ClickTag implementation for Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer)

Equativ (formerly Smart AdServer) is a European SSP and ad server that follows the standard IAB clickTag convention. This guide covers the implementation, how Equativ differs from other platforms, common errors, and how Adloom validates and fixes Equativ creatives. Equativ creatives are highly compatible with other IAB standard platforms.

About Equativ

Equativ is a French ad tech company and one of Europe's leading independent SSPs (Supply Side Platforms) and ad servers. In 2022, Equativ rebranded from Smart AdServer to Equativ. The platform serves European and international publishers and advertisers with a focus on privacy compliance and data protection.

Because Equativ adheres strictly to the IAB standard for clickTag implementation, creatives built for Equativ are often compatible with other IAB standard platforms and vice versa. This makes Equativ a good baseline for cross-platform compatible creatives.

How Equativ clickTag works

Equativ uses the IAB standard clickTag pattern: a global JavaScript variable named clickTag that holds the click-through URL. This is the same pattern used by Google Campaign Manager 360 (CM360).

The clickTag variable must be declared as var (not let or const) in the global scope of your HTML document. Equativ replaces this URL at serve time with the actual destination URL.

Unlike some other platforms, Equativ does not require a special SDK or API library. The clickTag variable approach is sufficient.

Standard implementation

Here is the recommended pattern for Equativ clickTag implementation in your HTML5 creative:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Ad Creative</title>
  <style>
    body { margin: 0; padding: 0; }
    .ad-container { width: 300px; height: 250px; background: #000; cursor: pointer; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="ad-container" id="adElement"></div>

  <script>
    // Declare clickTag in global scope (IAB standard)
    var clickTag = "https://example.com";

    // Handle click
    document.getElementById("adElement").addEventListener("click", function() {
      window.open(clickTag, "_blank");
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Key points: clickTag is declared as var at the top level; it is assigned a fallback URL; no special scripts or APIs are required; the click handler uses standard window.open().

How Equativ differs from other platforms

Same as CM360

Equativ uses the identical var clickTag = "..." pattern as Google Campaign Manager 360. Creatives are typically interchangeable between the two platforms.

No SDK or API required

Unlike Adform (DHTML), Amazon (EventBus), or Innovid (manifest.js), Equativ does not require loading external SDKs. The clickTag variable approach is standalone.

Standard window.open() click handling

Equativ supports standard window.open(clickTag, "_blank") for click handling. No platform-specific API calls are needed.

IAB standard compliant

Equativ strictly adheres to IAB standards, making its creatives highly compatible with other IAB-compliant platforms and third-party ad servers.

Common errors to avoid

Using let or const instead of var

Equativ needs a global variable. Using let or const creates block-scoped variables that Equativ cannot reliably access.

// WRONG
let clickTag = "https://example.com";
const clickTag = "https://example.com";

// CORRECT
var clickTag = "https://example.com";

Declaring clickTag inside a function

The variable must be in the global scope. If declared inside a function, Equativ will not find it.

// WRONG
function init() {
  var clickTag = "https://example.com";
}

// CORRECT
var clickTag = "https://example.com";
function handleClick() {
  window.open(clickTag, "_blank");
}

Wrong variable name or case

Case sensitivity matters. The variable must be exactly clickTag (lowercase "c", lowercase "t", capital T, lowercase "ag"), not clicktag, ClickTag, clickTAG, or other variants.

No fallback URL

Always provide a fallback URL. If Equativ cannot inject a URL (e.g. during testing), the fallback ensures the creative remains clickable.

// WRONG
var clickTag;

// CORRECT
var clickTag = "https://example.com";

Using third-party ad server code

If your creative was built for another platform (e.g. Adform, Amazon Ad Server) and includes platform-specific SDK code, that code may conflict with Equativ's environment. Remove platform-specific SDKs before uploading to Equativ.

How Adloom detects Equativ clickTag

Adloom scans your creative's HTML and JavaScript using pattern matching to find the IAB standard clickTag implementation. It looks for the regex pattern:

/var\s+clickTag\s*=\s*["']([^"']+)["']/

This pattern matches declarations like var clickTag = "https://..." anywhere in your HTML or external JavaScript files.

Adloom also validates that clickTag is accessible from the global scope and that your click handlers correctly reference it. Since Equativ follows the IAB standard, Adloom treats Equativ creatives as generically IAB compliant, making them interchangeable with other IAB platforms like CM360.

How Adloom auto-fixes missing clickTag

If Adloom detects that your creative is missing the clickTag variable, it can automatically inject it. Here's what happens:

1.
Adloom identifies your main HTML file (typically index.html).
2.
It injects a global var clickTag = "https://example.com"; declaration in a script tag in the <head> section, before any other scripts that might reference clickTag.
3.
It saves the fixed creative as a new ZIP file ready for upload.

The injected clickTag uses a valid fallback URL, ensuring your creative remains functional during testing and preview in Equativ's environment.

How Adloom helps

Auto-detect clickTag format

Upload your creative and Adloom instantly identifies whether it includes an IAB standard clickTag, what format it uses, and whether it's correctly scoped for Equativ.

Check multi-platform compatibility

Adloom shows you which other IAB standard platforms your Equativ creative is compatible with (e.g. CM360, other SSPs), or what changes are needed for specific platforms.

One-click auto-fix

If your clickTag is missing or malformed, use Adloom's "Fix all" button to inject a correct IAB standard clickTag in one click. No manual editing needed.

Identify platform-specific code conflicts

Adloom detects if your creative includes SDK code from other platforms (Adform DHTML, Amazon EventBus, Innovid manifest) that might conflict with Equativ. Adloom can remove or adapt this code.

Convert between platforms

Have a creative built for another platform? Adloom can auto-convert it to Equativ IAB standard format (and vice versa) with a single click, removing platform-specific code and standardising the clickTag.

Note: Third-party ad server compatibility

Equativ creatives can also be served through third-party ad servers (e.g. Google Ad Manager, other SSPs). Because Equativ adheres to the IAB standard, its creatives maintain compatibility across different serving environments.

If you're planning to serve your creative through multiple ad servers, building to the Equativ/IAB standard is a safe approach. This minimises the need for creative versioning and increases reusability across your ad stack.

Next steps