Labels and creative wrappers

Creative wrappers are snippets of code that wrap around a creative when it's served. You can use them to serve third-party tracking pixels or other code that's useful to you. Creative wrappers are applied to ad units using labels and served whenever Ad Manager delivers a creative to that ad unit. 

For mobile web or apps, creative wrappers are supported for creatives built on the following types: Custom, Image, Native, Third party, User-defined template, or System-defined template. Creative wrappers aren’t supported for Campaign Manager creatives.

Important to note:

• Creative wrappers used in mobile apps might require additional code or styles to display correctly.
• Creative wrappers can interact and affect webpages or apps outside of the ad unit. To ensure that webpages and apps are not adversely affected, test creative wrappers thoroughly.
• Creative wrappers aren’t supported for AdSense creatives, custom-rendered native creatives, Ad Exchange creatives, HTML5 creatives, out-of-page creatives, video creatives, or fluid-only size ad units.
• Creative wrappers can be used for Programmatic Guaranteed campaigns with publisher-managed creatives. See the available features for Programmatic Direct deals with advertiser-managed creatives.

Create creative wrappers

Use the same process to create standard HTML, AMPHTML, or video tracking URL creative wrappers:

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Create a Creative wrapper label. Each label can only be applied to one creative wrapper.
3. Click Admin, then Inventory, then Creative wrappers, and then New creative wrapper.
4. Select the label you created in Step 2. This is the label you'll apply to ad units to implement the creative wrapper.
5. Choose the Creative wrapper type, which can be either HTML or Video tracking URL ^(Beta) .

For HTML code snippets

6. Select the HTML type, which determines whether to add a code snippet for standard HTML ads, AMP ads, or both. Enter your desired code into the text boxes:

   • Standard HTML: 
     1. Enter text in the "Header" and "Footer". You may create a creative wrapper with only a header or footer, but you must have one or the other.
     2. Choose the wrapping order for the header and footer. This setting determines which code is served closest to the inside or furthest to the outside when you're applying more than one creative wrapper to an ad unit.

        Example: If you were setting up nested creative wrappers within an iframe, you would set this field to Outer for the creative wrapper containing the iframe code. The other creative wrappers would appear inside the iframe.

   • AMP: Enter HTML or other code that will be added to the beginning of the AMP creative code’s head and body elements. You may create a creative wrapper with only a head or body, but you must have one or the other.

     Learn more about creative wrappers with AMPHTML ads.
7.  ^(Optional)  Select custom Associated ad technology providers. You can choose to "Use EU user consent settings" or "Set custom settings". Learn more about ad technology providers

For video tracking URLs

6. Click Add to select a tracking event and enter the third-party tracking URL.

7.  ^(Optional)  Click Add to include additional event tracking URLs.

8. Click Save.
9. Apply the creative wrapper to ad units.

You can apply wrappers to specific ad units or across your entire ad network.

Apply creative wrappers to ad units

Next, apply creative wrapper labels to your inventory. You can apply creative wrappers to creatives that serve to specific ad units or across your entire ad network.

When you apply a creative wrapper to an ad unit, the wrapper is inherited by all ad units under it which includes any special ad units.

Apply to specific ad units

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Inventory, and then Ad units.
3. Click an ad unit's name to open its settings.
4. Next to "Labels," enter the creative wrapper labels you want to apply to the ad unit.
5. Click Save.

Apply to all ad units

1. Sign in to Google Ad Manager.
2. Click Inventory, and then Network settings.
3. Enter the creative wrapper labels in the "Labels" field.
4. Click Save.

Wrapping order

Wrapping order determines the order in which a wrapper is placed in relation to other wrappers on the same creative. The order affects how the code is laid out within the webpage where the creative is served.

• (Default) No preference: No position is specified for this wrapper. Other wrappers' settings will be respected.
• Inner: The code in this wrapper will be placed immediately before and after the creative code. Code from other wrappers will be placed outside of this wrapper, farther from the creative code.
• Outer: The code in this wrapper will be placed outside of other wrappers on the creative. Code from other wrappers will be placed inside of the code from this wrapper, closer to the creative code.

If you plan to use multiple creative wrappers with your ad units, be careful about the wrapping order.

It's best to avoid applying more than one creative wrapper with the same wrapping order (other than "No preference") to a given ad unit. Conflicts could be created between creative wrappers applied to your whole network and those applied to individual ad units, or between creative wrappers applied to parent and child ad units.

Creative wrappers with AMPHTML ads

You can add creative wrappers to standard HTML and AMPHTML ads. AMPHTML ads enable publishers, marketers, and technology providers to deliver faster, lighter, more secure ad experiences across all platforms using the principles of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to building and serving ads.

Which creative version will serve on AMP pages?

When an AMP page requests an ad, an AMPHTML ad is served. The following creative version is served based on the types of wrappers available in your label.

Which creative version will serve on non-AMP pages?