The Issue & Solution
The ever-growing number of client-side tags poses issues such as risky code updates, inconsistent data, the need for a developer resource to update code, and many others. Our solution to these issues is Tealium iQ Tag Management (TiQ).
Tealium’s tag management solution follows many industry-level tag management features, with the most distinguishing and valuable features being Extensions and Consent Integrations. TiQ extensions allow users to easily manipulate the data layer, vendor tags, and your site directly from TiQ. These features not only help to optimize your tag setup but also allow users to resolve data inconsistencies before sending to 3rd-party vendors.
Getting Started
There are two key items you will need to get started with TiQ.
You will need:
- Tealium Universal Data Object (UDO): utag_data object
- Tealium Library: utag.js script
Universal Data Object (UDO): utag_data
The Universal Data Object, also known as the UDO object, is Tealium’s universal data layer. The data layer is what drives Tealium by triggering events and tags. The data layer will need to be initialized and populated onto your site as the utag_data object. It is important to ensure the utag_data object is created and populated before the Tealium library runs.
Tealium Library: utag.js
Next, you will need to run Tealium’s library by loading the utag.js script onto your site. This script should come after the utag_data object, and it is recommended to place the script on all pages near the top of the opening <body> tag.
To find your utag.js script, navigate to the Manage Environments in your profile by following the steps here.
Essentially, you are done, and TiQ will be running on your site! The next step is to add data layer variables within your Tealium profile and add tags from the Tealium Marketplace to load onto your site.
Adding Tealium Data Layer Variables
Within your Tealium profile, there is a page for the Data Layer. The Tealium Data Layer is essentially a container for each utag_data value. The data layer variable is named the same as the tag_data key, and the value is stored within the data layer container. Each variable that you implement in the utag_data object must also be created here so that it can be used in your configuration. The variables must be named exactly as they appear in the utag_data object.
For example, if the utag_data object includes a key value pair for ‘page_name’: ’Home’, the ‘page_name’ variable will need to be created within your profile’s data layer to contain and pass along the value of ‘Home’ to your tags.
Setting Up Tags
Next, you can add tags to your site. Tealium has over a thousand tags within the Tag Marketplace, which provide a simple, user-friendly interface to add your tag-specific configurations. You can do this by simply navigating to Tags > + New Tag > and searching for your desired tag within the Marketplace.
Next, you will follow the interface to add your tag configurations, set any Load Rules for when the tag should load, and map any data layer variables to pass along UDO variable values to the tags.
Creating Extensions
The main feature that differentiates Tealium’s Tag Manager from other tag managers is the Extension feature. Tealium offers many extension options that allow you to dynamically set tag configurations, manipulate, normalize, and set data layer values, add JavaScript to your site, and much more.
You can use this feature by navigating to Extensions > + Add Extension and viewing the many extension options available.
Enforcing Consent: Consent Integration
Lastly, Tealium offers a simple and effective way to enforce consent for each tag through our Consent Integration option. Consent Integrations works seamlessly alongside your Consent Management Platforms. You can set up the consent preferences for each tag by navigating to Consent Integrations, completing the setup of your Purpose Groups, and then mapping each tag to a purpose group within the Map Tag screen.
To wrap up, Tealium offers a complete and robust approach to Tag Management. Our solution is not only simple to use but also allows you to take control of your data layer, tagging model, and consent enforcement, right at the center of your tag management solution.
