> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.northbeam.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# TradeDesk Setup

> Connect TradeDesk with or without REDS and add Northbeam UTMs so spend and click revenue line up.

When you're done, Northbeam shows your TradeDesk spend next to the visits and revenue from TradeDesk clicks, on the same campaigns, ad groups, and creatives.

<span id="before-you-start" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

<Info>
  **Before you start**, make sure you have:

  * An active Northbeam account
  * A TradeDesk advertiser account with **campaign manager access**
  * Active TradeDesk campaigns on a [supported channel](#supported-channels-and-attribution-models)
  * The Northbeam pixel installed and firing on your site
  * **For the REDS path and C+DV:** REDS access with TradeDesk (a paid add-on)
  * **For C+DV:** the same `order_id` sent to both TradeDesk and Northbeam. See [Enable C+DV](/docs/channels/tradedesk/clicks-deterministic-views).
</Info>

<span id="setup-steps" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="1. Connect the account" icon="plug" href="#connect-your-tradedesk-account">
    Pick REDS or a scheduled report, then link TradeDesk to Northbeam.
  </Card>

  <Card title="2. Add Northbeam UTMs" icon="link" href="#add-northbeam-parameters-to-your-ads">
    Add the click UTMs to your ads, then turn on the integration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="3. Confirm tracking" icon="circle-check" href="#confirm-tracking">
    Check that spend and clicks show up after the first data refresh.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Steps titleSize="h2">
  <Step title="Connect your TradeDesk account">
    <span id="choose-your-setup-path" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    TradeDesk can send data to Northbeam two ways. Both give you spend reporting and click attribution. Only REDS also supports [Clicks + Deterministic Views (C+DV)](#clicks-+-deterministic-views).

    | | With REDS | Without REDS (scheduled report) |
    | :- | :- | :- |
    | **How data arrives** | Event-level impression, click, and conversion data via TradeDesk's Raw Event Data Stream | Aggregated daily spend sent to Northbeam as a scheduled email report |
    | **Setup time** | About 1–2 weeks, including REDS provisioning | About 1–3 days |
    | **Requires** | A signed REDS access letter with TradeDesk (a paid TradeDesk add-on) | A scheduled report set up in TradeDesk |
    | **Supports C+DV** | Yes | No |

    <Note>
      **C+DV requires REDS.** The scheduled report sends daily totals, not the event-level impression data needed to match views to individual orders. You can start with the scheduled report and switch to REDS later. Just ask your TradeDesk account manager for REDS access when you're ready.
    </Note>

    ### Path 1: With REDS

    REDS (Raw Event Data Stream) is TradeDesk's event-level data export. Instead of daily totals, it sends individual impression, click, and conversion events. That's the detail Northbeam needs to match views to orders for C+DV. REDS is a paid add-on through TradeDesk.

    1. **Request REDS access.** Ask your TradeDesk account manager for access to **Northbeam Curated REDS**. CC [the-trade-desk-reds-integration@northbeam.io](mailto:the-trade-desk-reds-integration@northbeam.io) so we can track the request.
    2. **Sign the access letter.** TradeDesk will ask you to sign an access letter that lets them share your advertiser data with Northbeam. A sample is below.
    3. **Wait for TradeDesk to set up the feed.** Once the signed letter is in, TradeDesk configures the REDS feed to send your data to Northbeam. This usually takes a few business days. You don't need to do anything.
    4. **Connect in Northbeam.** Go to **Settings → Connections**, scroll down to **TradeDesk**, enter your TradeDesk account ID, and confirm.

    Then [add your UTMs](#add-northbeam-parameters-to-your-ads) and turn on the integration. With REDS live, you also have what you need to [enable C+DV](/docs/channels/tradedesk/clicks-deterministic-views).

    <AccordionGroup>
      <Accordion title="Sample REDS access letter">
        Customize this letter and send it to your TradeDesk account manager. If your account manager has their own version, use theirs.

