As digital marketers, we’re always trying to find the balance between collecting valuable data and respecting user privacy. With increasing privacy regulations and the movement towards a more privacy-centric internet, things have become even more challenging.
Microsoft UET Consent Mode is one potential answer to these changes, but what is it, why should you care, and how do you implement it correctly?
Contents
- The Privacy Landscape
- Important UK Legal Regulations
- Google’s Consent Mode V2 – A Quick Overview
- Introducing Microsoft UET Consent Mode
- How to Set Up Microsoft UET Consent Mode
- What This Means for Marketers
- Mitigating Data Loss While Staying Compliant
- Summary
- Microsoft UET Consent Mode FAQs
The Privacy Landscape
The internet used to be far less restricted for data collection, where cookies (small data files) helped businesses track user behaviour, personalise ads, and optimise marketing strategies.
Today, the tide has turned. Privacy concerns have risen, and governments worldwide have taken notice – new laws and regulations are changing how we collect and manage user data, pushing for more transparency and user control.
For marketers, this means facing a future where cookies (particularly third-party cookies) may soon disappear, or at the very least, become less reliable. So, how do we continue gathering the insights we need while respecting user privacy?
Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) and Consent modes, like Google’s Consent Mode and Microsoft’s UET Consent Mode, offer possible solutions.
Important UK Legal Regulations
In the UK, digital marketers must navigate two key regulations: the Data Protection Act 2018 (the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
GDPR governs how personal data is collected, processed, and stored, requiring explicit consent for activities like marketing or analytics. PECR complements GDPR, focusing on electronic communications, such as cookies and direct marketing. It mandates that businesses inform users and obtain consent before placing cookies or tracking their behaviour online.
Recently, regulations introduced by the EU, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA), have prompted significant changes in how large digital platforms operate.
The DMA regulates how gatekeepers (big platforms, like Google and Microsoft) handle data across services, requiring explicit consent before combining data. The DSA focuses on transparency in advertising and content moderation. These regulations primarily impact UK businesses that advertise to users in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Together, these laws have been driving the need for tracking changes, ensuring that user data is only tracked when consent is explicitly given – prompting Google and Microsoft to release Google’s Consent Mode V2 and Microsoft’s UET Consent Mode.
Compliance to these new privacy led features is crucial to avoid penalties and data gaps in your marketing campaigns.
Google’s Consent Mode V2 – Quick Overview
Google’s Consent Mode V2 is one of the most significant changes we’ve seen in response to privacy regulations. Essentially, it allows marketers to adjust how Google tags behave based on the consent status of the user.
Google Consent Mode became mandatory on the 6th March 2024. To keep their account safe from potential suspension, Google advertisers had to have V2 implemented correctly, alongside a compliant cookie banner.
Instead of blocking all tags when consent is not granted, Consent Mode allows certain anonymous data to still be collected, giving marketers a way to mitigate the effects of data loss.
For instance, if a user opts out of ad-related cookies (ad_storage), Google tags can still fire, but without storing personal identifiers. It’s a clever way of navigating consent while still gathering some level of data.
Introducing Microsoft UET Consent Mode
Microsoft UET (Universal Event Tracking) Consent Mode has been designed to help marketers track valuable data while complying with privacy laws.
Taking effect from the 30th September 2024, Microsoft’s Consent Mode specifically impacts advertisers targeting the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, and the UK.
If consent mode is not correctly set up for Microsoft Advertising, conversions will not be tracked or used for campaign optimisation, potentially leading to “data-blindness” in key Microsoft Advertising features.
You can use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to only fire Microsoft Ads tags when consent is granted using GTM’s Consent Overview. However, similar to Google’s Consent Mode V2, Microsoft has shifted towards requiring direct receipt of those consent signals.
You’ll need to ensure that when a user consents (or doesn’t), that state is sent directly to Microsoft.
How to Set Up Microsoft UET Consent Mode
To ensure your website complies with privacy regulations while still tracking valuable conversion data, you need to implement Microsoft UET Consent Mode. This ensures that user consent preferences dictate how cookies are handled.
When ad storage is granted, first and third-party cookies can be read and written. When ad storage is denied, tracking is limited, except for third-party cookies used by Microsoft UET to prevent fraud and spam.
There are two main setup methods we explore:
- Using a CMP that supports Microsoft Consent Mode
- Manually pushing consent signals via Google Tag Manager (GTM)
Configuring Microsoft Consent Mode with a CMP
Some Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) now support Microsoft Consent Mode, making setup easier.
- Check if your CMP supports Microsoft Consent Mode
- Follow the configuration instructions provided by your CMP
Manually Pushing Consent Signals via Google Tag Manager (GTM)
If your CMP does not support Microsoft Consent Mode automatically, you can manually implement consent signals using GTM.
