concept.

We have already placed a pixel to track the action and we want to track the same action but with a different pixel code. In this situation, we need to check whether the ad platform has “pixel piggybacking” option. If it has then we no need request the website developer to place the new pixel code on the same website page. Instead, we need to place the new pixel code in the piggyback section of the primary pixel. It means, the primary pixel code always carry the new pixel code that is piggybacked with it. So, website redirects the primary pixel when action happen. The primary pixel redirects the piggybacked new pixel whenever its loaded. So, the new pixel also fires and send the data to the server even though it was not implemented on the website directly.

Real time Example For Piggyback Pixel Implementation

Step 1 > Primary Pixel : Below is the example pixel code that is created in media desk ad platform to track purchase action.

//<!-- Beacon Name : Track Purchase -->
<script type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://mediadesk.com/server/beacon_call.js?Z2=TNK1sNuNwUnPDeGVLjiWxnKekDsPqmOmRNGuO9o-CAn93hUPkfY">
</script>

Step 2 > Pixel Implementation : This pixel is implemented on the client’s website page [Example : https://www.tatacliq.com/realme-watch-s-black/p-mp000000008756463?sessionId=3ebda41a-e2e7-4be6-b923-a6e0c860364d]

Step 3 > Pixel Implemented : Website Developer Implemented the pixel

Step 4 > Additional Pixel : Now client or publisher provide below pixel to track same action.

//<!-- Beacon Name : Track Purchase -->
<script type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://tradedesk.com/server/beacon_call.js?Z2=XvedddsdNwUnPDeGVLjiWxnKekDsPqmOmRNGuO9o-CAn93hUPkfY">
</script>

Step 5 > Pixel Piggybacking : This new pixel is updated on the piggybacking section of the primary pixel.

Step 6 > Pixel Fire Check : The primary pixel carry the new pixel and redirects every time when its loaded.

Advantages Of Piggybacking In Digital Advertising

Easy Implementation: If you already implemented the primary pixel or container tag then you can piggyback the third party pixel codes without reaching the website developer. So, the third party tracking code implementation is very easy in piggybacking. 

Easy To Add/Remove : Every time you no need to contact the website developer to add or remove or update the additional pixel code. Instead, you can make all the changes on the ad platform where you created the primary pixel tag.

Real Time Data Transfer: When you implement the third party pixel using the piggyback method, the third party pixel fires like the primary pixel. So, it also records and transfers the data in real-time.

Sridaran Baskaran

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The post What Is Pixel Piggybacking? How Does It Work? first appeared on Marketing Strategy.