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Month: September 2021

Pourquoi le server-side (full ou hybride) est plus accessible que vous ne pensez ?

Why server-side strategies (full or hybrid) are within easier reach than you might think

Implementing a so-called server-side tag management strategy is often considered to be a challenge, except that there are two ways to go about it…

The growing popularity of ad blockers, the heralded (albeit delayed) end of third-party cookies… the latest developments sweeping the internet have focused the spotlight on server-side tag management, which is also known as tagless or server-to-server tag management. The principle is straightforward and involves moving the workload associated with information exchanges with partners from the browser to the server, but putting the system into action is often considered to be a highly technical and tricky exercise. The good news in practice is that there are two methods for implementing a server-side strategy, and one method in particular is easier to roll out…

Full server-side or hybrid server-side?

“Full server-side”. This term refers to the full implementation of a server-side tag management strategy. With this model, as soon as a user takes action (visits a page, clicks on a video, etc.), a “server hit” is sent to the TMS (Tag Management Server), which processes and sends the information to the relevant partners, from server (the TMS server) to server (the partner’s server). In this particular case, the data layer can no longer be found in the browser.

“Hybrid server-side”. This is the name that we are starting to use to refer to the other way of deploying the server-side model. This name may cause a certain amount of confusion, because “hybrid” deployment in reality corresponds to a common method that many companies apply without actually using that term.

The only difference is the data layer

The main difference between both approaches is that the hybrid model retains the data layer. But no partner tags are activated from the browser. The information in the data layer is used by a single tag that sends the information on the server-side, where the TMS (as in the previous model) processes the information prior to distribution to the partners (server to server).

What are the benefits with this hybrid approach? Its pragmatism and the accessible level of technical expertise required. Several partners have not bothered overhauling their solutions to work in the full server-side mode, meaning that they still need the information in the data layer. What gets lost with the hybrid server-side model? The only difference is that the data layer is retained, so it can still be seen in the browser. If the information contained causes issues with confidentiality, there may be justification in migrating to the full server-side mode. Otherwise, the hybrid server-side model offers all the advantages of the full server-side model.

Maintaining the advantages

There are many advantages with the server-side model. Drastically reducing the number of tags has a positive effect on page loading times, while tagging plans are easier to maintain. Everyone appreciates the operational gains. But server-side is also about (primarily?) greater data control. Whereas the information goes straight to the partners with the client-side model, information is processed and sorted with the server-side model. Partners only receive the data that they need. This strategy eliminates such risks as piggybacking, where a tag calls other tags to distribute information to partners of partners…

The server-side model also enriches the information with other sources to inject greater relevance into the processing activities. This is an interesting prospect in many respects, such as A/B testing, where this level of openness paves the way for more sophisticated tests, like measuring the impact of purchasing recommendations on revenue.

What about consent?

This is a legitimate (and often asked) question. Is the server-side model exempt from consent? In a nutshell, full and hybrid server-side models are not exempt from consent. They are merely a vehicle or a technical method. Server-side strategies may be exempt from consent in just one case, namely when the actual solution that they are supporting is exempt.

The Italian Garante new guidelines for cookies use

On June 10th, 2021, the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante per la protezione dei dati personali) has published new guidelines for cookie usage. It comes after 6 months of public consultation on cookies topic.

What are the modalities ?

Any website that have users based in Italy are concerned by these new guidelines.

The deadline to comply is set at January 10th, 2022.

What are the guidelines ?

  1. Cookie banner
  • “Accept” and “Reject” buttons are required.
  • The user’s personal data storage period must be specified.
  • The banner must contain a link to the privacy policy.
  • The user must be able to give/withdraw consent granularly according to purposes and providers.
  • Users must be able to access and edit their tracking preferences at any time after setting their initial preferences.
  • New specifications for the accessibility of cookie information in relation to persons with disabilities;

     2. What is a Consent and how to collect it

  • The act of giving consent must be “free, specific, informed and unambiguous”
  • An ‘X’ button must be present on the cookie banner so users can continue navigating without being tracked by cookies.
  • Scrolling is not a clear, affirmative positive action from the user to collect consent.
  • Cookie walls are not allowed

 3. Analytics Cookies

  • First-party analytics cookies may be placed without collecting users’ consent (and prior blocking).
  • Third-party analytics cookies may be placed without collecting users’ consent (and prior blocking) only under certain conditions.

     4. Validity of consent 

  • Consents collected before the publication of the new Garante Guidelines on cookies, if they comply with the characteristics required by the Regulation, are valid as long as, at the time of their acquisition, they have been recorded and can therefore be documented.
  • The banner may not be shown to users before 6 months have passed since the consent was collected.

       5. Proof of consent

  • You need to be able to prove that consent was obtained according to the standards of the GDPR.

Some concrete examples of compliant privacy banners :

 

How to be compliant with the Italian guidelines with TrustCommander ?

Our Consent Management Platform TrustCommander helps you to be compliant in a simple way without loosing performance or visibility. Fast to set up, Easy to manage, personalized, TrustCommander is the solution you needed to be compliant before January, 10th, 2022 !

The advantages of TrustCommander:

  1. Personalisation: create banners and preference centres that reflect your company
  2. Conformity: Banners compliant with the data protection authority GDPR, CCPA, UABG
  3. Cookies categories: categorise your cookies to simplify user preferences
  4. Evidence of consent: Retain and ensure traceability of all evidence of user consent
  5. Detailed reports: assess your consent strategy by analysing the opt-in rates
  6. Compatibility: Combine TrustCommander with TagCommander and also with other TMS systems and your hardcoded and hybrid tags.

Contact us if you want to know more about TrustCommander !

Playbook - Stratégies publicitaires dans un monde sans cookies

Playbook – What advertising strategies can you harness in a cookieless world?

What advertising strategies can you harness in a cookieless world?

These days, everyone is talking about the end of cookies, and we were the first to raise the issue (as shown in our article about the alternatives of cookies). The same applies to the fallout for brands in a cookieless world and how the scales are going to be tipped even further in favour of the GAFA companies. But a number of other problems seem to have flown under the radar, such as how can brands readjust their marketing mix, reallocate their budgets, manage their acquisitions and choose the best course of action?

Therefore, we have decided to offer you our insights into the actionable cookieless strategies as well as the potential impacts for each strategy. We have divided them into two categories: with consent and without consent.

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