#31 -- DC_DBM_TOKEN Macro Support (CM360 Tracking inside DV360)

Priority: High Status: In Progress Category: Tagging Raised by: Min Hein Kyaw, 15 May 2026

Problem

When running Cavai creatives through DV360 with CM360 tracking, the DC_DBM_TOKEN macro is not being resolved correctly. This macro is used by CM360 to link impressions/clicks back to the DV360 campaign. Without it, CM360 tracking shows zero impressions for client creatives.

Kevin's Assessment (Discord)

It's flaky thing, seems like it's working for some random creatives and not working for other pile of random ones Odd is, that we have not done anything related to it. How can it work or not work related to us anyhow?

What We Know

• DC_DBM_TOKEN is a DV360-to-CM360 tracking macro
• This macro was not previously encountered by Cavai (new request from Humology)
• Humology's internal tests pass (22 May) -- the macro resolves correctly in their test environment
• Client creative still reports zero impressions tracked (26 May) -- the macro doesn't resolve in production
• The flaky behavior (works for some creatives, not others) is puzzling to Kevin
• Kevin notes Cavai hasn't done anything specific to handle this macro, so it's unclear why it would work intermittently

Cavai Feasibility Assessment

Can we fix this from our side? Unclear -- this is the trickiest item.

The core question is: Is Cavai responsible for passing through the DC_DBM_TOKEN macro, or is this a DV360/CM360 configuration issue?

Kevin's reaction ("How can it work or not work related to us anyhow?") suggests this might not be a Cavai-side issue at all. The macro resolution happens in the ad-serving chain between DV360 and CM360, and Cavai is just the creative.

Possible causes:

1. Tag setup issue -- the VAST/display tag may not be structured to allow DV360 to inject the macro
2. Creative-specific -- different creative types (display vs VAST) may handle macros differently
3. DV360 configuration -- the macro insertion depends on how the creative is set up in DV360

Codebase Findings

• src/utils/adservers.ts -- contains ADSERVERS array with click macro definitions for various ad servers
• src/utils/TagGenerator.ts -- tag generation logic, handles data-click-macro="%c" for DoubleClick URLs
• Standard Google ad server click macro (%c) is supported, but DC_DBM_TOKEN is a different macro (DV360-to-CM360 session linkage, not click tracking)
• No DC_DBM_TOKEN-specific handling found in the codebase -- this may be expected (it's a DV360 macro that should be resolved by DV360 before reaching Cavai)

Open Questions

1. Is there a pattern to which creatives work vs don't? (e.g., VAST vs display, certain sizes, certain tag types)
2. Does Cavai's tag output include the macro placeholder (${DC_DBM_TOKEN}) or does it need to?
3. Is this a problem with how Humology sets up the tracking in DV360, not a Cavai issue?
4. What exactly is the tag setup for the failing creatives vs the working ones?
5. Is DC_DBM_TOKEN supposed to be resolved by DV360 before the tag reaches Cavai? If so, this is a DV360 configuration issue.

Next Steps

1. Get specific examples: one creative that works, one that doesn't -- compare tag output
2. Check if Cavai's VAST/display tag templates include or need to include macro placeholders
3. May need to investigate how Cavai tags handle arbitrary macro passthrough
4. Consider whether this is primarily a Humology ops/setup issue with guidance needed

Related Items

• #25 (click tracker malfunctions -- also a tag/macro issue)
• #29 (VAST tag enhancement bundle)
• #23b (VAST tag stack fixes)