Targeting

DEPRECATED: The Google Mobile Ads C++ SDK is deprecated as of June 17, 2024 and should not be adopted in projects that don't already use it. It will enter End-of-Maintenance (EoM) on June 17, 2025. Note that versions of the SDK released before the EoM date will continue to function, but no further bug fixes or changes will be released after the EoM date.

Instead of the Google Mobile Ads C++ SDK, consider using the iOS and Android SDKs from AdMob. For support, reach out to the Google Mobile Ads SDK Technical Forum.

This guide explains how to provide targeting information to an ad request.

Prerequisites

• Complete Get started.

RequestConfiguration

RequestConfiguration is a struct that collects targeting information to be applied globally via the SetRequestConfiguration() global function.

To update the request configuration, obtain a the current configuration first, perform any desired updates, and set it as follows:

  firebase::gma::RequestConfiguration retrieved_configuration =
    firebase::gma::GetRequestConfiguration();

  // .. apply your changes, then:

  firebase::gma::SetRequestConfiguration(request_configuration);

Child-directed setting

For purposes of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), there is a setting called "tag for child-directed treatment". By setting this tag, you certify that this notification is accurate and you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the app. You understand that abuse of this setting may result in termination of your Google account.

As an app developer, you can indicate whether you want Google to treat your content as child-directed when you make an ad request. If you indicate that you want Google to treat your content as child-directed, we take steps to disable IBA and remarketing ads on that ad request.

The setting can be configured by assigning the tag_for_child_directed_treatment member of RequestConfiguration struct to one of the following enumerated values:

• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_child_directed_treatment to RequestConfiguration::kChildDirectedTreatmentTrue to indicate that you want your content treated as child-directed for purposes of COPPA.
• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_child_directed_treatment to RequestConfiguration::kChildDirectedTreatmentFalse to indicate that you don't want your content treated as child-directed for purposes of COPPA.
• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_child_directed_treatment to RequestConfiguration::kChildDirectedTreatmentUnspecifiedif you don't want to indicate how you would like your content treated with respect to COPPA in ad requests.

The following example indicates that you want your content treated as child-directed for purposes of COPPA:

  firebase::gma::RequestConfiguration request_configuration =
    firebase::gma::GetRequestConfiguration();

  request_configuration.tag_for_child_directed_treatment =
    firebase::RequestConfiguration::kChildDirectedTreatmentTrue;

  firebase::gma::SetRequestConfiguration(request_configuration);

By setting this tag, you certify that this notification is accurate and you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the app. You understand that abuse of this setting may result in termination of your Google account.

Note: Apps in the Designed For Families Program as Primarily child-directed apps and users signed into Google accounts managed with Family Link automatically have all content treated as child-directed for all ad requests.

Users under the age of consent

You can mark your ad requests to receive treatment for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) under the age of consent. This feature is designed to help facilitate compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Note that you may have other legal obligations under GDPR. Please review the European Union’s guidance and consult with your own legal counsel. Please remember that Google's tools are designed to facilitate compliance and do not relieve any particular publisher of its obligations under the law. Learn more about how the GDPR affects publishers.

When using this feature, a Tag For Users under the Age of Consent in Europe (TFUA) parameter will be included in the ad request. This parameter disables personalized advertising, including remarketing, for all ad requests. It also disables requests to third-party ad vendors, such as ad measurement pixels and third-party ad servers.

Like child-directed settings, there is a member in RequestConfiguration for configuring the TFUA parameter: tag_for_under_age_of_consent, which may be configured with the following enumerated values:

• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_under_age_of_consent to RequestConfiguration::kUnderAgeOfConsentTrue to indicate that you want the ad request to receive treatment for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) under the age of consent.
• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_under_age_of_consent to RequestConfiguration::kUnderAgeOfConsentFalse to indicate that you want the ad request to not receive treatment for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) under the age of consent.
• Assign RequestConfiguration::tag_for_under_age_of_consent to RequestConfiguration::kUnderAgeOfConsentUnspecified to indicate that you have not specified whether the ad request should receive treatment for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) under the age of consent.

The following example indicates that you want TFUA included in your ad requests:

  firebase::gma::RequestConfiguration request_configuration =
    firebase::gma::GetRequestConfiguration();

  request_configuration.tag_for_under_age_of_consent =
    firebase::RequestConfiguration::kUnderAgeOfConsentTrue;

  firebase::gma::SetRequestConfiguration(request_configuration);

The tags to enable the Child-directed setting and Users under the Age of Consent should not both simultaneously be set to true. If they are, the child-directed setting takes precedence.

Ad content filtering

Apps can set a maximum ad content rating for their ad requests via the RequestConfiguration::max_ad_content_rating field. AdMob ads returned when this is configured have a content rating at or below that level. The possible values for this are based on digital content label classifications and must be one of the following enumerated values:

• RequestConfiguration::kMaxAdContentRatingG
• RequestConfiguration::kMaxAdContentRatingPG
• RequestConfiguration::kMaxAdContentRatingT
• RequestConfiguration::kMaxAdContentRatingMA

The following code configures a RequestConfiguration struct to specify that ad content returned should correspond to a digital content label designation no higher than G:

  firebase::gma::RequestConfiguration request_configuration =
    firebase::gma::GetRequestConfiguration();

  request_configuration.max_ad_content_rating =
    firebase::RequestConfiguration::kMaxAdContentRatingG;

  firebase::gma::SetRequestConfiguration(request_configuration);

AdRequest

The AdRequest object collects targeting information to be sent with an ad request.

Content URL

When requesting an ad, apps may pass the URL of the content they are serving. This enables keyword targeting to match the ad with the content.

For example, if your app is requesting an ad while showing content from https://www.example.com, you can pass this URL to target relevant keywords:

  // AdRequest with content URL:
  firebase::admob::AdRequest ad_request(/*content_url=*/"https://www.example.com");

  // AdRequest without content URL:
  firebase::admob::AdRequest ad_request();