        > **To:** The Trade Desk Account Team
        >
        > **From:** \[Your Name], \[Your Company]
        >
        > **Date:** \[Date]
        >
        > **Re:** Authorization for Northbeam Curated REDS Access
        >
        > I, \[Your Name], authorized representative of \[Your Company], hereby authorize The Trade Desk to share our advertiser data with Northbeam, Inc. via the Raw Event Data Stream (REDS) for the purpose of attribution reporting and analytics.
        >
        > **Advertiser Name:** \[Your Company]
        >
        > **TTD Advertiser ID:** \[Your TTD Advertiser ID]
        >
        > **REDS Type:** Northbeam Curated REDS
        >
        > This authorization covers event-level impression, click, and conversion data associated with the above advertiser account. This data will be delivered to Northbeam's ingestion pipeline for use in spend reporting, click attribution, and Clicks + Deterministic Views (C+DV) attribution.
        >
        > **Signature:** \[Signature]
        >
        > **Name:** \[Your Name]
        >
        > **Title:** \[Your Title]
        >
        > **Company:** \[Your Company]
      </Accordion>
    </AccordionGroup>

    ### Path 2: Without REDS (scheduled report)

    This path uses TradeDesk's scheduled report feature to email daily spend totals to Northbeam. It covers spend reporting and click attribution, but **not** C+DV.

    Open [Connections](https://dashboard.northbeam.io/settings/connections) and scroll down to **TradeDesk**. You'll find:

    * **TradeDesk Channels:** the TradeDesk channels you can select. View-only channels (Audio, Digital Out of Home, TV) can't be measured for click attribution.
    * **Click UTMs:** the UTM parameters to add to your ad click-through URLs
    * **Email for Scheduled Report:** the Northbeam address your TradeDesk report should be sent to

    <Frame caption="Settings > Connections > TradeDesk">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=6fb5366f1c98a21c15fbce707a4211e5" alt="TradeDesk connection details in Northbeam Settings > Connections" style={{ maxWidth: "560px", maxHeight: "440px", width: "auto", height: "auto", margin: "0 auto" }} data-og-width="966" width="966" data-og-height="406" height="406" data-path="images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png" data-optimize="true" data-opv="3" srcset="https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=280&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=60db82ef3f973c1a9e818defe318e093 280w, https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=560&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=8f7ba19cbda21188d20459a8238ee868 560w, https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=840&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=04d31e1e6fb86f2526aa7a61e71ceb9c 840w, https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=1100&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=841d04747503fd82368b4dd731dde9bb 1100w, https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=1650&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=9f93076efca3f540df76e555df7db558 1650w, https://mintcdn.com/northbeam/EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI/images/readme/68ab56ed-Screenshot_2025-05-05_at_10.09.49_AM.png?w=2500&fit=max&auto=format&n=EpMPeQ8Ec2Yrg9EI&q=85&s=475115709723052b9ec4f13d8ced95ec 2500w" />
    </Frame>

    <span id="step-3-creating-a-scheduled-report" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    Then set up the scheduled report in TradeDesk:

    1. Go to the reporting section in TradeDesk.
    2. Create a scheduled report that includes **spend, impressions, and clicks**.
    3. Set the delivery email to the address on your Northbeam Connections page.
    4. Set the cadence to **daily**.

    Northbeam reads these reports automatically to fill in your spend data. Next, [add your UTMs](#add-northbeam-parameters-to-your-ads) and turn on the integration.

    **Want C+DV later?** You can switch to REDS at any time. Ask your TradeDesk account manager for **Northbeam Curated REDS** and follow [Path 1](#path-1-with-reds). Your existing spend and click history stays in place.

    **If you skip this step:** TradeDesk spend won't appear in Northbeam.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Northbeam parameters to your ads">
    <span id="step-2-inserting-click-and-impressions-utms" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    <span id="step-by-step-guide" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    The Northbeam click UTMs let the Northbeam pixel tie a click back to a specific TradeDesk campaign, ad group, and creative.

