Issue creating ad with ad customizers via API

[John Whipple]

Our application is running into an issue when creating ads via the AdWords API where if the ad text contains an ad customizer parameter, the ad gets deleted immediately after getting created. 

One other potential issue we've observed is that in the change history of the ad group it appears that the ad customizer syntax gets changed to {PH_0} and {PH_1}. 

For example, if we try to create the following ad text through the API we get the following result: 

Headline_1: Customized Photo Puzzles

Headline_2: {=sflypromo.Headline2}

Description: Custom Photo Jigsaw Puzzles Shipped Fast. {=sflypromo.Shipping}

Gets translated to: 

Headline_1: Customized Photo Puzzles

Headline_2: {PH_0}

Description: Custom Photo Jigsaw Puzzles Shipped Fast. {PH_1}

Has anything changed in the API for ad customizers and expanded text ads, or is there anything else our application should be aware of? We are not trying to manage or modify the ad customizer business data itself, simply looking to create ads through the API that can have ad customizer parameters in the ad text itself. 

Thank you!

[Joyce Lava]

Hello John,

Could you please confirm if you tried to use AdGroupAdService.get operation to see the newly created expanded text ad (ETA) with ad customizer? If not, you may want to use the example code (GetExpandedTextAds.java, Java client library example code) to get the new ETA with ad customizer. This should return the ad with the expected text. Please let me know the results once tried on your end.

Thanks,

Joyce, AdWords API Team

[Konstantin Tarassow]

We are observing the same problem.

In a test case we are using the AdGroupAdService to create an ETA and read it again afterwards to check whether it has been successfully created.

We are setting a valid ad customizer in the path1 property. When we read the newly created ad again the property value is returned as ' {PH_0}'.

We are also observing this behaviour in one of our customers' account.

[John Whipple]

Thanks Joyce,

I can confirm that we do use the AdGroupAdService to get and post ads to our client's AdWords accounts. One other piece of context is that when we take ads that we are trying to post through the API and use that same ad text with the ad customizer parameter to create the ad in the AdWords UI, the ad is created and approved successfully (another screenshot attached).

This is leading us to believe that perhaps there is an issue with the AdGroupAdService for expanded text ads and ad customizers (since we used to have no issues posting standard text ads with ad customizers via the same service). 

Let us know if we can help provide any more information.

Thank you!

John 

[Joyce Lava]

Hello John, Konstantin,

Apologies for the delayed response. Could you please send to me (reply privately to author) a sample SOAP request and response that shows the expanded text ad with ad customizer being returned to have "PH_0" when using AdGroupAdService.get operation? I tried this yesterday against my test account and I could retrieve the ETA with the correct ad customizer text, not with "PH_0". Though in the Change History page of the UI, I noticed that it shows to have "PH_0". A sample SOAP logs that shows this when using the API will give our team more information to look into this further.

[Konstantin Tarassow]

Replied. 

The response to the mutate() call to create the ad contains the correct ad customizer. But the response to get() afterwards, contains {PH_0).

[Joyce Lava]

Hello Konstantin,

Thanks for providing the SOAP logs. Upon checking, you used the ad customizer in the field path1 of the Expanded Text Ad. Since ETA uses path1 and path2 to calculate the Display URL and that Ad Customizer does not dynamically replace display or final URLs, this caused return "PH_0". I did the same against my test account using ad customizer with the allowable fields (e.g. headline1, headline2, description) and the return was the expected text, but with the field path1 and path2, it returns the text to have "PH_3" and "PH_4". I hope this clarifies your concern.

Regards,

Joyce, AdWords API Team

[Konstantin Tarassow]

Hello Joyce,

thanks for your update.

Are there any plans to prevent users from putting in ad customizers into fields where they cannot be used in UI/API?

Regards,

Konstantin

[Joyce Lava]

Hi Konstantin,

I'm afraid we cannot comment on future plans. Please follow our blog to keep posted.

Also, if you wish to ask this in the product-level (UI), you may post your question in AdWords Community Forum.