Step 1: Set Up a Microsoft Consent Mode Initialisation Tag
Create a Custom HTML Tag in GTM to set the default consent state to “denied”. Trigger on all pages:
<script>
window.uetq = window.uetq || [];
window.uetq.push('consent', 'default', {
'ad_storage': 'denied'
});
</script>
Step 2: Set Up a User-Defined Variable for First-Party Cookie Consent
Create a first party cookie variable in GTM for your CMP’s cookie. This will capture whether the user has granted or denied ad storage. This will be used to trigger the correct consent state updates.
Step 3: Push Consent State Updates Based on User Choices
You need two additional custom HTML Tags, triggered by a consent update event (which runs once on each page load).
For users who have denied ad storage
Trigger this tag when your cookie variable contains information that indicates a user has opted out:
<script>
window.uetq.push("consent", "update", {
ad_storage: "denied"
});
</script>For users who have granted ad storage
Trigger this tag when your cookie variable contains information that indicates a user has opted in:
<script>
window.uetq.push("consent", "update", {
ad_storage: "granted"
});
</script>Validating Microsoft Consent Mode Implementation
Once implemented, you should verify that consent signals are working correctly using one of these methods.
Using UET Tag Helper
Check that your UET tags fire with the correct usc parameter:
- If consent is granted, the tag should fire with usc = G (Granted).
- If consent is denied, the tag should not fire, or fire with usc = D (Denied).
Checking Network Requests
You can also inspect network requests in your browser’s developer tools:
- Look for the usc parameter in the request payload.
- Ensure it correctly reflects the user’s consent choice, e.g. usc=G or usc=D.
What This Means for Marketers
The introduction of UET Consent Mode brings both challenges and opportunities for marketers.
On one hand, there is the potential for data loss, which we’ve already seen with Google Consent Mode V2. Marketers have reported lower data collection rates after implementing Google Consent Mode, and similar effects are expected with Microsoft’s UET Consent Mode.
This reduction in data can hinder your ability to track user behaviour accurately, optimise PPC campaigns, and fully measure your SEO efforts. With fewer cookies being set and consent required, the visibility into user actions diminishes, creating gaps in reporting and tracking.
However, Microsoft Consent Mode also gives the opportunity to foster more trust with users, and ensure your marketing efforts promote privacy and user preferences.
Mitigating Data Loss While Staying Compliant
There are several strategies you can employ to limit data loss while remaining compliant with privacy regulations:
- Server-side Tagging: Shift data collection from the user’s browser (client-side) to your own server. This allows you to maintain more control over the data being collected, helping you preserve more insights while still adhering to consent requirements.
- Optimise Your Cookie Banner: A clear and user-friendly cookie banner can greatly impact the number of users who opt in to tracking. Make sure your banner is not easy to dismiss, but also not intrusive. Be transparent and make the benefits of opting in clear.
- Implement a Consent Management Platform (CMP): A robust CMP helps you manage consent states across all platforms, ensuring that you’re passing the correct signals to both Google and Microsoft. This is key to maintaining accurate tracking and avoiding data loss.
Summary
As the digital landscape continues to evolve with a focus on user privacy, marketers must adapt to new regulations and consent modes. Microsoft UET Consent Mode offers a solution to track valuable data while remaining compliant, but it requires a direct approach in sending consent signals.
While data loss is an unfortunate side effect of these privacy-first changes, strategies like server-side tagging and optimised consent management can help mitigate the impact. Staying informed and proactive is key to maintaining effective digital marketing campaigns in this new environment.
If you need support as we move into a more privacy-friendly internet, get in touch with the Atelier team!
Microsoft UET Consent Mode FAQs
What is Microsoft UET Consent Mode?
It’s a tool that ensures user data is only tracked if they give explicit consent, helping businesses comply with privacy regulations like GDPR.
What regulations drive the need for consent modes?
In the UK, GDPR and PECR mandate that businesses obtain user consent for data collection. The EU’s DMA and DSA enforce stricter consent rules, especially for large platforms, affecting UK advertisers targeting the EEA.
What happens if I don’t implement UET Consent Mode?
If consent signals are not passed, conversion tracking and audience segmentation will be affected. Without these measurables, your tracking will be incomplete, leading to gaps in performance data, affecting both paid and organic marketing efforts.
Will data loss occur with consent mode?
Yes, but you can mitigate it through server-side tagging and a well-optimised cookie banner.
Do DMA and DSA apply to UK advertisers?
They apply if you target users in the EEA, requiring explicit consent for data handling under these EU regulations.