    1. Copy your UTM string from Northbeam under **Settings → Connections → TradeDesk**.
    2. In TradeDesk, add it to the click-through URL of **every** active campaign.

    <Warning>
      **Your UTM must start with `&` or `?`.**

      * If the URL already has parameters, use `&`: `yoursite.com?existing=param&nb_platform=tradedesk…`
      * If the URL has no parameters, use `?`: `yoursite.com?nb_platform=tradedesk…`
    </Warning>

    <AccordionGroup>
      <Accordion title="Watch a walkthrough">
        <iframe src="https://www.loom.com/embed/1577c9d4a61e45519b87b21ad7d202f4?sid=0d08fec0-d660-43b9-aba5-ec933abd4a69" width="100%" height="450" allowfullscreen />
      </Accordion>
    </AccordionGroup>

    **Then turn on the integration.** Go back to **Settings → Connections → TradeDesk** and:

    1. Select the **TradeDesk Channels** you're actively advertising on.
    2. Check the confirmation box for **Click UTMs**. On the scheduled report path, also check **Scheduled Reports**.
    3. Click **Connect**.

    Northbeam starts reporting spend and click performance on the next data refresh.

    **If you skip this step:** campaigns without UTMs get no click attribution, so spend and revenue show up on separate lines and performance is hard to read.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm tracking">
    <span id="check-the-connection" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    Allow one full data refresh first. That's usually within 24 hours of turning on the integration.

    * **Parameters captured:** follow [Checking UTM tracking](/docs/checking-utm-tracking) to confirm the Northbeam parameters reach your landing pages.
    * **Connection syncing:** follow [Checking platform connections](/docs/checking-api-connections) to confirm the account shows as connected and data is arriving.

    <span id="check-the-data" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

    Then check the data in Northbeam:

    * TradeDesk spend appears on the **Attribution** page.
    * Click-through events appear for campaigns that have UTMs.
    * First Touch, Last Touch, Last Non-Direct Touch, Linear, and Clicks-Only all show TradeDesk data.
    * A sample campaign's UTM parameters resolve correctly.

    **On the REDS path?** You should also see TradeDesk impressions. If spend shows up but impressions don't, the REDS feed may not be fully set up yet. Check with your TradeDesk account manager.

    If a check fails, see [Troubleshooting Northbeam data](/docs/troubleshooting-tracking-issues).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Supported channels and attribution models

<span id="important-attribution-notes" style={{ display: "block", scrollMarginTop: "7rem" }} />

TradeDesk click tracking works on these [channels](https://partner.thetradedesk.com/v3/portal/api/doc/Channel): **Display**, **Video**, **Native Display**, and **Native Video**.

They support every Northbeam attribution model: First Touch, Last Touch, Last Non-Direct Touch, Linear, Clicks-Only, and Clicks + Deterministic Views (C+DV, REDS path only).

<Warning>
  **Some channels have limited attribution.** TV, Digital Out of Home, and Audio rarely drive a direct website click, so you'll see very little tracking and performance data for them. Spend still reports as normal.
</Warning>

## Clicks + Deterministic Views

C+DV adds verified view credit on top of click tracking, for TradeDesk's impression-heavy placements. It needs the REDS path and a matching `order_id` in TradeDesk and Northbeam.

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Enable Clicks + Deterministic Views" icon="eye" href="/docs/channels/tradedesk/clicks-deterministic-views">
    Turn on C+DV for TradeDesk once REDS is live.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Need help?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="TradeDesk FAQ" icon="circle-question" href="/docs/channels/tradedesk/faq">
    Common TradeDesk setup, REDS, and C+DV questions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting Northbeam data" icon="wrench" href="/docs/troubleshooting-tracking-issues">
    Start here if a check above fails.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
