WHAT DOES A TAG MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DO?
Tag management systems are used to simplify the installation of external scripts – called pixels or tags – on websites. The implementation and adaptation of tracking codes for web analysis, A/B testing, personalization, remarketing, affiliate marketing, etc. should be possible without interfering with the source code of the website. Processes will be accelerated by the simplified collection of data from the website or user interactions and the appropriate transfer of data to third-party solutions.
The aim is to increase the performance of the website on the one hand and to save IT costs on the other. Last but not least, the online marketing team can act faster.
TAG MANAGEMENT AND DATA PROTECTION
However, the use of tag managers can be critical under data protection law for two reasons:
1. The use of cookies that are not absolutely necessary.
The cookies set by tag managers themselves are generally regarded as requiring consent. According to the provisions of the TTDSG, it does not matter whether the cookies deployed can be used to identify or recognize users. Access to the memory of the end device alone is sufficient, unless this is technically necessary for the provision of the online service. Tag management is purely a convenience function for marketing purposes and is not usually used for the actual operation of the website. Even if absolutely necessary services are controlled via the tag manager, the tag manager itself is not exempt from consent.
2. Data processing beyond the purposes pursued.
According to Art. 5 GDPR, personal data must be “adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed (‘data minimization’).” The tag manager may therefore only collect the data that is required for subsequent processing. This is because the collection also falls under data processing in accordance with the GDPR. Three points need to be checked before using a tag management system
- Do I need consent for the use of cookies or the reading of end device data from the tag manager?
- Is the use of the connected third-party systems subject to consent?
- Have I selected a tag management system that does not collect or transfer any data requiring consent without prior consent?
INTEGRATED TAG MANAGEMENT IN ETRACKER ANALYTICS
In view of data protection issues, etracker offers independence from third-party tag management solutions and has created the following options directly in etracker analytics:
1. SIMPLE TAGGING THROUGH AUTO-TRACKING & CO.
The standard etracker tag is sufficient to automatically record the following data:
INTERACTIONS
- All page views with domain, URL and page title as well as allocation to areas based on the URL structure
- All external, mail and telephone link calls as well as downloads as click events
- Playable media (videos, podcasts, music) as events
- Scroll events per page 0-9%, 10-24% etc.
- Internal searches
ORIGIN
- Referrer domain and path
- Search term (if passed)
- Classification of traffic by medium (direct, search, social media, referrer)
- Recording and matching of Google campaign parameters (UTM)
- Geo-information (city, region, country)
TECHNOLOGY
- Device type
- Device name and manufacturer
- Operating system and version
- Browser, version and language
Other individual view and click events as well as conversions can easily be measured using CSS selectors without any programming effort or changes to the website code.
Step 1: Selecting the data type
Step 2: Configuration of the trigger and content
2. SEND DATA TO THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OR FIRE THEIR TAGS
The tags of the major marketing platforms are only permitted to be played out with the consent of those affected. This is why etracker offers a clever solution instead of playing the conversion pixels of the ad platforms: All conversions are recorded without consent and uploaded anonymously to the platforms on the backend.
Remarketing, on the other hand, is not possible via a data upload, but requires the use of the corresponding third-party tags. Therefore, tags from Google & Co. can also be used in the same way as etracker tags.
The associated consent management ensures that this only happens with consent.
ETRACKER CODE PLAYOUT VIA GOOGLE TAG MANAGER & CO.
Apart from the data protection aspects, the tracking code from etracker can be played out via tag management systems such as Google Tag Manager (GTM). You can find instructions for basic integration here.
As extensions, etracker event and eCommerce tracking as well as etracker onsite campaigns can be played out via GTM.
CONCLUSION
The combination of server-side conversion upload and marketing tag control ensures the best possible database for campaign control. In addition, integration with Consent Management helps to ensure that data protection requirements are met and sources of error are minimized. This ensures maximum convenience, lean processes and efficient marketing.